Rationalizing the cost of marriage… the “trend” of the season

Hassan Al-Saei: New trend to reduce the cost of marriage

Naif Al-Rumaihi: 5 positive effects of cost rationalization

Dr Mahmoud Abdul Aziz: Joy in millions…happiness in dirhams

Preachers confirm that holding too many gatherings violates Islamic law

Citizens appreciated the tendency of some young people to save money on weddings, in order to reduce the negative impacts associated with weddings, manifested in the large amounts of money spent on holding them, by rationalizing costs and limiting gatherings to the “council”, in front of close relatives, neighbors and some friends, away from extravagant displays that constitute a burden on the shoulders of Qatari families, as well as the future of young people who are about to get married.
They confirmed to Al Arabiya that this trend among some young people reflects the public’s growing awareness of the role of their parents’ and grandparents’ culture in facilitating marital affairs, in line with the guidance of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who called for this “generalized” trend among young people to reduce extravagance in marriages, which casts a shadow on the subsequent heavy debts and expenses that the couple may be burdened with from the beginning of their married life.
They point out that weddings held during the coronavirus pandemic and restrictions on gatherings and celebrations were characterized by simplicity and the absence of expensive and exaggerated looks, which means that these looks can be omitted.

Hassan Al-Yafei, a young man, attributes his avoidance of spending a lot of money on wedding celebrations to his love of simplicity and the lack of need for exaggeration and ostentation in wedding celebrations. The purpose of a wedding is to make family and loved ones happy, calling on young people who are about to get married to reduce costs and expenses as much as possible, stay away from bragging and boasting, and always ask for advice and suggestions from relatives and friends, especially since most of those who are about to get married have just started working, which requires them to “seek help from their families” or banks to meet the wedding requirements and the bride’s requirements.

New attention
Journalist Hassan Saye said the culture of reducing wedding parties has begun to be accepted by many young people, noting that he recently met three young people who all decided to be on the council and limit themselves to inviting only close people, neighbors and some friends.
Al-Saei called on young people to emulate this good social behavior, noting in a statement to Al-Arab that promoting marriage and reducing its costs is one of the most important factors that contribute to the establishment of stable families based on understanding and affection, and that the lavish and extravagant displays of partying burden young people and can leave them with huge debts. This social behavior has existed for many years and it has negative social effects, including increasing the economic burden and delaying the age of marriage for young men and women.

Cost rationalization
Nayef Al-Rumaihi, for his part, reviewed the most important potential benefits of reducing wedding costs in Qatari society, including saving money, noting that weddings and celebrations can be expensive, so reducing these costs can free up a lot of money to provide families with funds that can also be used to invest in the future or achieve other goals.
He explained that the second benefit is debt reduction. Instead of taking on huge debt to finance a wedding or other large celebration, individuals can avoid or reduce debt by streamlining the cost of the party and rationalizing expenses, as well as preserving customs and traditions. Weddings and special occasions can be easily celebrated in accordance with cultural and religious values ​​and traditions without spending a lot of money. One of the positive effects of rationalizing wedding expenses is the reduction of social pressure, as hosting the party in a simple way can reduce social pressure on families and newlyweds, creating an atmosphere of calm and simplicity, and also giving them the opportunity to focus on other things. Instead of focusing too much on the material aspects of the celebration, people can focus on the spiritual, emotional and personal aspects. Al-Rumaihi concluded that reducing the cost of weddings helps create an atmosphere of a less expensive experience.

Legal status
His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Mahmoud Abdul Aziz Abu Mati, professor of comparative law and former member of the Fatwa Bureau, praised some young people for choosing to be frugal and limit extravagance in wedding ceremonies, saying that the huge wedding expenses will become a nightmare for newlyweds in the future.
His Holiness clarifies the position of Islamic law on exaggerating the cost of marriage, stating that making the young man who is about to get married feel at ease and not exaggerate his demands will help facilitate the life of the couple in the future and reduce the burden of marriage. The problems they face are because they do not have to borrow money to spend a large sum of money on things that neither advance nor delay. The basis of the institution of marriage is affection and compassion between spouses. The general principle that a person should control his spending, just as the general principle that he should control his life, is mediation and moderation. Allah the Almighty says: “Those who spend money are neither extravagant nor stingy, there is a balance between the two” (Al-Furqan: 67).
He stressed that a wedding is one of the things that can express joy and happiness and bring to the family and wife. But this does not mean that a person falls into extravagance, or spends on things he does not need, or that this thing can be done without spending money, because it is only once, just as extravagance once is forbidden and prohibited, just as extravagance more than once is a repetition of falling into forbidden and prohibited things.
He added: “Scholars still warn against extravagance in wedding celebrations and the general expenses associated with them, noting that this is one of the reasons why it is more difficult for those who want to get married, leading to an increase in the number of single girls.”

The greatest blessing is the easiest marriage
His Majesty stressed that exaggerating dowry and throwing parties is against Islamic law. The greatest blessing of marriage is the easiest to provide, and the less you provide, the greater the blessing, and this matter most of the time goes back to the woman because she is the one who forces her husband to go. Islamic law prohibits extreme behavior in parties, and the Almighty says: “Do not be extravagant, because He does not like luxury.” And many women blame their husbands for this and say that such and such a party happened at such and such a place.
His Holiness explained that in such cases, what must be done is permissible and that one must not exceed his limits nor indulge in extravagance, because Allah the Almighty has forbidden extravagance, saying, “He does not like extravagance.”
Regarding the talk and spending of honeymoons, he explained that it is an imitation of non-Muslims and involves a lot of waste of money and involves a lot of waste in religious matters, especially if it is spent in non-Islamic countries because they return with customs and traditions that are harmful to them and their society, which are things that the country should be worried about, but if a man goes to Umrah or visits a city with his wife, there is nothing wrong with it, God willing.
He stressed that the exaggeration of dowry, the competition to expand the banquet, the number of people exceeding the number of people before and after the wedding, and the accompanying singing, the mixing of men and women, etc. are morally corrupt phenomena. If the party is held in a hotel, it is instructed to serve women in the hotel, which is considered disgusting, because the decline in this area has led to the inability of many people to afford the cost of marriage. In fact, such shameless expansion may lead to the deviation of young people. The Islamic law encourages the reduction of dowry, moderation in expenditure and avoidance of extravagance, which shows that extravagance is condemned in any case, whether it is related to marriage or other aspects. A person should not be hard on himself or let himself burden himself beyond his means, but should spend according to his conditions and abilities, while avoiding extravagance. “But this does not mean that the expenses of the wedding and the wedding day will be the same as his usual expenses; on the contrary, it is improper, because the expenses of the wedding are beyond the usual range, so it is stipulated that the man should hold a banquet during the marriage and invite people to it, which is an additional expense than he is accustomed to, but it is important to avoid extravagance in all this and take into account each person’s situation and his ability to bear”.
His Majesty calls on society to change these wrong practices that cause many young people to despair of marriage. The seriousness of the problem is that we make things that are easy difficult to do. We get caught up in forbidden things. The saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him): “Even a sheep must suffer”, indicates convenience. Because the legal interest is to reduce the dowry and marriage expenses, it has become a requirement.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may God have mercy on him) said: It is part of chivalry to facilitate the expenses of a marriage.
Dr. Abdul Aziz continued: The Sharia prohibits extravagance, and Allah the Almighty said, “He does not like extravagance.” Muawiyah said, “I have never seen extravagance except when it leads to the loss of power.” Beside. ” The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was very angry about the extravagant dowry and said, “It is as if you had cut silver from the width of this mountain.” Narrated by Muslim. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, married some of his companions with iron rings, and some of them married people who recited the Book of Allah, as He said to him, “I will marry you to whom you love.” Therefore, exaggerated expenses in marriage are considered to be something outside the framework of the Sharia, and true Islam does not require it.
He stressed that to turn negative habits into positive ones we need to be thankful and one of the requirements of gratitude is to save them and not waste them on useless things. She was very creative in organizing the wedding in a very extravagant way.