I wonder if a marriage ceremony can be conducted inside the Holy Mosque. Recently, I was told that an Indian widow accompanied by her mother, uncle and other relatives came to Makkah on an Umrah visa and got married inside the Holy Mosque to a man working in Dammam. It seems to have been a  well-organized and prearranged marriage. I must admit that I am not 100 percent certain if the marriage was held inside or outside the Holy Mosque. However, if the report is true, then it raises the question of whether it is permissible for a couple to be married inside the Holy Mosque.



I lived in Riyadh for two decades until 1996 and I never heard of anyone getting married inside the Holy Mosque in Makkah. I was also told that after the marriage, the couple went to the Indian Embassy in Jeddah to get the marriage registered. Is there a system that allows people visiting Makkah on Umrah to get married? Are such marriages valid as per Shariah law?



A. Mohamed Ali, Chennai