Nikaah #1

I really wanted to blog and reflect fully on my first attendance at a Muslim Nikaah (wedding) on Sunday and the parallels with Christian services/lessons to learn etc. Unfortunately the heat and my general lethargy are leaving me rather uninspired.

Just in brief I will say:

• The service at the Masjid-ul Quds mosque in Gatesville (one of Cape Town’s largest mosques, seating about 4,000 pax) was short and surprising. The Imam’s message commiserated the loss of values and morals of the world and extolled the groom to be a good ‘head of the household’. Everyone was most welcoming, the building was beautiful, and… there were only men present. Some women sat upstairs, but the ‘marriage’ took place between the groom and the brides representative (in this case her grandfather). The dowry was paid (5,000 pounds) and she was signed away to her hubby.

• The reception at a local school was a cultural smorgasbord - an Indian Muslim wedding in Cape Town with a groom from London. I didn’t know if I was in India, Saudi or the Cape Flats at times. There were a few formalities and, after a break for midday prayer, we moved swiftly to the main attraction: the food!

• The Imam also gave a short sermon here, the highlight of which was his cell phone ringing! He chanted some beautiful prayers and extracts from the Qur’an. He called on a young girl (8 or 9 I think) who is quoted/sang and long piece from the Qur’an too - she is learning the whole book off by heart!

• It was a beautiful experience, all in all. I hope to do more of these ‘Islam immersions’ in the future. I find their humility before God, and emphasis on spiritual disciplines valuable. I do however have the same gripes about sexism and a fundamentalist reading of the text that I have with many Christian denominations. I held my tongue though ;)

Here are some pics of the day:

the groom, the brides' representative & three witnesses signing the marriage document in the mosque

the groom presenting the bride at the reception
the wonderfully ornate spire of Masjid-ul Quds mosque