Fatwa ID: 08629

 

 

Answered by: Alimah Maryam Badshah

 

Question:

 

Firstly I’d like to check that these things are factually correct in Hanafi Fiqh:

–  is valid whether jokingly or seriously said

– nikah of a free sane woman Baligh is valid without the wali’s permission.

– nikah of a non-baligh is not valid without the Wali’s permission

– nikah requires 2 adults male witnesses or 1 man 2 women.

– You can only have one wali at a time. So if the father is available it will be him. Meaning the brother cannot make any decision/does not count if the father is the current wali.

 

 

Scenario:

The scenario is if a group of children (all supposedly not baligh). They were all roleplaying/ jokingly playing a wedding game. There were 2 boys present excluding the “groom”. Including the brother of the girl-“bride”. The words used were: one person asked the boy and girl individually, do you take this person to be your lawfully wedded wife/husband and replied yes. End of scenario.

 

Question 1:

The question here is, if any nikah took place and reasoning.

 

Question 2:

If later the wali heard about the game but then asked the kids, and they said it was just a game/joke then,  that wouldn’t class as giving permission right? As if you were to ask him now, he would say he didn’t give permission.

 

Presumed Answer

– The nikah is not valid as even though jokingly said, they did not have adults witnesses, nor did either child, “bride” or “groom” have permission from their wali’s.

 

– The girls brother was present but as they were all supposedly non-baligh he wouldn’t count as wali, but I was told he wasn’t really participating more like in the room playing by himself. Even so if he was baligh, it wouldn’t count as the father would be the wali and his permission is the one that counts. Is that correct? Plus the wali must give clear consent, silent presence or observation would not count as consent.

 

 

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

 

 

Answer:

 

A Nikah consists of three conditions: first the proposal of marriage (Ijaab) is made, after which would be the acceptance (Qabul), alongside witnesses. Both the proposal and acceptance made in a Nikah must be clearly heard by all parties, who all understand that a Nikah is taking place and who is marrying whom.^[1]

 

You are correct in your initial statements that a Nikah made in jest would still be valid, as well as that the marriage of a sane child requires a wali (guardian). The marriage of a mature woman without a guardian is valid so long as the person she has married is compatible with her, otherwise her guardian has a right to invalidate the marriage.^[2]

 

For a Nikah to be valid the contract needs to be witnessed by two males, or one male and two females, and the witnesses need to be Muslim, mature and sane. The witnesses need to be aware that they are witnessing a marriage taking place for it to be valid, as well as who each party is in the marriage. As for the guardian, he needs to be a male mahram who is Muslim, mature (baligh) and sane, which the brother was not.^[3]

 

 

In the situation described Nikah would not have taken place as the “bride”, “groom”, “guardian” and “witnesses” to the event were all not mature (baligh), and there was no proposal given by either the “bride” or “groom”. As the “Nikah” was not valid, a guardian asking about the event would not make the marriage valid nor would it constitute giving permission. Even if the adult guardian gave permission, since there has been no valid Nikah, the pair would not be bound by any marriage contract.

 

Much like a business contract, marriage is a clear and deliberate endeavour that should not contain any ambiguities. It is where all parties involved are mature, aware of the marriage taking place and are willing for it to proceed. In this situation, taking all the factors into account a nikah would be invalid and therefore not have taken place. The one who asked for this fatwa should not concern themself with games and “contracts” made as a child, as such things are not valid in Islam.

 

 

References:

 

[1]

(وَأَمَّا رُكْنُهُ) فَالْإِيجَابُ وَالْقَبُولُ، كَذَا فِي الْكَافِي وَالْإِيجَابُ مَا يُتَلَفَّظُ بِهِ أَوَّلًا مِنْ أَيِّ جَانِبٍ كَانَ وَالْقَبُولُ جَوَابُهُ هَكَذَا فِي الْعِنَايَةِ…(وَمِنْهَا) الشَّهَادَةُ قَالَ عَامَّةُ الْعُلَمَاءِ: إنَّهَا شَرْطُ جَوَازِ النِّكَاحِ هَكَذَا فِي الْبَدَائِعِ وَشُرِطَ فِي الشَّاهِدِ أَرْبَعَةُ أُمُورٍ: الْحُرِّيَّةُ وَالْعَقْلُ وَالْبُلُوغُ وَالْإِسْلَامُ…

 

Al-Fatāwa al-Hindiyyah (Vol.1, pg.267, Dār Al-Fiqr)

 

[2]

قَالَ الرَّحْمَتِيُّ: فَعَلِمْنَا أَنَّ الْعِبْرَةَ لِمَا يَظْهَرُ مِنْ كَلَامِهِمَا لَا لِنِيَّتِهِمَا، أَلَا تَرَى أَنَّهُ يَنْعَقِدُ مَعَ الْهَزْلِ وَالْهَازِلُ لَمْ يَنْوِ النِّكَاحَ

 

Raddul Muhtār (Vol.3, pg.12, Dār Al-Fiqr)

 

(وَأَمَّا شُرُوطُهُ) فَمِنْهَا الْعَقْلُ وَالْبُلُوغُ وَالْحُرِّيَّةُ فِي الْعَاقِدِ إلَّا أَنَّ الْأَوَّلَ شَرْطُ الِانْعِقَادِ فَلَا يَنْعَقِدُ نِكَاحُ الْمَجْنُونِ وَالصَّبِيِّ الَّذِي لَا يَعْقِلُ وَالْأَخِيرَانِ شَرْطَا النَّفَاذِ؛ فَإِنَّ نِكَاحَ الصَّبِيِّ الْعَاقِلِ يَتَوَقَّفُ نَفَاذُهُ عَلَى إجَازَةِ وَلِيِّهِ

 

Al-Fatāwa al-Hindiyyah (Vol.1, pg.267, Dār Al-Fiqr)

 

فَإِنَّ حَاصِلَهُ: أَنَّ الْمَرْأَةَ إذَا زَوَّجَتْ نَفْسَهَا مِنْ كُفْءٍ لَزِمَ عَلَى الْأَوْلِيَاءِ وَإِنْ زَوَّجَتْ مِنْ غَيْرِ كُفْءٍ لَا يَلْزَمُ

 

Raddul Muhtār (Vol.3, pg.84, Dār Al-Fiqr)

 

[3]

وَيُشْتَرَطُ الْعَدَدُ فَلَا يَنْعَقِدُ النِّكَاحُ بِشَاهِدٍ وَاحِدٍ هَكَذَا فِي الْبَدَائِعِ وَلَا يُشْتَرَطُ وَصْفُ الذُّكُورَةِ حَتَّى يَنْعَقِدُ بِحُضُورِ رَجُلٍ وَامْرَأَتَيْنِ، كَذَا فِي الْهِدَايَةِ وَلَا يَنْعَقِدُ بِشَهَادَةِ الْمَرْأَتَيْنِ بِغَيْرِ رَجُلٍ…

(وَمِنْهَا) سَمَاعُ الشَّاهِدَيْنِ كَلَامَهُمَا مَعًا هَكَذَا فِي فَتْحِ الْقَدِيرِ فَلَا يَنْعَقِدُ بِشَهَادَةِ نَائِمَيْنِ إذَا لَمْ يَسْمَعَا كَلَامَ الْعَاقِدَيْنِ، كَذَا فِي فَتَاوَى قَاضِي خَانْ…  وَلَوْ سَمِعَا كَلَامَ أَحَدِهِمَا دُونَ الْآخَرِ أَوْ سَمِعَ أَحَدُهُمَا كَلَامَ أَحَدِهِمَا وَالْآخَرُ كَلَامَ الْآخَرِ لَا يَجُوزُ النِّكَاحُ هَكَذَا فِي الْبَدَائِعِ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِحَضْرَةِ الرَّجُلَيْنِ…

رَجُلٌ قَالَ لِقَوْمٍ: اشْهَدُوا أَنِّي تَزَوَّجْتُ هَذِهِ الْمَرْأَةَ الَّتِي فِي هَذَا الْبَيْتِ فَقَالَتْ الْمَرْأَةُ: قَبِلْتُ فَسَمِعَ الشُّهُودُ مَقَالَتَهَا وَلَمْ يَرَوْا شَخْصَهَا فَإِنْ كَانَتْ فِي الْبَيْتِ وَحْدَهَا جَازَ النِّكَاحُ، وَإِنْ كَانَتْ فِي الْبَيْتِ مَعَهَا أُخْرَى لَا يَجُوزُ….

 

Al-Fatāwa al-Hindiyyah (Vol.1, pg.267-8, Dār Al-Fiqr)

 

بَابُ الْوَلِيِّ (هُوَ) لُغَةً: خِلَافُ الْعَدُوِّ. وَعُرْفًا: الْعَارِفُ بِاَللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَشَرْعًا: (الْبَالِغُ الْعَاقِلُ الْوَارِثُ) وَلَوْ فَاسِقًا عَلَى الْمَذْهَبِ مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ مُتَهَتِّكًا، وَخَرَجَ نَحْوُ صَبِيٍّ وَوَصِيٍّ مُطْلَقًا عَلَى الْمَذْهَبِ (وَالْوَلَايَةُ تَنْفِيذُ الْقَوْلِ عَلَى الْغَيْرِ) تَثْبُتُ بِأَرْبَعٍ: قَرَابَةٌ، وَمِلْكٌ، وَوَلَاءٌ، وَإِمَامَةٌ…

 

Al-Fatāwa al-Hindiyyah (Vol.3, pg.55, Dār Al-Fiqr)

 

 

Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.
Written by Alimah Maryam Badshah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham