Saudi authorities have allowed conducting marriage contracts at Islam’s two holiest sites – the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah unveiled the initiative recently, as reported by Gulf.
Saudi marriage official Musaed Al Jabri stated that conducting a marriage contract at the mosque is permissible in Islam, noting that Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) is known to have conducted a companion’s wedding rite at the mosque.
Al Jabri further noted that conducting the marriage contract at the Prophet’s Mosque is already common among the locals in Madinah.
“This is due to several reasons,” he said. “Some of them have the tradition of inviting most relatives of the would-be married couple. Often, the house of the wife-to-be’s family can’t accommodate all the invitees. So, the wedding contract is conducted at the Prophet’s Mosque or the Qaba Mosque (the first mosque built in Islam),” he added.
Some people, he argued, believe that conducting a marriage contract at the mosque brings “blessing and good luck”.
Regarding the rules that attendees of the ceremony should observe, he said they include averting the distraction of worshippers by loud voices. “It is also important to heed the sanctity of the place and avoid bringing in a lot of coffee, sweets, or food," Al Jabri added.
