7. Ahmad ibn Muhammad has narrated from Mu‘awiyah ibn Hakim who has said the following: “Al-Rida’ , once read the following as Khutbah (sermon) when solemnizing a marriage: ‘All praise belongs to Allah who has praised Himself in the book and has opened His book with it, has made it the first reward of the recipient of His bounties and the last words of the dwellers of His paradise. I testify that no one other than Allah alone, who has no partners, deserves worship, a testimony that I present purely for Him and save in reserve with Him. O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause. He is the last in the line of prophets and the best of the people, and his family is the family of mercy and kindness, the tree of bounties, the source of Divine message, the junction of coming and going of the angels. All praise belongs to Allah who had it in His eternal knowledge and in His speaking book and true statements that the most deserving means, for compensation and preference and the foremost issue to be interested in is the means that involves a means and issue that is followed by freedom from want. Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has said, “It is He who has created the human being from water to have relationships of both lineage and wedlock. Your Lord has all power.” (25:54) “Marry the single people among you and the righteous slaves and slave-girls. If you are poor, Allah will make you rich through His favor; He is Bountiful and All-knowing.” (24:32) Had there been no clear verse of the Quran about marriage or texts of Sunnah which are followed or any other source of law unanimously accepted, it (marriage) would have been of what Allah has made of the very close and nearby good deeds and of the facts that bring far away things close and bring the hearts near together, to intermingle rights and to multiply numbers of children to help in difficult conditions of time and happenings of issues. It is of the facts in which people of reason are interested, fortunate people strive to achieve and skillful people of the field of discipline feel greedy about. People close to Allah are those who obey His command, execute His orders, approve His decision and hope for His reward. So and so son of so and so is one whose condition and excellence are well known to you. His soul has agreed to give preference to you over the others and to choose proposing marriage to so and so daughter of so and so, your graceful daughter and has decided to pay such and such amount as mahr (dower), so please welcome him with acceptance, respond to him with interest and ask Allah to show what is in your interest and well-being in your affairs. He will decide for you what is reasonable, if Allah so wills and we ask Allah to bring harmony among you by means of piety and virtuous manners, bring him close with affection and love and complete for him with agreement and pleasure; He listens to the prayers and is subtle in what He wishes.”’ Certain persons of our people have narrated from Ali ibn al-Hassan ibn Faddal from ‘Isma’il ibn Mehran from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn abu Nasr who has narrated the following: “I heard abu al-Hassan, al-Rida’ , saying, . . he then has mentioned this sermon just as Mu‘awiyah ibn Hakam has narrated, which is a similar sermon.’”