Thread by @Shiahism

There is no concept of Engagement in Islam :A Thread🧵

#Engagement”
Engagement is the time between acceptance of the marriage proposal (khitba) and the marriage ceremony (‘aqd). Once the proposal is accepted, the man and the woman are known as “engaged to be married or simply “engaged”. Engagement has no recognition in Islamic laws

Who Proposes?

#Traditionally in all #cultures, it is the man who proposes to the woman; and it is done either directly by the man himself or on his behalf by his family. In the
West, even now man is expected to get down on his one knee to propose to the woman he wants to marry

In words of ‘Allama Murtaza Mutahhari, “From time immemorial man has approached woman with his proposal… #Nature has imbued woman with the disposition of a flower and made the man the nightingale, woman the lamp and man the moth.” This is not the case with #human beings only.

Other animals also behave like this. It is always the function of the male to present himself impatiently and
earnestly before the female...”

(The Rights of Women in Islam,
p. 15-16)
Even the #Quran asks the men to seek women for marriage.And
so, in the proposal,

When & To Whom?

Other than the mahram ladies whom he cannot marry, a man may propose marriage to any single woman.
(For list of the mahram ladies, see the Qur’an 4:23-24.)
However, in the #following four cases, proposal is not appropriate

There is no such thing as an engagement ceremony in Islam. “Engagement” is just a nonbinding agreement to marry. However, #Muslims have adopted certain traditions from other cultures or made their own customs. Technically, if traditions don’t violate the shari‘ah laws,

Then there is no problem. For example , among the #Shias of north India, the man’s family go with an “Imam zãmin” to the girl’s family and tie it on her arm as a well-wish gesture for the girl – this is done by the women of the man’s #family.

These days, many Muslim cultures have adopted the #Westerntradition of giving or exchanging engagement #rings. Apparently, this was first done by Maximilian I,Roman Emperor , in 1477 when he gave a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy. However, there is a problem in this tradition:

the engagement does not make the man and the woman mahram to one another they cannot touch one another even for giving the engagement ring,they still have to observe the rules of #hijab. The only solution is to recite the #temporary #nikah for the purpose of becoming mahram only.