Nikah and the meaning of Marriage in Quran

The term for marriage in the Quran is النِّكَاحِ (l-nikāḥ), the tri-lateral root for this word is ن ك ح and has the following derivative meanings.

ن ك ح = marriage, contract, tie a knot, cement, age of sexual maturity, age where one can sign a contract independently without a guardian.

All these terms provide us insight to what marriage is according to the Quran.

Marriage as a contract

An umbrella rule in the Quran is that all transactions must be mutually acceptable, therefore a marriage must be mutually acceptable to both parties, meaning one party cannot be forced into a marriage unwillingly.

4:29 O you who believe, do not consume each others’ properties illicitly— only mutually acceptable transactions are permitted. You shall not kill yourselves. GOD is Merciful towards you.

يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَكُمْ بَيْنَكُمْ بِالْبَاطِلِ إِلَّا أَنْ تَكُونَ تِجَارَةً عَنْ تَرَاضٍ مِنْكُمْ وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِكُمْ رَحِيمًا