Garments for Each Other — Page 40
40 NON-ISLAMIC RITUALS AND INNOVATIONS AT WEDDINGS AND FUNERALS - MARRIAGE FEASTS AND WALIMAH - DUTY OF AN AHMADI (Excerpt from Friday Sermon, 15 th January 2010) As I am talking about occasions of joy and grief, the one considered the most joyous of these is marriage, which is also an obligation. When some Companions (ra) of the Holy Prophet (saw) said that they would spend their lives worshipping God Almighty and would not marry for that reason, the Holy Prophet (saw) did not approve. He said: “ True Taqwa (righteousness, love of Allah and fear of losing His love) lies in following my example and teaching. I have married and I also fast and offer worship. ” 1 It is beyond one’s ability to even imagine the exceptional quality of worship offered by the Holy Prophet (saw). Thus, it is obligatory for Muslims that they must marry, unless there is something preventing them from it or something prohibitive in the way. But there are some customs, especially in the Pakistani and Indian culture, which have crept into marriage ceremonies, which have nothing whatsoever to do with Islamic teachings. Nowadays, so much money is spent on some of these customs that in societies where these traditions are celebrated with much show and gusto, people have started to believe that perhaps these traditions are also obligations of marriage and that a marriage cannot take place without them. There is the tradition of Mehndi (henna party), to which people have started giving as much importance as to the marriage ceremony itself. For its celebration, dinner parties are arranged, invitation cards are printed, and stages are set up and decorated