M. Albogachieva, M. Rezvan. The Nikāḥ Rite Among the Ingush and its Regional Features

Makka Albogachieva

Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (the Kunstkamera) RAS,
St. Petersburg, Russia
E–mail: albmac@mail.ru 

Maryam Rezvan

Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (the Kunstkamera) RAS,
St. Petersburg, Russia
E–mail: marrez@mail.ru 

The Nikāḥ Rite Among the Ingush
and its Regional Features 

Abstract. The Islamic marriage, known as the nikah, is an integral part of the religious and cultural life of Muslim societies. In the Caucasus, the influence of local traditions and customs gives this rite unique features, making it a particularly interesting subject for research. In the context of globalisation and socio-cultural change, studying nikah enables us to understand how religious norms adapt to modern realities while maintaining their identity. This study aims to analyse the features of nikah in Ingush society, examining its cultural and religious aspects and identifying the influence of local traditions on the marriage process. This study will reflect both pan-Islamic norms and the regional characteristics that affect the conduct of marriage rites in Ingush society. The study concludes with a recommendation to preserve and popularise traditional forms of religious marriage as an important element of the Ingush people's cultural heritage. 

Keywords: marriage, Islam, nikah, wedding, rite, ritual, Caucasus, Ingush 

DOI: 10.31250/1238-5018-2025-31-2-79-83 

References 

• Akkieva, S. I. (2009), Islam v Kabardino-Balkarskoi Respublike [Islam in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic] Moscow: Logos, 2009.
• Albogachieva, M. S.-G. (2009), “Funktsionirovanie v Ingushetii trekhzvennogo suda: adatnogo, shariatskogo i rossiiskogo (XIX v.)” [“The functioning of a three-tier court system in Ingushetia: ‘Ādat, Sharī‘a and Russian (19th century)”], Lavrovskii sbornik, St. Petersburg: MAE RAN, pp. 114—118.
• Bobrovnikov, V. (2003), “Shariatskie sudy na Severnom Kavkaze” [“Sharī‘a courts in the North Caucasus”], Otechestvennye zapiski, vol. 5 (13), pp. 65—69.
• Dalgat, B. K. (2008), Rodovoi byt i obychnoe pravo chechentsev i ingushei. Issledovaniia i materialy 1892—1894 gg. [The Traditional Way of Life and Customary Law of the Chechens and Ingush. Research and Materials from 1892—1894], Moscow: IMLI RAN.
• Grabovsky, N. F. (1870), “Ekonomicheskii i domashnii byt zhitelei Gorskogo uchastka Ingushskogo okruga” [“The economic and domestic life of the inhabitants of the Gorsky district of the Ingush region”], Sbornik svedenii o kavkazskikh gortsah, Tiflis: Tipografiia Glavnogo Upravlenija Namestnika Kavkazskogo, iss. 3. pp. 41—47.
• Manukyan, Yu. (2002), Processy vzaimodeistviia i protivorechiia semeinogo prava i shariata v sovremennoi Rossii [Interaction and Contradictions Between Family Law and Sharī‘a Law in Modern Russia], PhD, Moscow: Rostovskii uridicheskii institut.
• Smirnova, Ya. S. (1983), Sem'ia i semeinyi byt narodov Severnogo Kavkaza. Vtoraia polovina XIX—XX v. [Family and Family Life of the Peoples of the North Caucasus. Second Half of the 19th—20th Centuries], Moscow: Nauka.
• Yakovlev, N. F. (1925), Ingushi. Populiarnyi ocherk [The Ingush. A Popular Essay], Moscow; Leningrad: Krasnyi proletarii. 

Received by the Editorial Board: 10.02.2025