Help & FAQs

Yes. For the time being, the Nikah service is only available where the bride or groom lives in Blackburn. Only one of you needs to live in Blackburn, and proof of address will be required when you apply. Living in Blackburn means that Blackburn is your current, permanent home address. Being born or working in Blackburn does not qualify, nor does the Blackburn address of a relative, a friend or a witness. A BB postcode alone is not sufficient: addresses in nearby towns such as Darwen or Accrington do not qualify. If you are due to move to Blackburn, please wait until you have moved before applying. This applies regardless of how far you would travel or the size of your gathering.

We are unable to make exceptions. This includes couples who have family in Blackburn, have lived there previously, offer a donation or additional payment, can give plenty of notice, or are facing short notice or difficult family circumstances. We have had to decline many couples from outside Blackburn, so it would not be fair to make an exception for anyone. Owing to the number of applications we receive from Blackburn, there are no plans to open the service to other areas in the near future.

No. A Nikah at the Masjid is an Islamic ceremony only and is not a legal marriage under UK law. You do not need to be legally married before your Nikah. To be legally married, you will need to arrange a separate civil ceremony with the register office. The Masjid does not conduct civil ceremonies.

We do not currently offer a matchmaking or marriage introduction service.

Please apply online through this website. Before applying, please read the information on this website and the Nikah Policy. Then complete the application form with your details and select from the available dates. Please allow up to 10 working days for your application to be processed and for us to send you the next steps.

Please allow up to 10 working days for your application to be processed. Applications are dealt with on a first come, first served basis. First, you will be asked to upload your ID and proof of address. Once these have been checked, you and your partner will each receive a separate email with login details for the Nikah course. The course is mandatory and must be completed before the Nikah, so please complete it as soon as possible. We may also email you for any missing details, such as the exact mahr amount in pounds or the ages of your wali and witnesses. Before your Nikah, we will contact you to arrange collection of the Nikah certificate for the bride to sign. If you have not heard from us after 10 working days, please email us.

Yes. Please email us with the change and we will update your application. A new date or time is subject to availability. Please inform us of any change to the mahr before the ceremony. For a new wali, please provide their name, relationship to the bride, age, address and occupation. For a new witness, please provide their name, address and postcode, telephone number, place of birth, age and occupation. You will have the opportunity to check all certificate details before signing. If the certificate has already been printed, we will do our best to amend it.

When you apply, you select a preferred date and time, but this is not yet confirmed. Your booking is confirmed only once both the bride and groom have completed the Nikah course and passed the assessment. A member of our team will then process your application and email you to confirm the date and time. Dates are confirmed in the order in which couples pass the course. If another couple passes first and books your preferred slot, it will no longer be available, even if you applied first. Please complete the course as soon as possible, and wait for our confirmation before sending out invitations.

Please email us. If you may still wish to have a Nikah later, we can move your application to a future date instead, so that you do not need to apply again.

Yes. Please email us with details of the difficulty and we will help. We do not offer in-person appointments for completing the form.

Available days and times change throughout the year. Please use the Check Availability calendar to see current availability. Dates are allocated on a first come, first served basis, but your date is secured only once you have both passed the course and we have confirmed it. If another couple passes first and books that slot, you will need to choose another date.

Your Nikah will take place at the appointed time for the slot you have booked, for example before Dhuhr, after Dhuhr or after Asr. Your confirmation email will give the time of your Nikah. Where your slot is after a Salah, the Nikah begins once the congregational Salah, and the Sunnah and Nafl prayers, have been completed. As Salah times change throughout the year, please check the Masjid's Salah timetable for your date. For a Nikah after Jumu'ah, this is usually 10 to 15 minutes after the Salah ends. We advise the groom and family to pray Jumu'ah at the Masjid and to arrive before it begins, as the Masjid becomes very busy. Yours may not be the only Nikah in the slot, as all Nikahs in a slot take place together.

We require at least two weeks' notice, so very short-notice requests cannot be accommodated. The Nikah course must also be completed before your date can be confirmed, so please begin it promptly.

The Nikah service costs £100, payable in cash at the Madrasah office when the wali collects the Nikah certificate for the bride to sign. We will contact you before your Nikah to arrange this. The fee supports the Masjid's community and charitable services.

In addition to your ID, you will need to show that you have the right to remain in the UK, for example a UK visa or indefinite leave to remain. A Home Office share code or a screenshot of your indefinite leave to remain is acceptable. The document must be in date. An expired visa or a general immigration letter is not sufficient.

Yes. Please reply to our email with your document attached and we will review your application. If you or your partner did not receive the upload email, please let us know and we will send it again. All documents must be in date; if one has expired, we will ask you for an up-to-date copy.

Your ID must be valid and in date, for example a passport or driving licence. If your passport has expired, please send another form of valid ID so that we can continue with your application.

Please send a copy of a utility bill, telephone bill, council tax bill or bank statement showing your Blackburn address.

You may name one wali and two witnesses; a second wali cannot be added. For the Nikah certificate, we need the age, place of birth and occupation of the wali and of both witnesses. Occupation cannot be left as "N/A". We also need the wali's full address, including postcode, and a telephone number for at least one witness. Providing these details on your application helps us to prepare your certificate without delay.

Yes, the bride's father can be named as her wali.

Mahr-e-Fatimi is acceptable, but please also state the exact amount in pounds.

Yes. Please contact us and we can reinstate or extend your course access. Please complete the course as soon as possible within the new time allowed, as part of your preparation for marriage.

No. The Masjid provides the Islamic Nikah only, held in the main prayer hall (Jamaat Khana) at the appointed time. It is not a wedding venue, so there are no packages, hall or function room hire, catering, decorations, flowers, stage, or tables and chairs, and receptions and walimas cannot be held here. The women's section is upstairs, so a partition is not required.

The Nikah takes place in the main prayer hall (Jamaat Khana) at the appointed time and is conducted in English. It is fully segregated: men sit in the main hall, and women, including the bride, sit in the women's prayer area upstairs. Sisters should use the Ladies' entrance on the right-hand side of the Masjid and, if arriving separately, park close to that entrance. The Nikah cannot be seen from the women's area and there is no video stream, but sisters can hear it through the speakers.

Food and catering are not permitted anywhere on the Masjid premises, including the car parks, and the Masjid does not provide catering. If you would like to provide food for your guests, please book a hall or venue elsewhere. Sweets, dates and favours may be handed out in the designated area outside the Masjid building.

No. Photography and filming are strictly prohibited anywhere on the Masjid premises, including the prayer hall, the women's area, the courtyard (fountain area) and the car parks. This applies to professional photographers and to personal mobile phones, and no exceptions can be made. The Masjid is a place of worship in regular use, and this protects its sanctity and the privacy of all who attend. The Masjid does not film the Nikah.

No. Only Masjid E Vali imams conduct Nikahs at the Masjid, as set out in our Nikah Policy, and we are unable to offer the building for use with an outside imam. It is also not possible to request a particular imam. The imam conducting your Nikah is decided in the week of the Nikah, subject to availability; on Fridays, this is the Mufti Sahab or a Maulana present for Jumu'ah. Family members are also unable to take part in the ceremony, for example by reciting Qiraat.

There is no limit on numbers, as the prayer hall can accommodate several hundred people. A small Nikah is also welcome, for example just the couple, the wali, the imam and two witnesses.

You do not need to bring anything, as all ID checks are completed beforehand. Your confirmation email will give the time of your Nikah. The groom, the bride's wali and both witnesses should arrive at least 20 minutes beforehand (for a Nikah after Jumu'ah, before Jumu'ah begins) and wait inside the Masjid in the designated area. Please ask a member of staff if you are unsure where to go. If your Nikah follows a Salah, please arrive early with your guests so that you can join the congregation. If anyone is late, the Nikah may be delayed or rescheduled. Please dress modestly, and ensure that you have both agreed the mahr beforehand.

Yes, by audio only. Anyone unable to attend can listen live through the eMasjid audio stream at https://emasjidlive.co.uk/. There is no video stream.

No. The bride and groom may not be together anywhere on the Masjid premises, including inside the building, the fountain area and the car parks, for any reason.

No. We conduct Nikahs at the Masjid only.

The Madrasah building is next to the Masjid, at the bottom of the car park as you enter from Preston New Road. The office is on the entrance floor, and staff there will assist you.

Yes. The Masjid provides the official Nikah certificate, signed by the bride, the groom, the witnesses and the imam. It is usually handed over immediately after the Nikah: the Masjid keeps its own copy, and yours is normally given to the bride's or groom's family. You should also receive an email with a PDF copy and the audio recording. We do not post certificates. If you require another physical copy, please arrange a visit to the office.

Yes, that is fine. Please let us know who we should contact about collecting the certificate.

No. We issue Nikah certificates only for Nikahs that we conduct. To register your marriage legally, please contact the register office.

Please go to the sign-in page, enter the email address you applied with, and request a new sign-in code or link for the Nikah Preparation Course. If it still does not work, please email us with the address you used and a screenshot.

This usually happens when only your partner's email address is on file. Please contact us and we will add your email address and resend your login details.

This message appears when you have changed a detail, such as the mahr, that requires our approval. We will review and confirm the change, after which you can continue.

You both need to log in and confirm the details on your own accounts, so the status will remain pending until your partner has also confirmed. If you are locked out, please contact us and we will reinstate your access.

Please try again. If the error persists, please email us with a screenshot.

A module may still be showing as "in progress". Please check that you have answered the questions at the end of each video, particularly "Types of Divorce in Hanafi Fiqh", and then try the final assessment again. If it still does not work, please contact us.