Marriage in Islam is a simple contract “niqa” between two consenting parties. As a contract, it often works similar to a Western prenuptial agreement. Watch the clip of the Middle Eastern wedding and read over the sample Muslim marriage contract, then share your impressions. Marriage celebrations vary throughout the Middle East, but most involve music, dancing, food and family gathered together in celebration. Unlike in the West, Eastern weddings are not generally conducted in a single day or single ceremony. In most of the Middle East there are separate parties for the engagement, the legal marriage and the religious marriage. The actual marriage ceremony, is usually conducted in private. The “wedding” is quite similar to a Western wedding reception. The purpose of the large party is to meet the Islamic requirement of a public announcement of the newly married couple.