Lifestyle - Halal Guidance

Photo Courtesy: JDG Photo|Video Every year, Muslims worldwide wait for Ramadan to come to celebrate the long-awaited holy month. Because the majority consider Ramadan one of the most beautiful times of the year, some wish to get married during it. But, can you get married during Ramadan? Additionally, if so, what are you allowed to do as a married couple? 1) Can You Get Married During Ramadan? The majority of scholars believe it is permissible to get married during Ramadan. This also includes having a wedding. However, it is only permissible under certain conditions. Although there are certain different situations in which a Muslim can break their fast, including sickness, menstruating, etc. But marriage is not one of them. This means that getting married during Ramadan is not an excuse for a Muslim couple to break their fast. If the couple is able to fast simultaneously until sunset, they are allowed to have a wedding as well. It all depends on the couple's physical ability to fast during and or before the wedding. To conclude, a Muslim couple can get married during Ramadan so long as they can manage to maintain their fast simultaneously. Fatwa on Getting Married During Ramadan On Islam QA, someone asked whether it was permissible or not to get married during the holy month of Ramadan. He received a response stating that it was permissible to get married during Ramadan. Here's the full response: There is nothing in Islam to suggest that it is not allowed to get married during the month of Ramadaan because it is Ramadaan, or in any other month. Rather marriage is permitted on any day of the year. But the one who is fasting in Ramadaan must refrain from eating, drinking and intercourse from dawn until sun set. So if he can control himself and there is no fear of him doing something that will break his fast, there is nothing wrong with him getting married in Ramadaan. It seems that those who want to start married life in Ramadaan usually cannot be patient and keep away from their new wives throughout the day, and there is the fear that they may do something that is forbidden and they may fall into grave sin, for which it is obligatory to make up that day’s fast and offer a severe expiation, which is freeing a slave; if that is not possible then they must fast for two consecutive months; if that is not possible then they must feed sixty poor persons. If intercourse happens repeatedly on a number of days, then this expiation must also be repeated for the same number. Islam QA (source) Long story short, the sheikh responded by making it clear that marriage during Ramadan is technically permissible. However, married couples ought to watch out for temptations that may break ones fast such as breaking ones fast, or sexual intercourse during fasting hours etc. 2) Can You Kiss at Your Wedding During Ramadan? This brings us to an even bigger question: Are you even allowed to kiss at your wedding? The answer to this question is a bit more complicated. There's a consensus between the majority of scholars in which they agree that it's impermissible for a Muslim man to kiss his wife or a Muslim woman to kiss her husband in front of others. Muslims are supposed to practice modesty. Physical intimacy is something that is special between a married couple. It should be concealed, not to be seen in the eyes of others. A fatwa issued by islamweb.net even went as far as to say that public kissing is the practice of disbelievers that don't have honor or dignity. A lot of these scholars that share this view on public intimacy, especially kissing, believe that the normalization of intimate acts in public would result in an unrestricted society with very little morality. These scholars also cite bashfulness as one of the reasons that they disagree with public kissing. Although holding hands and other less 'out-there' intimate acts have less conflicting opinions, kissing even as a legitimate married couple is generally seen as impermissible (source). This is supported by an Ibn Qudaamah quote, saying: A husband should not have intercourse with his wife when it is possible for someone else to see them or to hear their noise when copulating. Also, he should not kiss her or touch her in front of the people. IslamWeb (source) To conclude, it is impermissible to kiss at your wedding during Ramadan with people present. 3) Can Married Couples Have Sex During Ramadan? The majority of Islamic scholars believe that a married couple is allowed to engage in sexual intercourse regardless of the month. However, they are not allowed to engage in sexual intercourse during specific times (fasting hours) during Ramadan. A Muslim fasts from dawn till sunset. During this fast, they are not to eat, drink, or engage in sexual intercourse. After sunset, when the couple breaks their fast, they're allowed to have sex again. However, it may not be preferable for some people to get married during Ramadan. The ruling is that it is okay to get married during Ramadan. However, some people can not resist temptation. As a newlywed couple, who just got married, they may not be as patient as a couple that has been married for a longer period of time. These impatient individuals might not be able to refrain themselves from sexual intercourse during fasting time (source). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHM9F9516aE In conclusion, it is permissible for a married couple to have sex during Ramadan only after they complete their fast. In addition, it is not preferable to get married in the case of extreme temptation. The mission of this site is to minimize and prevent bias and help you form your own decision, we hope this article helped you in doing so.