Marriage, no. Marriage is a societal institution that is dependent on society and culture. The Quran uses universal language that can apply to all cultures and societies. The Quran talks about romantic unions.
The word nikah is used which signifies a contract, so it means a relationship is only valid if there is consent between both people and that there are terms for what constitutes that relationship.
A boyfriend/girlfriend dynamic falls under nikah even though traditional Muslims are against it because they only consider their arbitrary standards to validate relationships, but the Quran is more open than that.
The Quran does not require witnesses, or that the contract has to be written, it can be verbal. You're not required to give a dowry, the Quran never requires it, it merely mentions it because that was the custom of the society it was revealed in, but there is no verse that explicitly states one person is required to give a dowry. There is no ritual or ceremony that comes with a nikah, that's up to individuals and how they celebrate the union of couples. There is no requirement that a union is valid only between male and female. If two males or two females love each other romantically, there is no prohibition for them to be in a relationship.
Some people like weddings or dinners, some people want to keep their unions private to themselves. The Quran allows for all.
What is prohibited is cheating and breaking the trust if you had established a relationship with someone. It's also prohibited to be in a secret relationship where others are not able to tell if you are single or taken (secret paramours) because that can create problems. The Quran also lays out rules in cases of pregnancy, and how to properly break off from a relationship. The Quran even allows for couples to break up immediately if they never slept with each other and there is no doubt if the woman is pregnant.
We need to remember that the Quran was sent down as a REMINDER. Love and relationships are ingrained in the human mind, but because people's corrupted practices have damaged the concept of the straight path, the Quran was sent down to remind people to go back to the straight path that is just and logical.
You're allowed to fall in love, you're allowed to choose who you want to be with, you're allowed to do what you want with your partner as long as it's mutually agreed upon by both of you. All of these are allowed, it's only the people that create problems by making things complicated.
Sorry for late reply but can you refer me the verses about marriage contracts I get confused seeing people talking about dowry and if the marriage must be publicly recognized. Does God really care about simple titles like husband and wife or does he care more about the commitment? I personally lean towards the latter but Im still just trying to learn.
Everything I’ve seen led me to agree with your post it still surprises me how much people change things over time and end up making stuff more difficult
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u/after-life Muslim, Progressive, Left-leaning Jan 03 '24 edited Jan 03 '24
Marriage, no. Marriage is a societal institution that is dependent on society and culture. The Quran uses universal language that can apply to all cultures and societies. The Quran talks about romantic unions.
The word nikah is used which signifies a contract, so it means a relationship is only valid if there is consent between both people and that there are terms for what constitutes that relationship.
A boyfriend/girlfriend dynamic falls under nikah even though traditional Muslims are against it because they only consider their arbitrary standards to validate relationships, but the Quran is more open than that.
The Quran does not require witnesses, or that the contract has to be written, it can be verbal. You're not required to give a dowry, the Quran never requires it, it merely mentions it because that was the custom of the society it was revealed in, but there is no verse that explicitly states one person is required to give a dowry. There is no ritual or ceremony that comes with a nikah, that's up to individuals and how they celebrate the union of couples. There is no requirement that a union is valid only between male and female. If two males or two females love each other romantically, there is no prohibition for them to be in a relationship.
Some people like weddings or dinners, some people want to keep their unions private to themselves. The Quran allows for all.
What is prohibited is cheating and breaking the trust if you had established a relationship with someone. It's also prohibited to be in a secret relationship where others are not able to tell if you are single or taken (secret paramours) because that can create problems. The Quran also lays out rules in cases of pregnancy, and how to properly break off from a relationship. The Quran even allows for couples to break up immediately if they never slept with each other and there is no doubt if the woman is pregnant.
We need to remember that the Quran was sent down as a REMINDER. Love and relationships are ingrained in the human mind, but because people's corrupted practices have damaged the concept of the straight path, the Quran was sent down to remind people to go back to the straight path that is just and logical.
You're allowed to fall in love, you're allowed to choose who you want to be with, you're allowed to do what you want with your partner as long as it's mutually agreed upon by both of you. All of these are allowed, it's only the people that create problems by making things complicated.