FatwaFederal TerritoriesMarriage & Family
AL-KAFI #798 : APA ITU TUNANG?
What is an engagement, and are the customs of inquiry and wearing a ring merely Malay traditions?
Short answer
Proposing is expressing the wish to marry to a woman, and it is permissible.
A reference, not a fatwa. First sentence of the summary below — read the original fatwa and consult your state authority before acting.
- Authority
- Federal Territories Mufti Office
- Date
- Status
- Opinion (irsyad)
- Series
- Al-Kafi li al-Fatawi
- Topic
- Marriage & Family
No evidence of gazettement in the source — this is not a gazetted fatwa.
Summary
Proposing is expressing the wish to marry to a woman, and it is permissible. A woman in raj'iyyah iddah may not be proposed to even indirectly (ta'rid), and a woman already engaged to another man also may not be proposed to. The fatwa cites al-Baqarah 235, which permits indirect proposals to a widow in her iddah, and notes that the general sense of the verse indicates that proposing to a woman one wishes to marry is permissible. Customs such as exchanging rings and bringing trays are permissible if they do not conflict with the Shariah, but engagement is not a licence for free mixing, since an engaged couple remain strangers to each other.
Written in our own words from the original fatwa — check the source before acting on it.
Secara ringkasnya, meminang adalah menyatakan keinginan untuk berkahwin kepada seorang perempuan.
Read the full fatwa on the Federal Territories website (new tab)
How to cite
Cite the original fatwa and its authority. Rujuk Fatwa is only where you found it.
Federal Territories Mufti Office. “AL-KAFI #798 : APA ITU TUNANG?”, 13 August 2018. https://muftiwp.gov.my/ms/artikel/al-kafi-li-al-fatawi/2558-al-kafi-798-apa-itu-tunang-5. Found via Rujuk Fatwa: https://rujukfatwa.com/en/fatwa/what-is-engagement-and-its-customs/