Marriage formula: Difference between revisions

'''Marriage formula''' or '''Sīgha''' (Arabic: {{ia|صیغة النکاح}}) refers to phrases, by saying which a man and a woman enter the marriage contract. According to many Shi'a [[jurist]]s, the marriage formula should be recited in correct Arabic.

Marriage formula refers to phrases by which a man and a woman enter the marriage contract. Marriage formula can only be established by verbal proposition and acceptance and mere consent by the heart is not sufficient. By proposition, a proposal for the marriage contract offered to another is meant; and acceptance is expressing consent about the proposal given for that contract.

Formula for marriage contract has two types: permanent and temporary. In the formula for permanent marriage, only the mahr should be mentioned, but in the formula for temporary marriage, the duration of the marriage should be mentioned in addition to the mahr.

{{main|Permanent marriage}}

In the permanent marriage, if the man and woman are to recite the formula, first the woman should say, "Zawwajtuk-a nafsi ala l-sidaq al-ma'lum"<ref>{{ia|زَوَّجتُکَ نَفسی علی الصِداق المَعلوم}}</ref>, meaning "I married myself to you upon the known (specified) mahr". Then, the man should say, "qabilt-u al-tazwij ala l-sidaq al-ma'lum"<ref>{{ia|قَبِلتُ التَزویج علی الصِداق المَعلوم}}</ref>, meaning "I accepted the marriage upon the known (specified) [[mahr]]." He might also only say, "qabilt-u al-tazwij" with the intention of [[marriage]] with the known (specified) mahr.

If the man and the woman choose two others as their advocates to recite the Marriage formula, and for example the name of the man is "Ahmad" and the name of the woman is "Fatima", the woman's advocate should say, "Zawwajt-u muwakkilat-i Fatima muwakkiluk-a Ahmad ala l-sidaq al-ma'lum"<ref>{{ia|زَوَّجتُ مُوَکِّلَتی فاطمة مُوَکِّلُکَ أحمَد}}</ref>, meaning, "I made my client Fatima married to your client Ahmad upon the known (specified) mahr". Then, the man's advocate should say, "Qabilt-u al-tazwij li muwakkil-i Ahmad ala l-sidaq al-ma'lum"<ref>{{ia|قَبِلتُ التَّزویج لمُوَکِّلی أحمد علی الصِّداق المَعلوم}}</ref> meaning, "I accepted the marriage for my client Ahmad upon the known (specified) mahr."

{{main|Temporary marriage}}

About the formula for temporary marriage, if the man and the woman recite it themselves, after they specify the duration of marriage and mahr, the woman should say, "Zawwajtuk-a nafsi fi l-muddat-i l-ma'luma ala l-mahr-i l-ma'lum"<ref>زَوَّجتُک نَفسی فی المُدَة المَعلومة علی المَهر المَعلوم</ref>, meaning, "I married myself to you for a specified duration upon the known (specified) mahr"; then, the man should say, "qabilt-u"<ref>{{ia|قَبِلتُ}}</ref>, meaning "I accepted".

{{centered pull quote|Al-hamd-u li Allah al-ladhi rafa'-a al-sama' fa bana-ha, wa basat-a al-ard fa daha-ha, wa athbata-ha bi l-jibal fa arsa-ha, akhraj-a min-ha ma'-a-ha wa mar'a-ha, al-ladhi ta'azam-a an sifat al-wasifin ... Ayyu-ha l-nas! inna-ma al-anbiya' hujaj Allah fi ardih, al-natiqun bi kitabih, al-amilun bi wahyih, inna Allah azz-a wa jall amar-a-ni an uzawwij-a karimat-i Fatima bi akhi wa-bn-i ammi wa awla l-nas bi Ali b. Abi Talib, wa qad zawwaj-a-hu fi l-sama' bi shahadat al-mala'ika, wa amar-a-ni an uzawwij-a-hu wa ushhid-u-kum ala dhalik.<ref>{{ia|الحمدلله الذی رفع السمآء فبناها، وبسط الارض فدحاها، وأثبتها بالجبال فأرسیها، أخرج منها ماءها و مرعیها، الذی تعاظم عن صفات الواصفین...أیها الناس إنما الانبیاء حجج الله فی أرضه، الناطقون بکتابه، العاملون بوحیه، إن الله عزوجل أمرنی أن ازوج کریمتی فاطمة بأخی وابن عمی و أولی الناس بی‌ علی بن أبی‌طالب، و [أن] قد زوجه فی السماء بشهادة الملائکة، وأمرنی أن ازوجه واشهدکم علی ذلک}}</ref>}}

Marriage formula has some conditions:

'''6-''' There should be no delay between the proposition and the acceptance.

'''8-''' It is not necessary that the words the man says match with those the woman says; for example, it is not necessary that if the woman says "zawwajt-u", then the man says, "qabbalt-u al-tazwij".

It refers to the Marriage formula, the intention of reciting which is to establish [[Mahramiyya]] (without [[sexual gratification]]). For example, when a man wants to become [[Mahram]] with a woman, he recites the formula for [[temporary marriage]] with the woman's daughter – that in such cases, usually her little daughter would be chosen – with the permission of her guardian, for a short time, such as one hour, so that the mother of that girl becomes the man's mother-in-law and becomes mahram to him forever.

==See Also==

==References==

* The material for this article is mainly taken from [http://fa.wikishia.net/view/%D8%B5%DB%8C%D8%BA%D9%87_%D8%A7%D8%B2%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AC {{ia|صیغه ازدواج}}] in Farsi WikiShia.

{{Rulings of Family}}

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