NIKAH - The Real Marriage

My mehndi, shaadi, and walima functions were hosted in extravagant marriage halls with flamboyant dresses, lavish foods, and ornate decorations. These were mostly in line with the wishes of my family and inlaws alike, perhaps to simultaneously satisfy societal expectations.

However, I insisted in organising the most essential part of my wedding, the Nikah ceremony in a mosque on a holy Friday before the other wedding celebrations commenced.

Adorned with prayers and blessings to start a happy married life, I was touched by the simplicity and purity of the Nikah rituals. Moreover, my tender spiritual faith in Fridays - inculcated by my grandmoms and mom - instigated me to pledge my companionship journey on the mega blessed day of the week (according to Islamic traditions).

I revere the sanctity of the marriage henceforth announced, and hereby pronounce Nikah to be the real marriage ceremony amidst the amalgamation of ostentatiously displayed events.

To this day, I celebrate my wedding anniversary on the date of my Nikah. However, my dad tends to differ as he considers my rukhsati day - the day I left my parents to join my husband - to be my true wedding anniversary.