Nikah invitation in Urdu and English: lines to copy

Most British Pakistani families print the shaadi card in two languages: Urdu for the elders and the register of the occasion, English for everyone else. The Urdu lines are formulaic, which is the point: a guest who reads آپ کی تشریف آوری knows exactly what kind of card they are holding. Here are the lines, what they mean, how to set them, and ten bilingual examples for a nikah, a baraat and a walima.

The Urdu lines every card uses

Set all of these in a Nastaliq face (Noto Nastaliq Urdu or Jameel Noori Nastaleeq), right to left, with deep line height. Never letter-space Urdu, and never set it in an Arabic Naskh face: it reads as foreign to Urdu speakers.

Bilingual nikah invitation wording

1. Formal nikah card

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ دعوتِ نکاح

Farooq Siddiqui and Rubina Siddiqui request the honour of your presence at the Nikah of their daughter Ayesha with Hamza son of Imran Malik and Saima Malik

ہفتہ، ۴ ستمبر ۲۰۲۷، شام ۶ بجے، ان شاء اللہ Saturday, 4 September 2027 at 6pm, insha'Allah Masjid-e-Noor, Noor Street, Bradford BD9 9AA

آپ کی تشریف آوری ہمارے لیے باعثِ مسرت ہوگی Your presence will be a source of joy to us

2. Nikah with the dua request

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

The Siddiqui family invite you to the nikah of Ayesha and Hamza Saturday, 4 September 2027 · 6pm · Masjid-e-Noor, Bradford Dinner to follow at the Regency Banqueting Suite

دعاؤں کی درخواست ہے We request your duas

3. Baraat card

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ بارات

Farooq Siddiqui and Rubina Siddiqui بصد احترام مدعو ہیں invite you with the utmost respect to the Baraat of their daughter Ayesha with Hamza Saturday, 4 September 2027 at 5pm The Regency Banqueting Suite, Bradford نکاح شام ساڑھے چھ بجے · رخصتی رات دس بجے Nikah at 6.30pm · Rukhsati at 10pm

4. Walima card

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ دعوتِ ولیمہ

Imran Malik and Saima Malik request the pleasure of your company at the Walima of their son Hamza with Ayesha Sunday, 5 September 2027 at 6pm The Regency Banqueting Suite, Bradford

شادی مبارک

5. Mehndi card

رسمِ حنا The Siddiqui and Malik families invite you to the Mehndi of Ayesha and Hamza Friday, 3 September 2027 at 7pm · The Regency, Bradford Yellows, greens and oranges · Dinner and dances from both sides

Urdu couplets for the card

A sher above the names is a Pakistani tradition. Keep it to two lines and have an elder check it; a couplet with a spelling mistake is noticed by everyone. Three that families use:

6.

دو دلوں کا ملن ہو رہا ہے دعا ہے یہ بندھن سدا سلامت رہے Two hearts are being joined; we pray this bond stays safe forever.

7.

خدا کرے یہ رشتہ عمر بھر قائم رہے May God keep this relationship for a lifetime.

8.

محبت اور احترام کے ساتھ ایک نئے سفر کا آغاز The beginning of a new journey, with love and respect.

WhatsApp messages in Urdu and English

9. Formal

السلام علیکم۔ فاروق اور روبینہ صدیقی آپ کو اپنی بیٹی عائشہ کے نکاح میں مدعو کرتے ہیں۔ ہفتہ، ۴ ستمبر، شام ۶ بجے، مسجدِ نور، بریڈفورڈ۔ Assalamu alaikum. Farooq and Rubina Siddiqui invite you to the nikah of their daughter Ayesha. Saturday, 4 September, 6pm, Masjid-e-Noor, Bradford. Details and the reply form: [link]

10. Warm

السلام علیکم! عائشہ کی شادی ہے اور آپ کے بغیر ادھوری ہے۔ Assalamu alaikum! It is Ayesha's wedding and it will not be complete without you. The mehndi, baraat and walima, with times and dress, are on the link, and the link is where you reply: [link]

Things to get right

• Numerals. Urdu cards use Eastern Arabic numerals (۴ ستمبر) or the English date; pick one. Younger guests read the English date faster.
• Honorifics. Janab and Mohtarma before the parents' names on a formal card; first names on a warm one. Haji and Hajjah where they apply.
• Late parents. مرحوم (marhum) after a father's name, مرحومہ (marhuma) after a mother's.
• Insha'Allah. After the date, in Urdu or English, but not both.
• Fonts. If you are sending a card as an image, export it at twice the size; Nastaliq blurs when WhatsApp compresses it. A page avoids the problem.

Where the words go

On a Pakistani wedding invitation page the Urdu is typed into fields with their language set, so Shaadi Mubarak, the request line and the couplet are set in Nastaliq with the right direction and line height, and the Arabic in a Naskh face. The Bismillah, the verse, both families and the functions are already there to edit. Guests reply for the household on the same link. For the nikah on its own, Jannah and Noor carry the same lines in a quieter setting. One payment of £40 covers any number of guests.