The widespread belief that it is makrooh to get married in Allah’s month Muharram

There is nothing wrong with getting married or proposing
marriage in the sacred months of Allah (Muharram) which is the beginning of
the lunar year. That is neither makrooh nor haraam. That is based on a great
deal of evidence, including the following: 

Firstly: 

The basic principle is that things are permissible, unless
there is a report to suggest otherwise. The basic shar‘i principle on which
the scholars are unanimously agreed is that with regard to traditions and
activities, the basic principle is that they are permissible so long as
there is no evidence to suggest that they are forbidden. As there is nothing
in the Qur’an or Sunnah, or scholarly consensus and analogy, or reports, to
indicate that it is not allowed to get married in the month of Muharram,
then our rulings and fatwas should be based on the ruling that it is
basically permissible. 

Secondly: 

The scholarly consensus that it is permissible is, at the
minimum, a consensus of silence, as we have not found any of the earlier or
later scholars, among the Sahaabah or Taabi‘een, or among the widely
accepted imams and their followers until the present day, stating that it is
haraam, or even makrooh, to get married or propose marriage in the month of
Muharram. 

If anyone disallows that, it is sufficient evidence for
rejecting his opinion to note that he has given a fatwa for which there is
no evidence and which has not been suggested by any of the scholars. 

Thirdly: 

The month of Muharram is one of the venerated and honourable
months of Allah. Concerning its virtue, it was narrated that the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The best of fasts after
Ramadan is Allah’s month of Muharram.” Narrated by Muslim, 1163. It is the
month that Allah has described as His, and has ordained that fasting during
this month brings a greater reward than fasting in other months; therefore
it is appropriate for a Muslim to seek the blessing of this month by doing
such acts, and not to be sad or to fear getting married at that time, or to
regard it as inauspicious, as was the custom during the Jaahiliyyah. 

Fourthly: 

If anyone gives as evidence for not allowing marriage at this
time the fact that the month of Muharram is the month in which al-Husayn ibn
‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred, as some of the Raafidis
do, the response to that should be as follows: 

There is no doubt that the day of the martyrdom of Husayn
(may Allah be pleased with him) is a day of great calamity in the history of
Islam, but it does not mean that we should rule it to be haraam to get
married or propose marriage at that time. There is nothing in Islam to
suggest that we should renew sorrow and grief in annual commemorations and
continue morning to the extent that we forbid any expressions of joy. 

We are within our rights to ask the one who says that: Isn’t
the day on which the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) died the greatest calamity that befell the Muslim ummah? So why is
it not also haraam to get married during that entire month, namely Rabee‘
al-Awwal? Why hasn’t that ruling that it is haraam or makrooh been narrated
from any of the Sahaabah or members of the Prophet’s household (Ahl
al-Bayt), or the scholars after them? 

Similarly, if we were to renew our sorrow on every day on
which one of the great leaders of Islam, from among the family (ahl al-bayt)
of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) or others, was
killed or martyred or died, there would be too many such days to ever allow
any day of joy and happiness, and the people would be burdened with
unbearable hardship. Undoubtedly introducing innovations into the religion
of Allah is, first and foremost, going to harm the people who go against
Islamic teachings, those who think that they can add something to make Islam
perfect (when it is already perfect), and are not content with it as it has
been prescribed by Allah for His slaves.  

Some of the historians stated that the first one to introduce
this opinion, and indeed the first one to introduce the innovation of
renewing outward displays of mourning at the beginning of the month of
Muharram was the Safavid Shah Ismaa‘eel (907-930 AH), as Dr. ‘Ali al-Wardi
says in Lamahaat Ijtimaa‘iyyah min Tareekh al-Islam, 1/59:

Shah Ismaa‘eel did not only use terror as a means of
spreading Shi‘ism; rather he also employed other means, namely propagation
and winning over people’s hearts and minds. He issued orders that ceremonies
be organised to commemorate the murder of al-Husayn in the manner that is
still followed now. This way of commemoration was originally introduced by
the Buwayhids in Baghdad in the fourth century AH, but those who came after
them had neglected this practice. Then finally Shah Ismaa‘eel came along and
developed it and added to it the gatherings for mourning, in such a manner
that they had a strong impact on people’s hearts. It may be true to say that
this is one of the strongest factors in the spread of Shi‘ism in Iran,
because of what they involve of expressions of grief and weeping,
accompanied by large numbers of flags, beating the drums and so on, which
leads to instilling the belief in people’s hearts on an emotional basis. End
quote. 

Fifthly: 

Moreover, some historians regard it as most likely that ‘Ali
ibn Abi Taalib (may Allah be pleased with him) married Faatimah (may Allah
be pleased with her) at the beginning of 3 AH. 

Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

Al-Bayhaqi quoted from al-Ma‘rifah by Abu ‘Abdullah
ibn Mandah that ‘Ali married Faatimah one year after the Hijrah, and
consummated the marriage with her one year after that. According to this
view, the consummation of his marriage to her occurred at the beginning of 3
AH.

End quote from al-Bidaayah wa’n-Nihaayah, 3/419. 

There are also other opinions concerning this issue, but the
point is that none of the scholars ever objected to marriage in Muharram;
rather the one who marries at that time has a good example in Ameer
al-Mu’mineen ‘Ali and his marriage to as-Sayyidah Faatimah, the daughter of
the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).

And Allah knows best.