We invite you to take a peek inside a Hui wedding and learn about marriage in Hui culture. Would you ask God to put a prayer on your heart for Hui husbands and wives, so that they might know and experience the love of Christ?
In the video below, the bride’s dress represents a blend of cultures. Wearing a red wedding dress is a tradition taken from Chinese culture, from the Ming Dynasty. This bride is also wearing a hijab, a head covering commonly worn in public by Muslim women around the world. Many of the men are wearing Muslim hats as a sign of their faith.
A Hui wedding includes a Nikah ceremony, officiated by an imam. Nikah is a Quranic word that refers to the marriage contract. Since Allah created marriage, and the prophet, Muhammad, practiced marriage and advised his followers to marry, marriage is regarded as an important religious obligation among Hui. Parents are often involved in matchmaking and courtship and have a strong influence on the choice of their child’s spouse.
Imagine that you are attending this wedding. Even though you are an invited guest, you are still an outsider. You observe the differences in culture, but it’s also obvious to you that some things transcend culture. It is a joyful celebration when a bride and groom who love each other commit to a life together in marriage.
Unfortunately, the sad reality is that many Hui are facing marital problems and divorce is common. Some Christians with counseling credentials are providing marriage counseling to Hui men and women with struggling marriages. Helping marriages is one way that Chinese Christians are finding an open door for the gospel.
As you watch this video, pray for Hui marriages. Pray for their health and happiness. Pray for love that flourishes and grows. Pray that the love of Christ would be known. Because of Christ, we know that “love covers a multitude of sins.” It’s because of Christ’s love and sacrifice for us, that we can be forgiven, and be joined to God in an eternal relationship of love.
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. (1 John 4)
Please pray this week for Hui marriages:
- Husbands and wives to love and serve each other
- That God would draw couples to hear and receive the gospel together
- For newly married young adults to investigate the doctrines of Islam and Christianity seriously
- That God would bring Christian counselors to help broken marriages
- For the church to help Hui believers find good matches
Here are a few other good videos of Hui weddings:
* The Know Thy Hui Neighbor article by Julie Ma was a helpful resource for this post. Read more of Julie’s articles about the Hui at ChinaSource.org.