Marriage

1) Contact MSDV with your request by emailing Imam Basheer at imam@msdvpa.org or calling the ICCWG office at 215-659-1123. Please include in your message the requested date and location of the nikah ceremony. You must submit your request a minimum of two weeks (14 days) before your requested nikah date. We will get back to you as soon as possible (usually within one week) to finalize the schedule.

2) The couple will sit with Imam Basheer for a training/counseling session on the basics of Muslim marriage, including the rights and responsibilities of spouses. This session must be scheduled to take place before the nikah ceremony is performed.

3) You must obtain an unsigned marriage license issued by the county clerk and bring this to the ceremony. MSDV will not perform the nikah ceremony without the marriage license.

4) Imam Basheer (or another designated MSDV representative) will perform the ceremony at the scheduled time. The bride, groom, wali (guardian of the bride), and witnesses must present drivers’ licenses or another form of photo ID before the ceremony is performed.

5) MSDV representatives, the bride, the groom, and designated witnesses will complete and sign the appropriate paperwork, including the marriage
contract and certificate, as well as the county marriage license. MSDV will keep a copy of these documents for our records.

6) The couple must return the signed and completed marriage license to the court for proper registration.

Important policies

1) The fee to have your nikah ceremony conducted by MSDV is $300 if the ceremony is held at MYCP or ICCWG, or $500 if you request that the
ceremony be held outside of these two locations. Fees can be reduced or waived at the discretion of the administration.

2) MSDV representatives are not able to travel outside of the Philadelphia area (within a 40-mile radius of MYCP or ICCWG) to conduct nikah
ceremonies.

3) We are generally not able to perform nikah ceremonies in situations where a Muslim woman would like to marry a non-Muslim man, or when a
couple wants to marry without parental consent while their parents are living. This does not mean we are not willing to meet with the couple and
discuss the situation, but please be cognizant of this. These specific situations will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.