posted
The link below describes the relationship of a muslim couple. It says in the second paragraph that the woman initiates the offer of marriage. Is this seen in today's Islamic society and more so is it seen in Muslims who have been in the US for awhile? Is there more of a tendency to have arranged marraiges?
[URL=http://www.zawaj.com/articles/marriagerelat. html]Happy Conjugal Household[/URL]
Posts: 68 | From: Easton Pa | Registered: Nov 2005
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This article gives a sadly inaccurate picture. What it is referring to is that the fact that during the marriage ceremony it is the bride (in a very small number of cases according to one school of Islamic law) or more usually her "guardian" (a male relative who has the legal responsibility to make the marriage contract on behalf of a woman) who makes the offer of the bride to the groom in marriage and the contract is completed when the groom accepts the offer. The actual initiation of a proposal for marriage is traditionally done by a man to the woman's father. This is not always adhered to nowadays, and men often make the proposal directly to the woman first and then go to see her family if she agrees or indicates her agreement to him doing so.
It is not forbidden for a woman to take the first step and propose to a man, as we have an example of the Prophet Muhammad's first wife, Khadijah, doing so, but culturally is is more traditional and accepted for the man to do it, as in most other cultures.
Posts: 4576 | From: Cairo | Registered: Jun 2002
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posted
Thanks for the clarification, Newcomer. I was a little confused about the article myself...
Posts: 8794 | From: 01-20-09 The End of an Error | Registered: Dec 2004
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