According to Muslim wedding traditions, an offer of marriage is made by the woman’s father or guardian. However, a “blind wedding” is frowned upon in any case. At least one encounter between the future man and wife should precede the nuptials.

In light of the above circumstances, one may wonder if love has anything to do with the Muslim marriage. “According to Islam, love comes into being after the wedding,” said Valyulla Hazrat Yakupov, the first deputy mufti of Tatarstan. Divorcees or widows may make an independent decision on issues regarding marriage. Nowadays most women in Russia make an independent decision when it comes to marriage.

The marriage of a Muslim man and a Christian or Judaic woman is permitted under the shari‘ah. The wife is allowed to practice her religion. However, children should be raised in accordance with Islam. The norms of Islam stipulate that a Muslim woman is forbidden to marry a non-Muslim man.

The marriage registration ceremony or nikaah is carried out at home. The attire for the bride is provided by the groom’s family. The meher (a compulsory amount of money paid by the groom’s family to the bride’s family) is handed by the groom to the bride at the beginning of a ceremony. The meher is not a kalym or payment for the bride; it is rather a payoff to the future wife for the possibility of divorce. The meher is often paid in a small article of golden jewelry. More valuable items or a car or apartment can also be paid as meher if the groom’s family is quite wealthy.

The woman can get a divorce only by the decision of a religious judge. Saying the word “talak” thrice is all it takes for the man to dissolve the marriage. The marriage will be considered terminated in four months’ time. The period of four months is allotted for revealing possible pregnancy. Children will remain in their father’s custody in case of divorce. A woman’s infertility is not considered as a good reason for seeking divorce. Under the shari‘ah, a Muslim man is allowed to take another woman as wife for resolving the problem. The man must not have more than four wives. In this case, each wife is supposed to live in a separate house or apartment.