عرس

العُرْس

In the lexicon, irs is the marriage arrangement and the building of the home; some say it is the name of the wedding feast alone. Arus denotes both bride and groom while they are at their wedding, and zifaf is the handing over of the bride to her husband, a narrower word than irs ¹. The Malikis and Shafi'is hold that the bridegroom may not leave congregational prayer and works of piety during the wedding days except at night; the Hanbalis allow him to stay with his bride to be at ease with her ². The wedding feast (walima) is prescribed by consensus; for most jurists it is a confirmed sunna, but accepting the invitation to it is obligatory ^{2 3}. Congratulating the couple and praying for them is recommended, and the Shafi'is disliked the saying 'with harmony and children' ^{3 4}. The husband is recommended to take his bride by the forelock and pray, and the marriage is to be announced with the drum ⁴. On the division of nights, the majority give a new bride seven nights if she is a virgin and three if she is a widow or divorcee, with disagreement ⁵.