Robyn Lebron male circumcision with the sole purpose of facilitating cleanliness and carries no religious connotations There can be a ceremony called the and is not universally practiced by all Muslims The ceremony itself can vary, but generally, it is a way of welcoming the infant Initiation, Baptism, or Confirmation At the or “witnessing,” a young Muslim repeats the Islamic declaration of faith It is usually done at any age from midteens onward It must be witnessed by either two males or eight female Muslims Marriage The family is involved in the suggestion of candidates They discuss all the potential prospects And then one of the parents approaches the other family to suggest a meeting The couple agrees to meet in a chaperoned or group environment The family continues to talk with friends, family, Islamic leaders, coworkers, etc., to learn about the possible candidate The couple prays for guidance to seek Allāh’s help in making a decision Then they agree to pursue marriage or part ways Islam does allow freedom of choice to both young men and women—in most cases, they are not forced into a marriage that they don’t want Marriage is the most ancient of human social institutions Marriage came into existence with the creation of the first man and woman: Adam and Eve. Muslims hold marriage to be an integral part of their religious devotion As mentioned before, the Prophet Muhammad explicitly stated that marriage is half of the Religion (of Islam) In other words, perhaps half of all Islamic virtues, such as fidelity, chastity, charity, generosity, tolerance, gentleness, striving, patience, love, empathy, compassion, caring, learning, teaching, reliability, courage, mercy, forbearance, forgiveness, etc., find their natural expression through married life Marriage is a legal arrangement in Islam, not a sacrament in the Christian sense, and is secured with a contract The contract is a civil contract which consists of an offer and acceptance between two qualified parties in the presence of two witnesses The groom is required to pay a bridal gift tothe bride, as stipulated in the contract Islamic marriage lays rights and corresponding responsibilities on each spouseǤͳ͵ ~ 104 ~