Maryland Benefits from the SeekersGuidance “Getting Married” Seminar

Marriage is an act of worship that nearly every Muslim will engage in during their life. Attendees of the SeekersGuidance Seminar on “Getting Married”, held in Maryland on Saturday 24th April, learned that there is much more to this spiritual act than just meeting someone and planning the wedding.

The Seminar was delivered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, who examined the details of the often overlooked legalities of marriage, whilst adding important realistic and practical advice. Attendees found the seminar both enlightening and entertaining, and found the references to the Shaykh’s own family experiences helped to put the study material into a contemporary context.

Why We Should Marry
Shaykh Faraz began with the reasons why one should get married according to Islam, showing proofs from the Quran and Sunnah. He followed this with a fascinating insight into Imam Al-Ghazali’s Five Benefits of Marriage. The possible dangers of marriage and Ghazali’s Eight Considerations to look for in a spouse, were also discussed.

As Shaykh Faraz finished up the third lesson of the seminar, he explained to the audience that we will be taking a break and coming back for the next session titled “How to find?” An attendee protested. “But that’s the most important thing!” More reason to be back on time, Shaykh Faraz replied.

The Steps to Getting Married
The steps toward actually getting married were examined and were explained to be extremely significant due to the very real possibility of entering a marriage devoid of blessings and sometimes the wrong approach can complicate the entire marriage process. Attendees then listened as Shakyh Faraz talked about convincing parents, which is often a challenge for young people when arranging their marriages.

The best ways in which to deal with certain situations was explained, including how to convince your parents that you are ready to get married or to have them accept your choice of spouse, whilst maintaining respect and excellence towards them.

Finally the seminar ended with the detailed overview of the marriage contract and an overview of the keys to a successful marriage, during which the attendees were reminded that ultimately, everything that one does should be a means to closeness to Allah (Most High), and that marriage is one of these means.

Presentation by Companionships.org
The seminar also included an engaging presentation by Abrar Ansari & Vaseem Ansari of Companionships.org, which aims to provide a dignified & discrete platform for Muslims singles who are seriously contemplating marriage, to meet and be introduced to matrimonial education from an Islamic perspective.

They explained that a good marriage is a divine blessing and that finding a person with whom you can build a home filled with love, respect and reverence to God can itself be an act of worship. This can be a challenge, and Companionships is here to help obtain the blessings of marriage.

Feedback from attendees was very encouraging, and the success of Saturday’s seminar has led Khuram Zaman, SeekersGuidance General Manager, to begin planning regular visits to serve the Maryland and DC community.

Br. Abdul Razzak, a seminar attendee, said:

“The seminar was very thorough in covering all of the things an aspiring spouse or a current spouse needs to know for a successful marriage. Every important topic was discussed…the issues discussed were of a practical nature and included advice that we could all implement in our respective lives to improve our chances of a successful marriage. The combination of Islamic understanding and practical, common sense advice was very balanced and relevant. It was refreshing to have an Islamic scholar who not only knows the Islamic tradition, but also has the wisdom to give practical advice to Muslims in West on how to find a spouse and have a successful marriage.”

The next location for the Getting Married seminar is Toronto, on Saturday 22nd May. For further details, please see https://seekersguidance.org/seminars

For more information on the services that SeekersGuidance provides, including seminars in your area, visit www.seekersguidance.org