Muslim Wedding Invitation Wording: Nikah, Walima and Bismillah

Start with the Bismillah, add a salam, say who is inviting, then give the Nikah and Walima details. This guide covers each part of the card, the exact Islamic opening Imbitasyon Ko prints, and the choices your family must make about events, dates and RSVP.

Terms used below:

• Bismillah: the opening phrase that means "In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful" (Paperlust's translation).
• Nikah: the Islamic marriage ceremony (Paperlust).
• Walima: the wedding banquet held after the Nikah (Wikipedia).
• Wali: the bride's legal guardian (Paperlust).
• Hijri date: the date in the Islamic calendar (Paperlust).

What a Muslim wedding invitation carries, top to bottom

Two guides supply most of the examples below: SoundVision, a Muslim education site four of whose six samples name US venues, and Paperlust, a stationery brand writing for US couples. Neither is Philippine, so read them as common layouts, not rules. Your family and imam decide what applies.

Part	What the sources show	What Imbitasyon Ko's Islamic opening does
Bismillah	Paperlust: at the very top, before any names, dates or other text	Printed first, above the opening lines. It cannot be turned off
Host line	Paperlust: traditionally issued in the parents' names, not the couple's	The couple speaks ("we"). Parents appear under each name
Verse	Paperlust: Surah Ar-Rum 30:21 is the most commonly chosen	Ar-Rum verse is on by default. A checkbox removes it
Events	Wikipedia: the Walima is the banquet after the Nikah	Separate event cards, each with a name you type
Date	SoundVision: include Islamic dates, written "the first of Safar" or "Shaban first". Paperlust: Hijri line under the Gregorian one	Gregorian date only. Put the Hijri date in the Session line
Replying	SoundVision sample: unable guests are asked for their presence in thought and prayer	RSVP has an Insha'Allah choice, plus a decline and a maybe
Closing	Not covered by the sources	A fixed closing salam and a sign-off line

The opening Imbitasyon Ko prints for the Islamic style

In the editor's "Cover & opening" step, set "Invitation opening" to Islamic. Guests then see these lines in this order. Everything in brackets is yours.

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim

Assalamu'alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

With deepest respect, we cordially invite you
to attend the celebration of our wedding:

[Names, with a line such as "First son of Mr. [Father] & Mrs. [Mother]"]

"And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquillity in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought."
(QS. Ar-Rum: 21)

[Event cards, dress code, RSVP, Wishes & Prayers]

[Your closing message, or the standard closing paragraph]

Wassalamu'alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

With joy and love,
[Couple names]
together with our families

The verse is the Sahih International translation. Four things follow from how the page is built:

• The religious lines are fixed. The Bismillah, salam, invitation lines, verse and closing salam cannot be edited. Only the verse can be hidden.
• The Bismillah prints in Latin letters only. There is no Arabic script and no translation line. Paperlust lists Arabic-only, Arabic with transliteration and Arabic with an English translation as the common approaches.
• Parent names get a title added. The card puts "Mr." before the father's name and "Mrs." before the mother's. Type the name only; anything else you type follows the title.
• The closing message is yours. It accepts up to 600 characters and replaces only the standard closing paragraph. The closing salam and the sign-off stay.

For a message to send on WhatsApp or Viber, the wedding invitation message generator has an Islamic opening style. It starts and ends the message with a salam.

Who is inviting: parents, wali or the two of you

Sample texts build the host line in different ways. These fragments are quoted as written, so their spelling and capitals are the sources'. Paperlust's Walima-only example opens with "Alhamdulillah" and a line of gratitude, then the line in the last row below (quoted across its two printed lines).

Host line	Source	Who is speaking
"Mr. And Mrs. Omar Announce the marriage Of their daughter"	SoundVision, sample 3	The bride's parents
"Request the honor of your presence At the waleema dinner of their grand son"	SoundVision, sample 4	Grandparents, for a Walima
"With joyful hearts We ask you to be present At the nikah ceremony uniting"	SoundVision, sample 2	No host in the opening; the sample ends with the signature "Mr. And Mrs. Jones"
"joyfully invite you to the Nikah ceremony uniting their children"	Paperlust	Both sets of parents
"we invite you to join us for the Walima reception celebrating the marriage of"	Paperlust, Walima-only example	A "we" that the line does not identify

Paperlust adds that the bride's father, or her wali, has a formal role in the Nikah, so his name and the groom's father's typically head the card. Imbitasyon Ko's Islamic opening has no host line at the top. If your family wants the wali or elders named, there are two places: the parent line under each person's name, and the "Also Inviting" list at the bottom, which takes one name per line.

Nikah, Walima or both: one invitation or two

Wikipedia describes the Walima as the second of the two parts of an Islamic wedding, a banquet performed after the Nikah. Paperlust gives three layouts: one card for both events, two separate cards, or a Nikah card with a Walima insert. In Imbitasyon Ko, the options look like this:

Option	When it fits	How to set it up
One invitation, two events	The same guests come to both	Add two events and type your own names, such as Nikah and Walima (up to 80 characters)
Two invitations	A small circle at the Nikah and a wide list at the Walima	Make two. Each has its own link, guest list and plan
Separate seating	Ladies and gentlemen are in different rooms or at different times	One event per room, each named, with its own Session line. An event dress code shows only if it differs from the general one

Paperlust says that if men and women are seated apart, the invitation should state it clearly. Its example lists "Ladies' ceremony", "Gentlemen's ceremony" and "Mixed Walima reception", each with a hall and a time. Its alternative is separate ladies' and gentlemen's cards, with the Walima details on a shared insert. In Imbitasyon Ko, a dress code typed on an event appears in the Dress Code section as "Event name: text", and only when it differs from the general dress code. The dress code guide covers the rest of that section.

Philippine law adds one point about the venue. P.D. 1083, the Code of Muslim Personal Laws, governs the marriage when both parties are Muslim, or only the groom is and the marriage is solemnized under Muslim law or the Code (Article 13). Its Article 19 reads:

Marriage shall be solemnized publicly in any mosque, office of the Shari'a judge, office of the District or Circuit Registrar, residence of the bride or her wali, or at any other suitable place agreed upon by the parties.

So the places the law names include the residence of the bride or her wali, and any other suitable place the parties agree on. If your Nikah is at one of those, remember that the address you type shows on the page to anyone who opens the link. The address is optional; the venue name is required. Article 17 says the offer and acceptance (ijab and qabul) are declared publicly before the person solemnizing the marriage and two competent witnesses, then recorded in a signed instrument. Your invitation is not that instrument.

The Hijri date, the verse and printed text

SoundVision says it is good to include Islamic dates, and its samples write them as "the first of Safar" and "Shaban first". Paperlust sets the Hijri date on its own line under the Gregorian date, ending in "AH". Its sample pair of dates does not match when checked with a calendar converter, so copy the layout, not the numbers. The event card has no Hijri field. The "Session (optional)" line prints under the time and takes 80 characters, so type the Hijri date there. Have your imam confirm the day before you publish.

The verse is on by default. Untick "Show scripture quote" to remove it.

Darul Ifta of Darul Uloom Deoband, a Hanafi body in India, was asked about cards that end up thrown away like newspapers. Its answer: "We should respect the paper or card on which the name of Allah or verse of Quran is printed." If cards are not kept in a proper place, it says the verses, hadith and the name of Allah should not be printed on them (fatwa). It concerns paper and does not mention screens. Since the Bismillah cannot be switched off in this style, the verse is the one decision you control. Ask your imam.

RSVP choices for a Muslim wedding

Guests answer with a name, a choice and a guest count. In the Islamic style the attending choice is worded with Insha'Allah in it, and the decline and maybe choices are plain wording. SoundVision's sample 2 closes with "We ask your presence in thought and prayer" for guests who cannot come. Every invitation also has a "Wishes & Prayers" section, where guests can leave a note. The RSVP guide covers reply deadlines and seat counts.

Check these before you publish

1. Ask your imam or the senior family member whether transliteration alone is acceptable for the Bismillah.
2. Decide whether the verse stays.
3. Confirm the Hijri date and whether men and women are seated apart.
4. Decide whether a home address belongs on a link that can be forwarded.
5. Show your family the finished page, and run it through the proofreading checklist.

Most of the card is fixed lines plus clear event details. Get the wording past the people who matter, name the Nikah and Walima plainly, then share the link using the send order that suits your guest list.

Sources: SoundVision sample texts, Paperlust guide, Wikipedia: Walima, P.D. 1083.