Fatwa ID: 08805

 

 

Answered by: Maulana Yusuf Badshah

 

Question:

 

I would like to ask a few important questions regarding the validity of a nikah (Islamic marriage):

A woman and a man were communicating through text messages. During the conversation, the man asked the woman:
“Shall I perform nikah with you?”
The woman replied with “Yes” or “Okay” (in text).

Later, the man, in the presence of two adult Muslim male witnesses, said:
“I accept the nikah of [name] daughter of [father’s name] with a mahr (dowry) of 10,000 rupees.”

 

In this case, would the nikah be considered valid according to Islamic law?

If not, how should the man correctly pronounce the nikah offer and acceptance in front of witnesses to ensure the nikah is valid?

 

Secondly, is it necessary for the woman’s consent to be taken through a phone call, audio message, or video call?
Or is it sufficient for her to give consent through a text message, provided that she clearly expresses her approval?

 

Thirdly, if a woman gives someone permission (as a wakeel/representative) to conduct her nikah on her behalf—but does so jokingly or not seriously—would that permission be considered valid in Islamic terms?

 

Similarly, if the “ijab o qubool” (offer and acceptance) are done in a playful or joking manner, would the nikah still be considered valid?

 

 

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

 

 

Answer:

 

This phrasing of Nikah would only be valid if she appointed you to be her Wakeel [1]. Her text message consenting to marry you is not an agreement to make you her Wakeel, whether said jokingly or not, and thus is not sufficient to make this Nikah valid without her presence at the Nikah or an explicit statement from her appointing you as her Wakeel in marrying yourself to her.

 

The phrasing of your pronouncement does not change this fact. She must knowingly and explicitly appoint you as her Wakeel, and she must be aware of and consent to the marriage taking place [2].

While she can consent to marry you via text provided this text is presented to the witnesses, this consent must be explicit and cannot be in the future tense. Thus, given that your question “Shall I perform Nikah with you” holds the possibility of future tense, her simply messaging ‘Yes’ or ‘Okay’ in response to your ambiguous text would not be sufficient [3].

 

Whilst she may agree to marry you jokingly, the same cannot be said for appointing you to be her Wakeel [4]. If she did not genuinely intend to appoint you as her Wakeel when she spoke, then it would not be valid.

 

For the Muslim who is sincere, Nikah is a matter to be treated with the utmost seriousness. If either party is treating it flippantly or as a joke, then they are not ready to enter into a marriage. Nikah must be clear and open, both parties must enter it knowingly and with consent. It must be clear who is marrying who to all who are present, and the purpose of Nikah is for that to become public knowledge. Nikah is the difference between a Halal marriage and Zina, one of the most severe major sins, and should be treated as such.

 

 

References:

 

[1] Fatawa Hindiyyah, vol. 1, pg. 268, Darul Fikr:

امْرَأَةٌ وَكَّلَتْ رَجُلًا لِيُزَوِّجَهَا مِنْ نَفْسِهِ فَقَالَ الْوَكِيلُ بِحَضْرَةِ الشُّهُودِ: تَزَوَّجْتُ فُلَانَةَ وَلَمْ يَعْرِفْ الشُّهُودُ فُلَانَةَ لَا يَجُوزُ النِّكَاحُ مَا لَمْ يَذْكُرْ اسْمَهَا وَاسْمَ أَبِيهَا وَجَدِّهَا؛ لِأَنَّهَا غَائِبَةٌ وَالْغَائِبَةُ تُعْرَفُ بِالتَّسْمِيَةِ، كَذَا فِي مُحِيطِ السَّرَخْسِيِّ وَكَانَ الْقَاضِي الْإِمَامُ رُكْنُ الْإِسْلَامِ عَلِيٌّ السُّغْدِيُّ فِي الِابْتِدَاءِ لَمْ يَشْتَرِطْ ذِكْرَ الْجَدِّ ثُمَّ رَجَعَ فِي آخِرِ عُمْرِهِ وَكَانَ يَشْتَرِطُهُ وَهُوَ الصَّحِيحُ وَعَلَيْهِ الْفَتْوَى، كَذَا فِي الْمُضْمَرَاتِ

وَإِنْ كَانَتْ حَاضِرَةً مُتَنَقِّبَةً وَلَا يَعْرِفُهَا الشُّهُودُ؛ جَازَ النِّكَاحُ وَهُوَ الصَّحِيحُ وَإِنْ أَرَادَ الِاحْتِيَاطَ يَكْشِفُ وَجْهَهَا حَتَّى يَرَاهَا الشُّهُودُ أَوْ يَذْكُرَ اسْمَهَا وَاسْمَ أَبِيهَا وَجَدِّهَا وَلَوْ كَانَ الشُّهُودُ يَعْرِفُونَهَا وَهِيَ غَائِبَةٌ فَذَكَرَ الزَّوْجُ اسْمَهَا لَا غَيْرُ وَعَرَفَ الشُّهُودُ أَنَّهُ أَرَادَ بِهِ الْمَرْأَةَ الَّتِي يَعْرِفُونَهَا جَازَ النِّكَاحُ، كَذَا فِي مُحِيطِ السَّرَخْسِيِّ

 

[2] Sahih Muslim 1421:

حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ، وَقُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا مَالِكٌ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، بْنُ يَحْيَى – وَاللَّفْظُ لَهُ – قَالَ قُلْتُ لِمَالِكٍ حَدَّثَكَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْفَضْلِ، عَنْ نَافِعِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ “‏ الأَيِّمُ أَحَقُّ بِنَفْسِهَا مِنْ وَلِيِّهَا وَالْبِكْرُ تُسْتَأْذَنُ فِي نَفْسِهَا وَإِذْنُهَا صُمَاتُهَا ‏”

 

[3] Raddul Muhtar, vol. 3, pg. 12, Darul Fikr:

(فَلَا يَنْعَقِدُ) بِقَبُولٍ بِالْفِعْلِ كَقَبْضِ مَهْرٍ وَلَا بِتَعَاطٍ وَلَا بِكِتَابَةِ حَاضِرٍ بَلْ غَائِبٌ بِشَرْطِ إعْلَامِ الشُّهُودِ بِمَا فِي الْكِتَابِ مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ بِلَفْظِ الْأَمْرِ فَيَتَوَلَّى الطَّرَفَيْنِ فَتْحٌ

Raddul Muhtar, vol. 3, pg. 9, Darul Fikr:

(قَوْلُهُ: لِأَنَّ الْمَاضِيَ إلَخْ) قَالَ فِي الْبَحْرِ: وَإِنَّمَا اُخْتِيرَ لَفْظُ الْمَاضِي؛ لِأَنَّ وَاضِعَ اللُّغَةِ لَمْ يَضَعْ لِلْإِنْشَاءِ لَفْظًا خَاصًّا، وَإِنَّمَا عُرِفَ الْإِنْشَاءُ بِالشَّرْعِ وَاخْتِيَارُ لَفْظِ الْمَاضِي لِدَلَالَتِهِ عَلَى التَّحْقِيقِ وَالثُّبُوتِ دُونَ الْمُسْتَقْبَلِ

 

[4] Sunan Abi Dawud 2194:

حَدَّثَنَا الْقَعْنَبِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ، – يَعْنِي ابْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ – عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ حَبِيبٍ، عَنْ عَطَاءِ بْنِ أَبِي رَبَاحٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ مَاهَكَ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ “‏ ثَلاَثٌ جِدُّهُنَّ جِدٌّ وَهَزْلُهُنَّ جِدٌّ النِّكَاحُ وَالطَّلاَقُ وَالرَّجْعَةُ “

 

 

And only Allah s.w.t knows best.

Written by Maulana Yusuf Badshah

Checked and approved by Mufti Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham