Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad
Question
What does it mean to announce the marriage? Is it enough if only your friends and closest family relatives know about it?
Answer
Thank you for your question.
Announcement
Announcing the marriage, so that the public knows it is not fornication, can be done in a few ways.
Options
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Announce this marriage and strike the drum for it.” [Tirmidhi]
-The beating of the “duff” (drum) is a type of announcing because whoever hears it, comes to know that a marriage has taken place. Other instruments cannot be used.
-Witnesses. Having witnesses is from the conditions of marriage, so this is also one way to spread the news
-Holding a walima, or wedding feast, is a sunnah, as the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) told ‘Abdur-Rahman Ibn ‘Awf on the occasion of his marriage:
“Perform a walima even if it is with one sheep.” [Bukhari & Muslim] This is another way of announcing a marriage. [Summarized from Sharh Bulugh al-Maram of Ibn Hajar]
In conclusion, it is sufficient to tell parents, close relatives, and friends to announce the news of marriage.
May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.
[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She recently moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.