Can You Get Married During Ramadan?

Muslims are allowed to marry during Ramadan or on any other day, though scholars advise against it during Ramadan because this month is reserved for worship and prayers.

Ramadan is the month Muslims wait a whole year as it brings prayers and blessings from Allah and is considered the holiest month of the Lunar calendar. Most Muslims wonder if they can get married in Ramadan and I have covered all Ramadan and marriage-related questions in this article.

Can You Get Married During Ramadan?

Yes, a Muslim can marry any day of the year. Islam doesn’t mention any prohibition on marriage in the month of Ramadan.

In the month of Ramadan Muslims tend to fast, pray and worship Allah more than the other months of the year. They need to stop food and drinks from sunrise to sunset every day and also have to suppress their sexual feelings when they are fasting.

There is no ban on marriage during Ramadan, but some scholars suggest postponing it since newlyweds may find it difficult to suppress feelings for each other during Ramadan when they are supposed to worship more.

Muslim couples can get married if they are able to control their feelings towards their spouse during the fast from sunrise to sunset.

There is a suggestion on getting married in Ramadan from a scholar I want to mention here:

“There is nothing in Islam to suggest that it is not allowed to get married during the month of Ramadaan because it is Ramadaan, or in any other month. Rather marriage is permitted on any day of the year.

Our advice to this questioner is that if there is the fear that he may not be able to control himself, he should delay his marriage until just after Ramadaan, and he should keep himself busy during Ramadaan, with worship, reading Qur’aan, praying qiyaam, and other acts of worship.“

[source]

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Can You Kiss During Ramadan?

Kissing and admiring your spouse is perfectly okay on any given day except when you are worshipping or praying. In the month of Ramadan as well it is allowed Muslim spouses to kiss each other while they aren’t in the state of fast that is from sunrise to sunset.

Some scholars also state that it is okay to kiss during the state of fasting until they can control their sexual desires. Any sexual intercourse is not allowed during the fast and will make it void.

If you are fasting, I recommend avoiding kissing unless you are absolutely certain that it won’t lead to sexual desires. After the fast that is the sunset, it’s perfectly fine to kiss and have sexual desires.

Can Married Couples Have Sex During Ramadan?

Fasting is mandatory for every Muslim man and Muslim woman who are pure. Sexual intercourse is not allowed during any activity of worship in Islam. Fasting in the month of Ramadan is an act of worship and of course, sexual intercourse during the fast is haram.

Narrated Abu Huraira:

While we were sitting with the Prophet (ﷺ) a man came and said, “O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! I have been ruined.” Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) asked what was the matter with him. He replied “I had sexual intercourse with my wife while I was fasting.” Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) asked him, “Can you afford to manumit a slave?” He replied in the negative. Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) asked him, “Can you fast for two successive months?” He replied in the negative. The Prophet (ﷺ) asked him, “Can you afford to feed sixty poor persons?” He replied in the negative. The Prophet (ﷺ) kept silent and while we were in that state, a big basket full of dates was brought to the Prophet (ﷺ) . He asked, “Where is the questioner?” He replied, “I (am here).” The Prophet (ﷺ) said (to him), “Take this (basket of dates) and give it in charity.” The man said, “Should I give it to a person poorer than I? By Allah; there is no family between its (i.e. Medina’s) two mountains who are poorer than I.” The Prophet (ﷺ) smiled till his premolar teeth became visible and then said, ‘Feed your family with it.”

[Sahih al-Bukhari 1936]

So Allah has prohibited any food, drink, and sex during the fast. But this is only from sunrise till sunset. After sunset, the fast breaks, and the sex with the spouse will be halal again.

Allah says:

It has been made permissible for you to be intimate with your wives during the nights preceding the fast. Your spouses are a garment1 for you as you are for them. Allah knows that you were deceiving yourselves.2 So He has accepted your repentance and pardoned you. So now you may be intimate with them and seek what Allah has prescribed for you.3 ˹You may˺ eat and drink until you see the light of dawn breaking the darkness of night, then complete the fast until nightfall. Do not be intimate with your spouses while you are meditating in the mosques. These are the limits set by Allah, so do not exceed them. This is how Allah makes His revelations clear to people, so they may become mindful ˹of Him˺.

[Quran 2:187]

If someone has intercourse during the day in Ramadan, and such a person is accountable, of good health, and settled, not sick or traveling, they have to offer expiation.

Freeing a slave is the legal expiation. Those who cannot afford this must fast for two months. If he or she is unable to do so, must feed sixty poor people, giving each one half a saa’ (measure of weight) of the country’s staple food.

If a person had intercourse multiple times in one day, one expiation is sufficient.

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Best Month For Marriage In Islam

The best month for marriage in Islam will be Shawwal. Muharram and Ramadan are suggested to be avoided for marriages as these two months demand more worship than normal months.

A’isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported:

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) contracted marriage with me in Shawwal and took me to his house as a bride during Shawwal. And who among the wives of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) was dearer to him than I, and’ A’isha liked that the women (of her family) should enter the houses as brides during the month of Shawwal.

[Sahih Muslim 1423a]

It is not advisable to believe in anything related to prophecy, because fate and destiny are not related to the date or month of the wedding.

Every month is good for marriage and allowed by Islam but if one wants to follow the sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) then Shawwal is your answer.

Final Thoughts

Islam doesn’t prohibit Muslims from getting married on any day of any month and so it’s halal to get married in Ramadan as well. Although scholars advise avoiding this month as it’s for prayers, fasting and worship and marriage can become a hurdle in this.

During Ramadan and when fasting Muslims aren’t allowed to have sex with their spouse and this can become another challenge if they are newlywed. Again better to avoid Ramadan.

The best month to get married is Shawwal as it’s proven from the hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he also got married in the same month.

And Allah Knows Best.

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