Al-Azhar fatwa center deems joking during marriage contract an unacceptable slight

Al-Azhar's Global Center for Electronic Fatwa has warned that unseemly joking during the marriage contract amounts to unacceptable disrespect of a sacred rite.

• The center issued a statement describing the marriage contract as a "solemn covenant" that demands seriousness and reverence.
• It forbade humor and mockery inside the offer-and-acceptance formula, urging religious scholars not to turn the ceremony into a comedy display chasing social media views.
• The center affirmed that expressing joy at marriage remains lawful within permissible bounds, citing a hadith on announcing nuptials.