Book your Marriage/Nikah

Family life is the foundation of a successful society, and marriage is an occasion of great joy in the Muslim community. Our beloved Prophet and Messenger of Allah said,

“We have not seen anything better than marriage for those who are in love”
(ibn Majah, 1847)

London Fatwa Council (LFC) facilitates the solemnisation of an Islamic marriage, by authorising a contract of marriage, known as the ‘Nikah’.

London Fatwa Council Requirements for a Nikah

In order for a marriage to be conducted by a qualified Scholar form London Fatwa Council, we have the following conditions;

Mutual Agreement: Both families must agree or have been clearly informed of their intention to be married.
Religious compatibility: Both spouses must be of the same belief and creed. The Shahadah must be taken in case of a revert. If no Shahadah certificate is evident please note the whole Shahadah process will be repeated, logged and registered at the LFC.
Documents: Passport copy and a driving licence or a current Utility bill. Civil Marriage certificate or booking confirmation of the same, for the day of Nikah.
Age compliance: In accordance to the law; both bride and groom are to be aged 18 years and over. It is a criminal offence to marry under the age of 18, with the offence carrying a sentence of up to 7 years in prison, for any party involved in this marriage; including those conducting, witnessing or in any way involved in this marriage, including family and friends. The offence includes marriage in non-legally binding ceremonies, such as an unregistered Nikkah.
Maintenance: Please note, the Imam may need time to make the best judgement and decision as to the appropriateness of the marriage, based on the groom’s ability to provide maintenance; which is considered obligatory (wajib) on the husband or in the event that the wife agrees to finance the husband, this too will need to be clarified.
Bride and Groom to be present: preferably the same building/venue.
Bride’s Wali (guardian) or Wakeel (attorney) to be present: Marriage is a happy occasion and should not exclude the family. LFC does not support, nor conduct, a secret or a runaway marriage. The Imam conducting the marriage, may call the guardians of the bride and groom to confirm their consent to the marriage, if they are not present or he is informed they are abroad.
In the absence of the Wali: If the Qadhi is content that permission was sought from the Wali, but his ground for refusal was on a discriminative basis; ie culture, race, caste, the Nikah will be conducted and considered valid.
Witnesses: Please ensure there are two male Muslim, sane and able witnesses who have a valid British passport. It is preferred that one witness is represented from either side; both from the bride and groom. Along with the brides Wali or Wakeel (attorney), there will be three witnesses present in total.
Travel restriction: There must be no immigration restrictions on either party.
Something sweet: To share following the Nikah; Arabian Dates as is Sunnah.

Nikah Fees

£150 non-refundable deposit payable at the time of booking. Nikah must be booked at least one week prior to the occasion. No Nikah will be booked unless a deposit is paid in advance.

London Fatwa Council office: £200, of which £150 must be paid at least a week in advance of the event.

External venue: If the Nikah is to be conducted at a venue of your choice, and within three (3) miles radius of London Fatwa Council, then a £300 charge is payable, with a deposit of £150 to be paid at least a week in advance of the event. The external price begins at £300 and will increase depending on distance from the office. Contact to ascertain an exact cost for your Nikah.

Nikah certificates: The issuing of any Certificate of Nikah, after Shariah verification, will be chargeable at £150 for a Nikah conducted in the UK and £200 for a Nikah conducted outside the UK.

Refunds: Any cancellation by the LFC, due to unforeseen circumstances, will be refunded in full. Otherwise, we follow a strictly non-refundable deposit policy.

3 Steps to Book your Nikah

Call 020 8201 3632/ 07985463440 to check availability of a Qadhi to conduct your Nikah. We recommend you book your Nikah as soon as you have a date in mind. Please be aware that the summer months are a busy time for Nikah ceremonies, therefore, kindly book well in advance to avoid disappointment.
Once you have confirmation of date, pay £150 deposit immediately to secure your booking. Write your name and date of event as payment reference. ie. ‘Aadam Ali, 13.12.19’.
Send a confirmation email , using the form below with your name and date of Nikah, once you have paid into our account. Payments can be made here;

Nikah Deposit/ Fees

On the day;

Please ensure punctuality. It is bad adab to keep anyone waiting, least of all an Imam.
Please allocate a person to be available for the Imam to contact on the day, in case of an emergency and to take care of him when he arrives at the venue.
Please arrange for any music to be switched off at the presence of the Imam and at a large venue for a PA system to also be arranged.
Please arrange for a Compare/ Master of Ceremonies to announce the presence of the Imam, to settle and ready guests for the official ceremony.
The Nikah ceremony will start with a short recitation of the Quran. This is followed by a brief address to commemorate the celebration. Thereon, the Imam will deliver his Arabic sermon (Khutbah) and conduct the official Nikah ceremony of ‘Ijaab’ and ‘Qubul’ (the exchange and confirmation of the offer and acceptance of the marriage between the Bride and the Groom). The ceremony will end with a supplication for the newlyweds, both families and all present.
Whilst the ceremony is conducted, movement of attendees should be at a minimal and food should not be served. All guests should be focusing on the ceremony at this time.
Invitations to wedding celebrations are graciously received. We thank you in advance. Where possible the Imam will stay as long as possible. Please refrain from stalling his exit, as there are numerous engagements in one day and time keeping is of utmost importance.
The newlyweds will be sent their Certificate of Nikah with the official London Fatwa Council stamp within a week of the Nikah.

Please Note;

Divorced: A Skype or telephone Nikah will not be conducted.
Divorced: If any one or both of the couple were previously divorced, we will require the Islamic certificate of divorce, the Decree Absolute and that the complete I’ddah (waiting period) has been observed. London Fatwa Council will not be responsible for the invalidity of Nikah based on oversight of this principle of Shariah. Please ensure the Imam conducting your Nikah is made aware of the aforementioned and the necessary certificates have been verified a week prior to the date of the Nikah.**
Polygamy: The law in the UK does not recognise polygamous marriages and any woman involved in a polygamous marriage relinquishes all legal rights over her husband’s property, inheritance and conventional marital rights in the sight of the law.
Civil Marriage registry: A Nikah as conducted by an Imam, is not considered a civil marriage without an official registry. LFC requires all wedding parties to have their Civil Marriage registered either before the time of Nikah, or have a booking confirmation to have the marriage registered on the day. The Imam has a right to refuse to conduct the Nikah, if he has reason to believe that the marriage is not, or is unlikely to be registered. Find further information on the process of Civil Marriage registry here.
Decree Absolute: Though you may have been granted a civil divorce, Islamically, you will need a valid certificate of divorce to anull your marriage, which is the exclusive right of a Qadhi. Without undergoing this Shari’ah process, or the express three fold use of the word Tilaq, a woman will not be considered divorced from her husband. For further clarity on this issue please contact us immediately on 07985463440, to prevent delay in your marriage.
Upon satisfactory fulfilment of the said requirements, London Fatwa Council will assign a qualified and experienced Qadhi (a Scholar commissioned to conduct the Islamic Nikah) who speaks fluent English, Arabic, Persian and Urdu, to conduct your Nikah in the language of your choice.

*LFC is strict in adhering to the law of the land. As stipulated above, if the bride or groom is between the ages of 17-18, parental/guardian consent is required. The parents would need to confirm that they are able to support the young couple financially, including lodging and maintenance, up until they are of independent stage. The financial burden of the young couple should not fall on the authorities. The LFC recommends that a young person 21 years and over is of independent age.

**Widow/Widower – Former spouses death certificate and for her to have observed her I’ddah, which according to Shari’ah is four months and ten days.

a) Unconsummated marriage/ unconsummated widow – There is no waiting upon a woman who did not consummate her marriage. However, if the married couple were away from the view of others with a clear opportunity to consummate the marriage, regardless of whether or not the marriage was consummated, the widow will be required to complete a full waiting period.
b) Consummated marriage and above 55 years of age – The waiting period for a woman who has been divorced and who had consummated her marriage or if she is above 55 years of age, is three menstrual cycles.
c) Pregnant widowed woman – The waiting period for a pregnant widow is up until her child is born, however many months she has to go.

Note: The stipulation of three cycles has no maximum time period; this can be a number of months or indeed years; in the case of an irregular menstrual cycle. The ‘iddah will lapse upon completion of the third menstrual cycle, having completed three states of purity, post menstruation.

London Fatwa Council Requirements for a Nikah

Nikah Fees

3 Steps to Book your Nikah

On the day;

Please Note;

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