Nikah, or Nikaah, marks the coming together of a couple. It’s a Prophetic tradition that legitimises the relationship of two people in front of god under Islamic law. Now, most of us are aware of the Nikah ceremony in which the bride and groom accept each other by saying Qubool Hai thrice. But there’s a lot more that happens in a Muslim wedding. From Mahr to Walima, here are all the Muslim wedding rituals and ceremonies and their significance.

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1. Mehendi

Just like other South Asian cultures, Muslim weddings also have a mehendi ceremony that kickstarts the festivities. The bride gets henna on her hands and feet before the Nikah ceremony. And in some families, a haldi ceremony is also held before the mehendi where haldi is mixed with sandalwood or rose water and is applied to the bride and groom.

2. Mahr

Mahr is a Muslim tradition that involves the groom’s family presenting obligatory gifts that the bride’s family requests from them. It is usually a specified sum of money, a trip, gold, or anything else that the bride wants. This is to ensure the bride’s financial security in the future and is requested with keeping the groom’s income and financial health in mind.

3. Nikah

Nikah is the main wedding function per Muslim traditions. This is traditionally done in a mosque by a Qazi or priest with men and women seated separately. But nowadays, weddings take place at venues decided by the bride’s family. A Qazi officiates the ceremony and reads relevant verses from the Holy Quran. Once that is done, the couple says Qubool Hai thrice to verbally accept the marriage. Then, an official contract called the Nikahnama is signed. It is the legal contract of marriage that both the bride and groom must sign.

4. Mirror ceremony

Once the Nikah is done, the bride and groom are seated next to each other with a dupatta or cloth covering their heads. They are given a mirror and the Holy Quran to see each other for the first time as husband and wife. This is also called Arsi Mushaf ceremony, with arsi being the mirror and mushaf being the Holy Quran.

5. Rukhsati

Rukhsati is a Muslim wedding ritual done after the Nikah and the Arsi Mushaf. It means the departure of the bride from her parents’ home to go to her husband’s home. It is the same as the vidaai ceremony in other cultures. And in Muslim traditions, the Holy Quran is held over the bride’s head by her mother-in-law when she reaches the groom’s home to welcome her with blessings.

6. Walima

Walima is the final Muslim wedding ritual that signifies the end of the celebrations. It is the reception ceremony that is hosted by the groom’s side for their close friends and family. And it is usually held after the wedding day or can also be done within a week depending on the bride and groom.

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