Guide

Katb kitab invitation wording

كتب الكتاب is the marriage itself, and it is invited to differently from the فرح. This is how the invitation is worded, part by part, with lines you can lift onto your own.

The opening

A short phrase before any name. A blessing is what most families print; a fragment of Ar-Rum 30:21, on the affection placed between spouses, is the verse most often used.

Openings

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

بعون الله وتوفيقه

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا لِتَسْكُنُوا إِلَيْهَا — من سورة الروم ٢١

Say that it is a katb kitab

Name the occasion in the invitation itself. A guest reading حفل الزفاف will plan for the celebration; a guest reading كتب الكتاب will plan for the signing. If both are happening, say both, each with its own time.

Katb kitab only

بمناسبة كتب كتاب

يتشرفون بدعوتكم لحضور حفل كتب الكتاب

ندعوكم لمشاركتنا كتب كتاب

Katb kitab now, the wedding later

كتب الكتاب — والفرح بإذن الله يوم ...

يتشرفون بدعوتكم لحضور كتب الكتاب، وسيتم الإعلان عن موعد الفرح لاحقًا

Both on the same night

لحضور كتب الكتاب والاحتفال بالزفاف

كتب الكتاب الساعة ٧ مساءً — الفرح الساعة ٩ مساءً

Who is inviting

Either the two families or the couple themselves. Both are ordinary in Egypt; the families inviting is the more formal of the two.

Who invites

تتشرف عائلتا ... و... بدعوة سيادتكم

يتشرف السيد/... وحرمه بدعوتكم

يتشرف العروسان بدعوتكم

The place and the time

A katb kitab is commonly held at a mosque, at home, or in a hall, and is often set by a prayer rather than by the clock. If it is set by a prayer, printing the clock time as well saves the guest working it out.

Place and time

بمسجد ... — بعد صلاة المغرب

بمسجد ... — بعد صلاة العشاء مباشرة

بقاعة ... الساعة ٧ مساءً

The closing

Closings

وحضوركم يشرفنا

شرفونا بحضوركم

في انتظار مشاركتكم فرحتنا

Common questions

Is كتب كتاب written كتب الكتاب or كتب كتاب?
Both appear on printed invitations. كتب الكتاب is the fuller form and the more formal; كتب كتاب is what people say. Either is understood.
Do we need a separate invitation for the wedding?
Only if the two are on different days or the guest lists differ. On one night, one invitation with two times is clearer than two invitations.
Should the invitation say the time of the prayer or the clock time?
Both, if the katb kitab follows a prayer. بعد صلاة المغرب tells a guest what is happening; the clock time tells them when to leave the house.

Write yours in Tenawar

Two occasions, two times, one link — Arabic, English, or both, and free for up to 50 guests.