Freedom after engagements
Question
Many Muslim families have engagement parties when they find their children suitable marriage partners. Is this permissible in Islam, or is it better to have the Nikah performed? Many young people, after getting engaged, feel that it is a permit for them to freely go out, as if they are married. What is the ruling on this matter?
Answer
The practice of engagement parties is foreign to Islam, and in fact, it has absolutely nothing to do with Nikah. Since this is a Kuffar custom, it should be totally discarded. If the couple are happy to get married to each other, (after making Istikhaarah and turning to Allah Ta’ala for guidance), then the Nikah should be performed without any delay whatsoever. Also, it is not permissible for the couple (intending marriage) to chat, send gifts, or spend time with each other until the Nikah is performed. Spending time with each other and engaging in various forms of sin, is a means of deprivation of the unlimited blessings that is to be enjoyed after Nikah.
- Answered by
- Mufti Mohammed Desai
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