Saudi Arabia allows conducting marriages at Masjid al-Haram and Nabawi

Saudi Arabia authorities have allowed conducting marriage contracts at the two holiest sites of Islam in Mecca and Medina.

The permission was granted as part of the country's initiatives launched to enrich the experiences of pilgrims and visitors, reports Gulf News. 

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah unveiled the initiative allowing the well-organised conducting of marriage contracts with comfort and ease at the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina.

Experts have labeled the initiative as an opportunity for companies to generate innovative ideas for organising events, emphasising the need for reverence and consideration for both sacred locations.

Musaed Al Jabri, Saudi mazoun (known as a marriage official), said conducting a marriage contract at the mosque is permissible in Islam.

He said the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) is known to have conducted a companion's nuptial rite at the mosque.

Al Jabri mentioned that conducting the marriage contract at the Prophet's Mosque is already common among the Medina locals.

"This is due to several reasons," he said.

"Some of them have the tradition of inviting most relatives of the would-be married couple. Often, the house of the wife-to-be's family can't accommodate all the invitees. So, the nuptial contract is conducted at the Prophet's Mosque or the Qaba Mosque (the first mosque built in Islam)," he added.

Some people, he argued, believe that conducting a marriage contract at the mosque brings "blessing and good luck".

On rules that attendees of the ceremony should observe, he said they include averting the distraction of worshippers by loud voices.

"It is also important to heed the sanctity of the place and avoid bringing in a lot of coffee, sweets, or food," Al Jabri added.

Millions of Muslims from inside and outside Saudi Arabia annually go to the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah and visit the Prophet's Mosque and other Islamic landmarks in Medina.