Conducting Marriages in the Mosque
by: Sheikh Hânî al-Jubayr, presiding judge an the Mecca District Court
Conducting marriages in mosques is a common practice. The people of Mecca and Jeddah, for instance, are quite keen on holding their marriages in al-Masjid al-Harâm, since the mosque is quite close to them. This has led some people who are concerned with following the Sunnah to ask whether this practice is actually sanctioned by the Sunnah.
First, we must consider the hadîth evidence. To start with, there is a hadîth where it is related that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Announce the marriage, hold it in the mosques, and beat tambourines on its occasion.” [ Sunan al-Tirmidhî (1089) and Sunan al-Bayhaqî (7/290 – 15065)]
However, the hadîth has a weak chain of transmission, since it contains the narrator `Îsâ b. Maymûn, who relates the hadîth from al-Qâsim b. Muhammad from `Â'ishah from the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Al-Bayhaqî says: “`Îsâ b. Maymûn is a weak narrator.”
Al-Tirmidhî says: “`Îsâ b. Maymûn al-Ansârî is considered weak in hadîth.”
Al-Dhahabî informs us that al-Bukhârî said: “`Îsâ b. Maymûn who relates the hadîth ‘ Announce the marriage ...' is a weak narrator who amounts to nothing.” [ Mîzân al-I`tidal (3/326)]
Al-Dhahabî also informs us that `Abd al-Rahmân b. Mahdî said: “I confronted him (`Îsâ b. Maymûn) about it and said: ‘What are these hadîth that you relate from al-Qâsim from `Â'ishah?' He replied: ‘I will not repeat them again.'” [ Mîzân al-I`tidal (3/325)]
Al-Albânî declares this hadîth to be weak, both in Irwâ' al-Ghalîl (1993) and in Silsilah al-Ahâdîth al-Da`îfah (978).
I am not aware of any authentic hadîth where the Prophet either commanded or prohibed holding marriages in the mosques. I have, at least, not come across anything of the sort. Sheikh al-`Uthaymîn confirms this in his commentary on the Hanbalî legal treatise Zâd al-Mustaqni` , where he comments on the issue of whether it is preferred to hold marriages on a Friday, saying:
Ibn al-Qayyim mentions that it is appropriate for the marriage to be held in the mosque as well (as on a Friday) due to the honor of the time and the place. However, this is questionable on both counts, unless there is something in the Sunnah to establish it. If there is, then good and well. However, I know of nothing in the Sunnah to attest to it. [ Al-Sharh al-Mumti` (5/132)]
With regard to the practice of the Prophet (peace be upon him) we have what is related in the following hadîth about the woman who approached Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) and offered herself to him in marriage:
She said: “O Messenger of Allah, I have come to you to entrust myself to you.”
A person from amongst his Companions stood up and said: “O Messenger of Allah, marry her to me if you have no need of her.”
He (the Prophet) said: “Is there anything with you (which you can give to her as a dowry)?”
He said: “No, O Messenger of Allah. By Allah, I have nothing.”
Thereupon Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “Go to your people (family) and see if you can find something.”
He returned and said: “I have found nothing.” Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “See, even if but an iron ring.”
He said to him: “Do you know any part of the Qur'ân?” He said: “I know such and such chapters (and he counted them).”
Thereupon Allah's Messenger said: “Go. I have given her to you in marriage for the part of the Qur'ân which you know.” [ Sahîh al-Bukhârî (5149) and Sahîh Muslim (1425)]
Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalânî, in his commentary on this hadîth, informs us that in a narration of this hadîth from Sufyân al-Thawrî, it is mentioned that this incident took place in the mosque. [ Fath al-Bârî (9/113)] Here we have a situation where the Prophet (peace be upon him) conducted a marriage in a mosque, though admittedly, it appears that the location was more incidental than intentional.
Secondly, when we turn our attention to the opinions of the jurists, we find the jurists of all four schools of thought to be agreed that it is Sunnah to hold the marriage in the mosque.
Ibn Taymiyah says: “It is preferable to contract the marriage in the mosque.” [ Majmû` al-Fatâwâ (32/18)]
Ibn Qâsim writes: “It is Sunnah to hold it in the mosque. This is what Ibn al-Qayyim said, and he is a trustworthy, erudite scholar who does not declare something to be Sunnah except when there is a legitimate basis for doing so.” [ Hâshiyah al-Rawd al-Murbi` (6/243)]
Lastly, we need to consider that the reason for contracting the marriage in the mosque is to seek the blessings of doing so in that location. Al-Mubârakfûrî, in his commentary on Sunan al-Tirmidhî discusses the hadîth “Announce the marriage, hold it in the mosques, and beat tambourines on its occasion” and says:
With respect to the statement “ hold it in the mosques ”, this is either on account of it making the marriage easier to announce publicly or to attain the blessings of the location.” [ Tuhfah al-Ahwadhî (4/210)]
Without doubt, Allah has made certain locations more blessed than others, and mosques are among these locations. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The most beloved places in the land to Allah are its mosques.” [ Sahîh Muslim (671)]
The share of blessings held by al-Masjid al-Harâm in Mecca is greater. Allah says: “Glory be to Him who betook His servant for a swift journey by night from al-Masjid al-Harâm to al-Aqsâ Mosque whose precincts We did bless.” [ Sûrah al-Isrâ' : 1]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said about Mecca : “Indeed, it is the best of Allah's Earth and the most beloved of Allah's Earth to Allah.” [ Musnad Ahmad (4/305) and Mustadrak al-Hâkim (3/7) with an authentic line of transmission]
What remains, however, is the question of how we are supposed to realize the blessings of these localities.
`Urwah relates from `Â'ishah that she said: “Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) married me in the month of Shawwâl and consummated the marriage in the month of Shawwâl. So then, which of the Prophet's wives was more favored by him than me?”
`Urwah then comments that ` Â 'ishah used to prefer that the women of her acquaintance enter upon their marriages in the month of Shawwâl. [ Sahîh Muslim (1423)]
This hadîth provides us with two things. The first is that it dispenses with the superstitious hatred of contracting or consummating a marriage in the month of Shawwâl that used to exist amongst the pagan Arabs before Islam.
More important for what we are discussing is that the hadîth shows us the permissibility of following the mere action of the Prophet (peace be upon him) even when there is no evidence that the circumstances surrounding the action were specifically intended or were anything other than a coincidence. If the Prophet (peace be upon him) had specifically intended the month of Shawwâl as the time for the marriage and for consummating the marriage, he would certainly have expressed this in unequivocal terms, since his words provide a more decisive indication of such things than his actions.
The mere fact that the Prophet (peace be upon him) conducted a marriage in the mosque prevents us from construing a person's preference for doing so as an innovation, since giving preference to a place (the mosque) is no different than what `Â'ishah did by giving preference to a time (the month of Shawwal).
In brief, we say that it is permissible for a person to give preference to the mosque as the place to conduct a marriage. Doing so is not an innovation or unprecedented act. However, there is no evidence for saying that in Islamic Law it takes the ruling of being something preferred or that it is a Sunnah to hold the marriage in the mosque. At the same time, we do not censure those who regard it as being something Islamically preferred, in consideration of the fact that this is the opinion of many of the greatest scholars.
Conducting Marriages in the Mosque