Mullah Enver Kılıçarslan, head of ITTIHAD AL-ULEMA [Union of Scholars in Turkey] warned the public about wasting in marriage ceremonies, the non-Islamic images at weddings, the excessive demands of brides' families, while underlined that all these are contrary to Allah's Commandments and the Prophet's Sunnah.

Emphasizing that the Prophet Mohammad wanted Muslims to facilitate marriages, Mullah Enver Kılıçarslan advised people to make marriages and weddings according to Islam and to avoid haram and sin so that a happy family life, a peaceful marriage can be lived and righteous and devout generations can be raised.

Kılıçarslan noted that adultery and other immoral behaviors increase trouble and calamity in societies and that the only way to avoid them and to have clean and religious generations is to escape from sins, haram, and waste.

"Allah commands us to marry clean, pure, chaste, moral ladies," said Kılıçarslan, noted that marriage was one of the important principles of Islam.

"Our Prophet says that one of the three things he loves most in the world is marriage. Because the foundation of this Ummah is about marriage and having righteous children," he said.

"Unfortunately, many of the weddings held in our society today are carried out with great haram and sin."

Kılıçarslan noted that Allah's orders are violated in today's weddings and all kinds of waste are being experienced. "Why a human want to get married? A human marries for happy family life, for righteous children to construct a life in here and hereafter."

"The desired amount of gold, furniture and household goods leading to excessive waste, the wedding dresses rented for a few hours in today's weddings are all waste and haram," Kılıçarslan underscored.

Stating that waste is severely forbidden in our religion, Kılıçarslan said, "Almighty Allah has definitely forbidden waste".

"Allah commands not to waste, those who waste are the brothers and friends of Satan. Our Prophet says the most auspicious bride is the one who asks little expense to the groom family," Kılıçarslan said.

The head of ITTİHAD AL-ULAMA also suggests that people should carry out weddings and marriages according to the Sunnah of Prophet if they really want a happy marriage, a clean family, a peaceful family life.

He noted that most of today's marriages are based on financial interests, and soon result in divorces. "Big expenses are being made for these weddings and marriages. High amounts of gold and trappings are desired. Demands are being made that victimize the groom's side."

A family can sometimes have 3-4 young people members who have reached the age of marriage. However, the families of brides want so much that the parents of those young people cannot afford to meet these demands.

This likewise applies to bridal candidates. A house has more than one girl of marital age. But because the girl's family made demands that could not be met, no one could come and ask to marry one of those girls.

"What will happen if young people could not get married?" Kılıçarslan asks:

"Immorality, adultery, and other bad things will increase. The situation in our streets and bazaars are obvious… Ugliness, chastity, moral corruption have multiplied. What will happen to that society if prostitution and adultery get too much?

Our Prophet says that a region with an increase in adultery will face all kinds of troubles and disasters. Today while we look at our society, as our Prophet said, trouble and suffering come upon us like rain."

ILKHA