Difference Between Shia and Sunni Marriage
Shia vs Sunni Marriage
A major portion of the non-Muslim world may regard Shias and Sunnis as more or less the same. But, these are two very distinct sects of Muslims and should not be confused with each other. Each has a unique set of customs, traditions and even ceremonies. The way that a Shia and Sunni marriage is solemnized differs greatly. There are very few inter-sect marriages due to the glaring differences.
Shia and Sunni marriages consist of very different wedding functions. In a Sunni wedding function, it is vital to have two adult consenting males present for the entire length of the ceremony as witnesses. Such witnesses are not required as per the rules of Sunni divorce. It can be done in the presence of only the husband and the wife. The case of a Shia wedding is completely different as in this case where the witnesses are mandated to be present in the case of a divorce and not when the wedding takes place.
Another notable difference between a Shia and Sunni wedding is that in a Shia nikah ceremony, a total of six verses have to be delivered publicly. This factor is not present in a Sunni wedding ceremony. A Sunni nikah ceremony thus has a shorter length of time. In the case of a Shia wedding, there is a unique bath related ceremony that the bride and groom take part in. There is no such compulsion in a Sunni wedding. This ceremony usually occurs before the actual wedding.
A major point of difference between these two sects is that Shias believe in a temporary arrangement of marriage. According to such an arrangement, it is lawful for the bride and groom to enter into a marriage for a pre-agreed length of time. After this time has passed, the marriage automatically comes to an end unless the bride and groom want to still remain in the marriage. This provision is not present in a Sunni marriage. Sunnis believe in entering into a permanent form of marriage only. A divorce is not required when Shias enter into a transitory marriage agreement. The date when the pact will come to an end is clearly mentioned on the papers pertaining to the marriage that is taking place.
Summary:
1. There is no bath ceremony in the case of a Sunni wedding. This ritual is not observed in Sunni weddings.
2. A Sunni wedding ceremony lasts a shorter length of time than a Shia wedding.
3. There is no stipulation for entering into a fixed length marriage in the case of Sunnis which is present in a Shia marriage.
4. There are no witnesses required for a wedding ceremony between Shias which is vital for a Sunni wedding.
5. It is observed that Sunnis are a comparatively more rigid and more orthodox minded sect than the Shias.
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18 Comments
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You have mentioned three wrong things about shias in this article:
1. The bath thing. No such practice is done in our faith either before or after nikah (wedding).
2. A total of six verses have to be delivered publicly: no such words or sentences are pronounced by either the bride or the groom except their acceptances for their getting married with each other, which is usually just one word.
3. The wedding ceremony lasts longer than that of sunnis. No such law exists or no such generalization can be made. In fact shias are bound by strict community rules (not religious ones) to end the wedding ceremony as soon as possible.
Lastly, although we do support temporary or fixed term nikah (also called Muta) but we almost never practice it in reality. So 99.99% of the time the nikah is a permanent one and therefore it doesn’t include the stipulation of the time period for which it is being done.
Feel free to contact me regarding all this.
Regards,
Ali Mohsin
You seem to take up for shia, contact me on my email, would like discuss certain truth with you.I am a revert to islam n a shia muslim too……..
Hey Maryam,
Okay, but how do I email you?.. there is no email mentioned here!
Contact me at my email address:
Alimohsin110[@]gmail.com
Delete the parentheses in the email address.
Very glad you corrected the person who wrote the article. I was just about to reply then seen your post.
It’s sad to see so many misconceptions about the Shia.
Thank you Ali for pointing out all those facts and corrections per the Shi’a perspective. Even in this day and age of access to official information at our fingertips, people still perpetuate misinformation. I suggest those who would like correct infomatipn to look at a Shi’a website to see what they say about themselves. http://Www.al-Islam.org or http://www.sistani.org
hi,
i wanna ask is there any pro in future to get marriage with a shia boy and suuni girl??
wat would be the problems are…??
plz define that
Also another thing,
“5. It is observed that Sunnis are a comparatively more rigid and more orthodox minded sect than the Shias.”
Forgive me if I interpreted this incorrectly – I do believe Shia’s can be just as orthodox as Sunni’s. One sect is not more liberal than the other (however, between individual Muslims, that’s another story).
Hi Haya,
I don’t think these differences should hurt any relationship between people of two sects.
Differences are there, but it depends on the couple how much weightage they give to religious intricacies in their life.
Having a moderate and tolerant behavior in their marital life, and giving each other full freedom to practice his or her own sect’s practices, can allow them to enjoy the ultimate happiness in their relationship.
Moreover, let your children freely choose whichever sect they’d prefer. Parents shouldn’t fight over making your children follow the sect of only one parent.
Regards,
Ali Mohsin
Personally we wouldn’t have differences in opinion, if we just followed the rules of the Quran and Sunnah. They’re the only legitimate resources that would guide how and Islamic marriage is conducted and that’s it. What’s Allah’s ordained surpasses any human opinion. Allah o Allam.
Am happy to see Samiea Khan’s reply. My opinion in this regard is similar as well. Let’s follow the teachings of Holy Quraan.
Thanks Samiea Khan.
Dear Haya,
Sunni and Shia can get married inly if the nikah is done according to Shia rules other wise the nikah is not valid. Secondly if the the shia boy or girl stops practiscing their relegion after marriage then also the marriage doesnot stand valid.
it is quite an interesting and informative discussion. i just think that their are sooooooo many little differences in both the sects, if those difference are un eliminate able then at least they are easily tolerable. yet muslims are being cashed to kill each other ….are those people deserve leadership??? should we follow them? who just use those innocent blind followers to for their vested intrests and personal gains at the cast of our religious extreme divide????????
Well, I have a basic question, why the Shia Imam’s do curse the people who have erred (in their views) in their lectures.. These negative energy grabbed by the passive listeners wouldn’t have psychological effect – ??!! And where would they drain that? Cursing and cursing .. really too much. perhaps we can think about the past and future well being of the humans
Correction: -I mean the present and future of the human beings
please describe about ismili wedding with suni.becase i want to marry with a ismili girl.
thanks
thanks so much
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i want to marriage any shia Muslim girl i am shia Muslim who is shia girl can you marry with me any time i am unmarried i am 28 year old good looking smart boy 5 time pray namaz attended everyday any one gilr and boy can you help me plzzzzzzzzz
my name is Syed m danish i am from Pakistan Karachi know a days i m living in UK London student 2 years my e-mail is d_int_pvt_ltd@yahoo.com . my Pakistani cell no is 00923452371023 and UK no is 00447405385411,
i want to marriage any shia Muslim girl i am shia Muslim who is shia girl can you marry with me any time i am unmarried i am 28 year old good looking smart boy 5 time pray namaz attended everyday any one gilr and boy can you help me plzzzzzzzzz