❖ Source:
This fatwa is excerpted from the book “500 Questions & Answers for Women” based on the verdicts of the Scholars of the Ḥaramayn, translated by Ḥāfiẓ ʿAbdullāh Salīm.
✿ Question:
What is the Sunnah method for a husband to approach his wife on the night of consummation (Shab-e-Zifāf)? Many people are confused about this matter, and nowadays it has become common to recite Surah Al-Baqarah and perform prayer on this occasion.
✿ Answer:
When a man approaches his wife for the first time, he should hold her forehead and recite the following supplication:
«اللهم إني أسألك خيرها وخير ما جبلتها عليه وأعوذ بك من شرها و شر ما جبلتها عليه»
“O Allah! I ask You for the goodness within her and the goodness upon which You have created her, and I seek refuge in You from her evil and the evil upon which You have created her.”
[Ḥasan – Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Ḥadīth no. 2160]
✦ If he fears that she might feel uneasy when he holds her forehead and recites this supplication, he may do so in a way that appears as if he is simply kissing her, and recite the supplication in his heart without disturbing her.
✦ He may utter it softly so that she does not hear it and become startled. However, if the bride is knowledgeable and receptive, there is no harm in holding her forehead and audibly reciting the supplication to her.
✦ As for performing two rakʿahs of prayer before entering the bridal chamber, it is narrated from some of the Salaf (pious predecessors) that they used to do so. Thus, if someone offers this prayer, it is commendable; but if he does not, there is no harm, as this practice is not established as a Sunnah (as clarified by the translator).
✦ Regarding the recitation of Surah Al-Baqarah or other Surahs specifically on this night, there is no authentic evidence to support this practice.
[Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Ṣāliḥ al-ʿUthaymīn رحمه الله]