What are the conditions for a marriage contract? Is it permissible for the contract to be verbal? What are the conditions for the person writing the contract? Is public declaration of marriage obligatory? Is it permissible for a Muslim man in America to marry a Christian woman based on a verbal agreement and in the presence of witnesses?

The marriage contract requires offer and acceptance verbally, and its writing is only for documentation. Nothing is required of the person writing the contract, and publicizing the marriage is recommended, not a condition. The marriage to a woman of the People of the Book requires the same conditions as marriage to a Muslim woman, the most important of which are the guardian's consent and the presence of witnesses.