In our country, wedding invitations involve inviting everyone in our village and in the neighbouring village, by going house-to-house to invite people. If someone is not invited from his house (by a personal visit), he does not regard that as an invitation. The village has expanded a great deal, as has the neighbouring village, and people are living on the outskirts and on the mountaintops, which has made it very difficult to invite each person from his house, and that has caused the people a great deal of hardship. The people have agreed to announce the wedding invitation in the mosque. Is this permissible or haraam?
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
The mosques should be free of announcements that have to do
with worldly matters, which include telling people about a wedding feast or
inviting them to it, because the mosques were not built for that; rather
they were built to establish worship, teach knowledge, and spread goodness.
Muslim narrated in his Saheeh (568) that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be
pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him) said: “Whoever hears a man making a lost property announcement
in the mosque, let him say: May Allaah not restore it to you, for the
mosques were not built for this purpose.”
In Saheeh Muslim (569) it is also narrated from
Sulaymaan ibn Buraydah, from his father, that a man made a lost property
announcement in the mosque, saying: Who has found the red camel? The Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “May you not find it. The
mosques were only built for that for which they were built.”
But it is permissible to make announcements concerning
worldly matters outside the mosque, even if that is by posting a flyer on
the outside wall.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was
asked: What is the ruling on putting some announcements in the mosque, such
as announcing a trip for Hajj or ‘Umrah, or announcing some lectures or
classes?
He (may Allah have mercy on him) replied: If the announcement
has to do with acts of worship, there is nothing wrong with that, because
acts of worship are means of drawing closer to Allah, and the mosques were
built for the worship of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted.
But if it has to do with worldly matters, then it is not
permissible. But they may be announced on the outside walls of the mosque.
Trips for Hajj come under the heading of worldly matters, so we do not think
that they should be announced inside the mosque.
Circles of dhikr, such as lessons and classes, are purely
good, so there is nothing wrong with announcing them inside the mosque,
because they are good.
End quote from Sharh Manzoomah al-Qawaa‘id al-Fiqhiyyah,
p. 52
He (may Allah have mercy on him) also said: It is not
permissible to put up posters for Hajj and ‘Umrah inside the mosque, because
usually these trips are organised with the aim of financial gain, so they
come under the heading of trade or business. But instead of being inside the
mosque, they may be put up at the door of the mosque on the outside.
End quote from Liqaa’aat al-Baab al-Maftooh, no. 151,
question no. 10
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) said concerning
lost property announcements: As for writing them on a piece of paper, if it
is put up on the outside wall of the mosque, there is nothing wrong with it.
End quote from Fataawa ash-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 30/9
Based on that, you can write the wedding invitation on a
piece of paper that is put up on the outside wall of the mosque, or you
could distribute the invitation to the worshippers outside the mosque.
However, we think that it is possible to overcome this
difficulty by making phone calls or sending text messages and the like. With
the expansion of the village that you mention, it does not seem that the one
giving the invitation wants to invite all the people. Rather whoever he
wants to invite and cannot contact him in person, he can contact him by
phone or send him a message and the like.
Thirdly:
The majority of fuqaha’ are of the view that it is mustahabb
or encouraged to do the marriage contract in the mosque. They quote as
evidence for that the hadeeth. “Announce this marriage, do it (the marriage
contract) in the mosque and beat the daffs (hand drums) for it.” Narrated by
at-Tirmidhi, 1089. But this hadeeth is da‘eef (weak), as stated by
al-Albaani in Da‘eef at-Tirmidhi. However he classed as hasan the
phrase “Announce this marriage”, as stated in Aadaab az-Zafaaf, p.
111
See also the answer to question no.
87898
It is not permissible to believe that doing the marriage in
the mosque is Sunnah, because there is no proven evidence to that effect.
However, it is something permissible, so if they do the marriage contract in
the mosque then move to the place where the waleemah (wedding feast) is
being given, they will have made the announcement of the wedding.
And Allah knows best.
