ARAYA Nikah Co., a social enterprise, is not only responsible for conducting wedding ceremonies but also plays an important role in protecting the integrity of Islamic marriage and reducing social problems related to Islamic marriage, such as human trafficking, secret marriages, and other issues. Nikah requires that those participating in the nikah bear witness before Allah (SWT), further emphasizing that a nikah must be transparent, open, and publicly announced, to confirm that those involved are engaging in a sincere and proper religious activity. For this reason, the nikah arrangement is designed so that all activities that take place, including photos and videos, are the lawful property of the company, through a consent form signed before the nikah begins.
In the event of unavoidable circumstances requiring a request to remove photos/videos, the request must follow the procedure set out below. Once the procedure has been followed and the legal department has verified that there are sufficient grounds to remove the images from the system, the company will act on the request accordingly.
Nikah Must Be Open According to Islamic Principles
Nikah Must Be Open: Islamic Principles and Transparency in the Wedding Ceremony
“A marriage that is announced openly is a blessing”
Nikah, or the Islamic wedding ceremony, is a sacred rite that reflects transparency and honesty within the Muslim community. According to Islamic principles, a marriage must be open and cannot be concealed, because announcing the marriage is part of following the teachings of the Quran and the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Evidence from Hadith and the Quran
1. Hadith concerning the announcement of marriage
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
“Announce this marriage, and celebrate it with the sound of the duff (tambourine)”
(Reported by al-Tirmidhi)
This hadith shows the importance of announcing a marriage so that the community is aware of it, in order to prevent misunderstanding and build stability in the relationship of the married couple.
2. Relevance to the Quran
Allah has said:
“And those (believers) who are keepers of their pledges and their covenants when they make them” (Quran 23:8)
Nikah is an important pledge that a couple make to one another and to their community. Announcing the marriage is therefore a confirmation of transparency and of upholding the covenant that the religion supports.
Rights and Transparency in the Nikah Ceremony
To uphold Islamic principles and support honesty in society, organizing a nikah must be carried out under clear and transparent conditions:
- Announcement of the marriage
- The nikah must have at least two witnesses who are believers
- The community is informed through a celebration or public announcement
- Record keeping and documentation
- For the sake of transparency, the company that organizes the nikah will keep photo and video records as important evidence
- These records will be kept in accordance with the agreement that the couple have signed to consent to
Procedure for Requesting Removal of Photos/Videos of the Couple Published by the Company
- Verify the couple’s rights status
- The couple must confirm their identity as the rights holders of the photos or videos
- The company will verify the information against the documents that the couple signed to consent to before the nikah was held
- Prepare the supporting documents for the request
The couple must submit the following documents:- A letter requesting removal of the photos/videos: stating a clear reason, such as divorce or other personal reasons
- A copy of the national ID card: with a signature confirming the identity of both the groom and the bride
- Submit the documents to the legal department
- The couple submits the complete documents by email or through the channel designated by the company, such as the company’s Facebook
- The legal department will verify the accuracy and the reasons for requesting the removal of the images
- Review of the request by the legal department
- The legal department will review the reasons and the supporting information for the request
- If there is a genuine necessity or a reasonable cause, such as divorce, the specified photos or videos will be removed
- Removal of the photos/videos
- Once the request has been approved, the couple must specify the links or related information for the photos or videos to be removed
- The company will proceed with the removal from the various platforms based on the information provided
- Notification of the outcome
- Once the removal has been completed, the company will notify the couple of the outcome through the channel specified in the request
In the Case of Non-Compliance with the Agreement
If the couple does not comply with the agreement they signed to consent to before the nikah, and the company, together with the religious committee and the legal department, determines that the nikah in question may be a nikah conducted in bad faith, the company, as witness and officiant of the ceremony, has the authority to declare that nikah annulled, for the following reasons:
- To protect the sanctity of the nikah ceremony
The declaration of annulment aims to preserve the sanctity of marriage in Muslim society and to prevent misunderstandings that could arise in the future - To prevent damage to society
The company, as an organization operating within an Islamic moral framework, has a duty to protect the image of the wedding ceremony and to reduce any negative impact that may arise within the community
Process for Annulling the Nikah (Where Necessary)
- Assessment by the religious committee and the legal department
- Review the couple’s conduct and the status of the nikah
- Consider the evidence indicating that the nikah was conducted in bad faith
- Notice to the couple
- The company will send a written notice and give the couple the opportunity to explain their reasons
- Declaration of nikah annulment
- If the inappropriate conduct continues, the company will issue a declaration annulling the nikah
- This declaration will be formally recorded
Conclusion
ARAYA Nikah is not only responsible for conducting wedding ceremonies but also plays an important role in protecting the purity of Islamic marriage and reducing social problems related to marriage. This social enterprise is thus a model for building stability and transparency for Muslim families, both in Thailand and internationally.
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