A Muslim Marriage in Kerala is similar to that elsewhere and is the assimilation of two souls and the merging of two families, as per Islam. The Wedding Ceremony known as ‘’Nikkah’’, meaning ‘’the ritual of contract’’, needs the presence of two male witnesses. The weddings are conducted as per Islamic traditions with the guidance of Mullah or Musaliar. Muslim Nikaah Rituals are broadly classified into three: Pre-Marriage Rituals, Wedding Ceremony and Post Marriage Rituals.

1. Muslim Wedding
Rituals & Ceremonies in Kerala

2. A Muslim Marriage in Kerala is similar to that elsewhere and is the
assimilation of two souls and the merging of two families, as per
Islam. It’s a mere contract between the groom and the bride’s father.
The Wedding Ceremony known as ‘’Nikkah’’, meaning ‘’the ritual of
contract’’, needs the presence of two male witnesses. The weddings
are conducted as per Islamic traditions with the guidance of Mullah
or Musaliar.
Muslim Nikaah Rituals are broadly classified into three: Pre-Wedding
Ceremony, Wedding Ceremony and Post-Wedding Ceremony.

3. Pre-Wedding Ceremony

4. Pre-Wedding Customs comprises of ceremonies like Ishtikara, Imam-
Zamin, Mehndi ki Raat and Baraat. The Wedding Pre-Marriage
Rituals are held separately at the bride’s and at the groom’s. During
these customs the bride and groom have limited interaction. The
Pre-Wedding rituals commence with the bride and groom’s
compliance for the wedding.

5. 1) Ishtikara

6. Ishtikara, the guidance prayer is conducted by the religious head
or Maulvi to seek permission from the Almighty God to perform
the Nikkah. This ritual is held in the presence of the bride’s and
groom’s father and the elder members of the family and is carried
out at the Mosque. The Maulvi recites the verses from the holy
Quran and Ishtikara is performed, thereby following the
accordance of the brides’ father and the groom’s father on the
wedding date.
Ishtikara

7. 2) Imam-Zamin

8. Imam-Zamin
Imam-Zamin is similar to the shagun ceremony in Indian
weddings and is full of fun and excitement. The religious belief
behind conducting this ceremony is for the safety of the new-to-
be couple from every Aafat or unforeseen disaster. On a
particular day, the Groom’s mother and other senior members
from the Groom’s family visits the bride’s family with gifts for
the bride and her family. The Groom’s mother brings a gold or
silver coin with her, wrapped in a piece of silk cloth. She then
ties the coin to the bride’s arm which symbolizes the marking of
the bride as her ‘’to be’’ daughter-in-law. This ceremony is
known as Imam-e-Zamin.

9. Imam-Zamin
A few days later Imam-e-Zamin, the engagement date also known
as Mangni is fixed. During Mangni, the exchange of gifts between
the bride & the groom’s family is performed. Now a days, the
bride & groom exchange rings to mark the engagement. The days
after Magni are really busy with the Wedding preparations and
full of enjoyment for the bride and her friends. The bride is
pampered in all the possible ways and with her favourite dishes
before her wedding. She is subjected to several beauty
treatments like bath in aromatic oils to make their skin soft and
plump. Besides Jasmine extracts are applied to the bride’s hair to
add luster and fragrance.

10. Imam-Zamin
The bride’s Wedding Outfit, usually a beautiful lehenga woven
with heavy embroidery or stone work is picked by her mother
in law and is presented to the bride along with jewellery and
gift baskets of perfumes, dates, and fruits. Now a day, Muslim
brides prefer Gowns also as their Wedding costume.

11. 3) Mehndi ceremony

14. Mehndi Ceremony
Mehndi Ceremony usually takes place two to three days prior to
the Wedding night. This is primarily a Women’s function organized
by the bride’s family, reveled with musical beats of Dholak, with
women singing traditional songs for the prosperous marital life of
the bride. According to the custom, the bride is not supposed to
step out of the house after this ceremony till the day of her
wedding. A paste of fresh turmeric is applied on the bride’s face
and body by her family, relatives and friends to bring natural glow
to her skin. The brides’ mother put the first dot of henna on the
bride’s palm followed by her friends’ and relatives.

15. Mehndi Ceremony
Beautiful mehendi patterns are made on both the hands and legs
of the bride. The family members and friends also get mehendi
designs drawn on their hand. As per the tradition the bride is not
allowed to do the household works in her marital house until her
Mehndi fades away. Besides the tradition, applying Mehendi is to
prevent the wedding stress faced by the bride and groom due to
their excitement mixed with nervous anticipation as the wedding
day approaches.

16. Mehndi Ceremony
Mehendi helps in cooling down the body and keeps the
nerves from becoming tense. Mehendi applied during Indian
Weddings are not merely the paste of mehndi powder and
water, but also added with Eucalyptus oil, a bit of clove oil and
a few drops of lemon. These oils, apart from helping in
darkening the colour of mehndi on the body, also make the
mehendi paste highly medicinal. Several traditional Muslim
families believe that the darker the shade of the henna on the
bride’s hand, happier is her married life.

17. 4) Baraat

21. Baraat
On the Wedding day, the groom arrives at the wedding venue
with his baraat, the procession of his family and friends. The
procession will be accompanied by a band that plays traditional
music to announce the baraat arrival. On reaching the venue the
groom shares a drink of sherbet (a drink prepared from fruits
and/or flower petals similar to juice) with the bride’s brother or
her relatives. The bride's sisters play pranks on the groom and
welcome the guests with flowers. Sometimes rosewater is
sprinkled on them, symbolizing the purity and fragrance of the
divine.

22. Wedding Ceremony

23. 1) Nikaah

28. Nikaah
During the Wedding Ceremony or the Nikaah, the bride and the
groom are seated separately. Muslim Wedding is presided by
the Maulvi or the Qazi, the head priest of the Muslim
community. Maulvi chants the great verses of the holy Quran
and the bride’s father offer his daughter in marriage to the
groom. The groom proposes to the bride and the head priest
conveys the proposal to the bride. This ritual is called Ijaab. The
bride then conveys her acceptance to the groom’s proposal by
saying ‘Qubool’. Ijab Qubul is thus the Sacral Agreement
between Bride and the Groom.

29. Nikaah
Next starts the ceremony of Mahr. The groom gifts the bride
her wedding gift called Mahr, which is a vital part as per the
wedding ritual. Mahr symbolizes the husband's responsibility
and commitment towards his wife and is paid in cash, gold,
property or movable objects to the bride. Mahr is given to the
bride at the time of marriage. Now the bride and the groom
sign the Nikahnaama or the Muslim marriage certificate.
Fathers of both the bride and groom also sign the
Nikahnaama along with the head priest.

30. Nikaah
Once the wedding is solemnized, the bride and groom are seated on
the stage together. Throughout the wedding function, the head of
the bride and the groom are covered with a dupatta. The groom gives
gifts to bride’s sisters and relatives and the bride also receives gifts in
form of gold and silver coins, jewellery, clothes etc. In Muslim
weddings the male and female guests are seated separately, so the
couple visits the women guests first and then the men guests. After
visiting the elders in both the families, the couple returns to the
stage. The Qazi or the head priest now gives guidance to the couples
and the couple recites the prayer. When the couple is seated among
their common guests, the holy Quran is placed between the couples.
The bride and groom can’t see each other directly.

31. Post-Wedding Ceremony

32. 1) Ruksat

34. Ruksat
After the Nikaah, the bride’s family bids her a tearful farewell before
she departs to her husband’s house. This custom is called Ruksat
where the bride’s father gives her hand to her husband and tells him
to take good care of her and protect her. The bride is welcomed to
her marital house by the Groom’s mother. The Holy Quran is held
above the head of the new daughter-in-law as she enters her new
home for the first time after the wedding. The bride now seeks
blessings from the senior members in the groom’s family. The
Chauthi is the fourth day after the wedding when the bride visits her
home. She receives a merry welcome from her family and relatives.

35. 2) Walima

37. Walima (The Marriage Banquet)
Groom’s family hosts a wedding reception on the fifth day of the
Wedding. This banquet is formally known as Daawat-e-Walima. It’s a
joyous function that brings together the families, their relatives and
friends. They celebrate the unison of the couples and the well-
wishers wish them a happy married life.

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