Dear readers, after briefly discussing an important issue, I will attempt to describe how the marriage ceremony is conducted...

Today, many Muslim families, both men and women, unknowingly or knowingly, wear a gold ring or a marriage ring, even though there is no legal obligation to do so, just to conform to social norms...

Similarly, some families argue that gold is forbidden for men in Islam, so they have silver rings made and wear them instead...

However! In Islam, there is no tradition of wearing a ring in the context of marriage. The practice of wearing a wedding ring has been entirely adopted from Christians by us Muslims. In other words, the tradition we Muslims follow today is entirely a Christian custom...

Christians dress brides in white gowns and take them to the church. In the church, the priest announces that their marriage is solemnized, offers prayers, and after that, he places a ring, known as an alliance, on the bride and groom’s fingers, wishing for them to live together forever...

With the ring placed in the church, women and men are supposedly entirely bound to each other, and this marriage lasts until death. It should be remembered that they do not have the concept of divorce.

However, as mentioned earlier, Rasulullah (saw) foresaw these practices that we have entirely fabricated today, 1400 years ago and said:

“You will follow the practices of those before you, even if they enter the hole of a lizard, you would follow them.” When asked, “Do you mean the Christians and Jews, O Rasul of Allah?” He replied, “Clearly! Who else can it be?”

As seen in this hadith, we have completely adopted Christian customs today, attaching a man’s loyalty to a woman and a woman’s commitment to a man to a circular piece of metal. This is why we say that there is no custom of wearing rings in Islamic marriage. This is a tradition of the Church.

Now, let’s move on to how a marriage is conducted... 

Finally, the wedding night had arrived, and the invited guests had gathered for the marriage feast...

The Rasul of Allah (saw) made a speech:

“Praise belongs to Allah, and He is praised for His bounties. Worship is offered to Him because of His power and might. He is the One to whose dominion and authority everyone submits, the One whose punishment is feared, and His rule prevails in the heavens and on earth. Allah the Almighty has commanded the joining of kinship and made it obligatory, thus eradicating sins through these means… Allah the Almighty has commanded me to marry Fatima to Ali, and I have married them with a dowry of four hundred miskal of silver. Are you pleased with this, O Ali?”

Hadhrat Ali nodded, and then Rasulullah (saw) said:

“Rise and make a speech, Ali.”

Ali (ra) stood up and made a speech after praising and thanking Allah. He said, “I have married the daughter of the Rasul of Allah, Fatima, with a meher of twelve uqiya, in the presence of Allah and the witnesses.” 

This completed the marriage ceremony. Afterward, a large tray of dates was brought, and everyone was offered dates…

Our Master instructed Ali not to enter Fatima’s room until he himself joined them that night.

After the marriage ceremony, once everyone had dispersed, our Master got up and made his way to the bride’s house. Inside the house, our Master’s foster mother, Ummu Ayman, was present. When he reached the door, he sought permission to enter, and upon being granted permission, he walked in and asked, “Is my brother here?”

Ummu Ayman was quite surprised and replied, “May my parents be sacrificed for you, O Rasul of Allah, but who is your brother?” Rasulullah responded, “It is Ali ibn Abi Talib.” Ummu Ayman was even more puzzled and asked, “Since you married your daughter to him, how can he be your brother?”

Our Master then explained; 

“He is my brother in religion, O Ummu Ayman!” 

Then he asked, “Is Esma binti Umays here as well?”

Ummu Ayman confirmed that Esma was present and mentioned that she had come to serve the Rasul’s daughter. Our Master then entered the house, sat down, and asked for a bowl of water. He used the water for ablution and added some musk to it.

Next, he called Ali to sit in front of him, and with the water, he washed Ali’s chest, arms, and waist. Following this, he offered a prayer:

“Allahumma barik feema ve barik alayhima ve barik lehuma fiy naslihima!” which translates to; 

“O Allah, bless this marriage, bless them, and bless their offspring.”

Next, our Master summoned Fatima to join them. Fatima, blushing with shyness, approached her father with her head bowed. As he sprinkled water over her from the bowl, he said, “O Fatima, know that I have married you to the best member of my family.”

Then our Master recited Surah Al-Ikhlas and “Kul audhu” prayers. He beseeched Allah for their safety and protection from the evil of Satan. Then, he instructed Ali, saying; 

“Approach your spouse in the name and with the blessings of Allah.”

With these words, our Master left the couple to begin their married life and returned to his own home. 

After the wedding ceremony, Rasulullah (saw) did not visit the newlyweds for three days. 

Fatima had a profound love for her father, and due to this deep connection, she could only live for six more months after his departure to the realm of truth before she rejoined her father.

Now, I would like to share with you the Salawat that Fatima recited for her father during a “Divan”[1] gathering. This Salawat is from Seyyid Abdul Aziz ed Debbag’s book “EL IBRIZ”:

“Allahumma salli ala men ruhuhu mihrabul erwahi wel melaikati wel kewn. Allahumma salli ala huwa imamul anbiyai wal murseleen. Allahumma salli ala men huwe imamı ehlil jannati ibadullahil mumineen.”

This Salawat al-Sharif, along with an explanation of how it was obtained, can be found in our work THE POWER OF PRAYER…

Two months had passed since their marriage. Ali was busy grinding wheat and handling household chores. Fatima, with her delicate and graceful figure, also worked tirelessly. She was responsible for grinding the wheat at the mill.

One day, Ali proposed, “Fatima, grinding the wheat is causing pain in my chest. Your father has many slaves and servants. Why don’t you go and ask him to assign one of them to assist you?”

Fatima, who was exhausted from her work, agreed, saying, “You’re right; my hands are also sore from grinding flour. I will talk to my father…”

With that, she went directly to her father, the Rasul of Allah (saw)...

When Hadhrat Fatima arrived at her father’s presence, she was welcomed with a smile. Our Master asked her, “Welcome, my daughter! Is there something you wish to discuss?”

Feeling a bit embarrassed about revealing her concerns, Fatima lowered her head and replied, “I just came to see you, my father...”

She stayed with her father for a little while longer before returning home…

When she arrived home, Hadhrat Ali was curious about the outcome and asked, “What did you do, Fatima?” She replied, “When I went to my father, I felt too embarrassed to ask for a servant, so I didn’t say anything and just left. If you want, we can go together.” 

So, they went to the presence of our Master, together…

When our Master noticed Fatima came back, this time with Ali, he asked them, “What’s the matter? What’s troubling you?” Ali explained the situation, saying, “O Rasulullah, my chest aches from grinding wheat.” Fatima chimed in, “Father, my hands swell from grinding flour. Is it possible to have one of the servants that Allah has blessed you with to assist us?”

Our Master shook his head thoughtfully and replied; 

“I swear by Allah, I cannot provide you with a servant. I have been trying to sell those slaves and use the proceeds to support the people of Suffa who are in dire need of bread and sustenance. However, I can teach you something better than your request. When you lie down to sleep at night, say ‘Subhanallah’ 33 times, ‘Alhamdulillah’ 33 times, and ‘Allahu Akbar’ 33 times…”