Prairie HiveWeddings are special events that gather families and friends together to witness a new milestone in a bride and groom’s life. However, many Christian couples often find themselves wondering if they can also invite people of different faiths to their weddings.
How about your Muslim friends, then? Can they also be there on your big day? Can Muslim attend Christian wedding?
The good news is yes, Muslims are allowed to enter Christian Churches and even other houses of worship. It is referenced in the acts of several of the Prophet’s Companions. As a rule, the issue will depend on the person’s intention for doing so.
If the person intends to confess sins to or receive blessings from anyone aside from Allah, it is prohibited to enter a Christian church. On the other hand, if the purpose of the person is to become more familiar with the way Christians conduct their services, or to participate in happy occasions like a wedding, then, Muslims are allowed to enter the church of Christians.
With these rules, it means that your Muslim family, friends, and colleagues can attend your Christian wedding without any worries.
Thing You Should Know when Hosting Muslim Guest at Your Christian Wedding
If you are inviting some Muslim guests to your Christian wedding, the most important thing you should do is learn how to accommodate them and ensure that they are comfortable throughout the event.
Every Muslim has a different way of practicing his or her faith just like other spiritual traditions. The best thing to do here is to talk to your Muslim guest ahead of time to ensure their comfort.
Below are a few pointers on specific practices and restrictions that you might want to talk about or ask when planning your gathering.
How to Approach Religions Activities
Christian weddings are often filled with activities related to religious traditions different from Islam. Any Muslim guest who was invited before to a church wedding will surely know and understand this.
The biggest suggestion here is to give your Muslim guests their own private space when it is time to do things such as singing Christian songs or praying together or anything else specifically from the Christian tradition different from Islam, they will find their way to excuse, observe, or join themselves.
If there are gifts given out or games played during the wedding, especially those for kids, try to have some nonreligious options available to cater to your Muslim guests.
Another concern is related to dancing and music. There are several orthodox Islamic rulings concerning these two topics. When it comes to music, you can include it in the event if it is being played reasonably quietly in the background during your wedding.
It is not allowed for Muslims to dance in a mixed-gender crowd. Once again, be sure to inquire about this with your Muslim guest if it is part of the ceremony and confirm they are okay with it. Don’t take it to your heart if your Muslim guests leave before you open the dance floor during your wedding. It is simply their way to avoid an activity they know they cannot join in.
All in all, what matters here is to leave enough space for your Muslim guests to feel comfortable enough to distance themselves or join in with things going on. Most importantly, don’t pressure them to take part in your activity.
What Food and Drinks to Serve to Muslim Guests
The number one area of concern if you have Muslim guests during your Christian wedding has something to do with food. It is because Islamic rulings have several major dietary restrictions that followers must adhere to. It is where halal food comes in handy.
The primary categories of restrictions here include drinks or foods with animal products and with alcohol content. When it comes to the consumption of animal products, there are two general rules of thumb here:
- Many Muslims won’t eat anything that contains pig products such as bacon and ham and gelatin derived from pigs in desserts.
- Any vegan or vegetarian foods are considered safe for all your Muslim guests, except if they contain alcohol or drugs such as marijuana in them.
Muslim people have a different approach to the consumption of animals or meat within orthodox Islam. Again, make sure that you ask your guests since you cannot just guess what they follow in particular.
There are Muslims who eat meat slaughtered in a certain way while others consume meat slaughtered in a certain method but will just eat specific animals. For example, it is common for some Muslims to eat poultry.
To make things a bit more nuanced, several Muslims also eat anything labeled as kosher from Jewish tradition. But to stay safe, you should still ask your Muslim guests about their preferences when it comes to meat since it may differ from person to person.
With the ever-growing prevalence of vegan and vegetarian food options, awareness about foods with animal by-products has now become more prevalent. Keep an eye out for gravy mixes, stuffing, and packaged broths, and animal-derived gelatin used in desserts. Since food packaging today has become more transparent, it will be easier for you to determine if something is vegan or vegetarian.
No Alcohol
Alcohol is also a big no-no for your Muslim guests. Alcoholic beverages are the most obvious things that contain alcohol, such as hard liquors, beer, and wine. To accommodate Muslim guests when serving alcoholic beverages, one option is to have a totally dry event without any alcohol served.
Another option is to host a partially dry event where the event’s early half to dinner is dry. For example, you can inform your guests that you will serve dinner at 7, with the bar opening at 9. Doing so will allow your Muslim guests to come and enjoy a delicious dinner with you and leave before things begin to feel uncomfortable for them.
If it is impossible to have a partially or a completely dry event, you can isolate drinks to a certain spot, such as setting up a bar in a particular area or corner so that your Muslim guests can distance themselves comfortably. As always, ask your Muslim guests what will work best for them.
Now that you know that Muslims can attend Christian weddings, go ahead, and invite them over to your big day!
