Fatwa ID: 09412
Answered by Muftiyah Maryam Badshah
Question:
Asalam walikoom I had a question if that’s okay basically my husband and I did an online nikkah it was on zoom however we weren’t on video it was just our voices also there was one witness on the zoom and the imam who conducted this nikkah said that the other witness is on a whatsapp call with the imam listening to the nikkah as he had trouble connecting to the zoom call is this a valid nikkah ?
Afterwards we was not sure if it was completely valid and we repeated the nikkah in the mosque later on but I just wanted to ask if according to the hanafi madhab if it was valid or not valid this online nikkah ?
Thank you
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 who are muslim and mature (baligh). 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]
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 (baligh) and sane. The witnesses need to be aware of who each party is in the marriage and know with certainty that they were the parties vocalising the nikah. Witnesses to a nikah must be in a position to identify both parties during the nikah without any doubt. A classic example of this is how a woman who gives her nikah confirmation from inside a house (i.e. a place where the witnesses cannot see her) would not be accepted unless it was confirmed that she was completely alone in the home and no other person was with her.[2]
Therefore, for your situation, the online nikah would not be valid as there was neither a video nor a reliable way for both witnesses to confirm who the voices they heard truly belonged to. There is also the additional question as to whether you and your spouse were able to identify who the witnesses were to your nikah. Not knowing who the witnesses are in your nikah would defeat the purpose of having witnesses, as it would leave you no one to testify that your marriage took place when required.
Only Allah ﷻ knows best.
Written by Muftiyah Maryam Badshah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
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]
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)
… مَطْلَبُ التَّزَوُّجِ بِإِرْسَالِ كِتَابٍ
قَوْلُهُ: وَلَا بِكِتَابَةِ حَاضِرٍ) فَلَوْ كَتَبَ تَزَوَّجْتُك فَكَتَبَتْ قَبِلْت لَمْ يَنْعَقِدْ بَحْرٌ وَالْأَظْهَرُ أَنْ يَقُولَ فَقَالَتْ قَبِلْت إلَخْ إذْ الْكِتَابَةُ مِنْ الطَّرَفَيْنِ بِلَا قَوْلٍ لَا تَكْفِي وَلَوْ فِي الْغَيْبَةِ، تَأَمَّلْ
(قَوْلُهُ: بَلْ غَائِبٌ) الظَّاهِرُ أَنَّ الْمُرَادَ بِهِ الْغَائِبُ عَنْ الْمَجْلِسِ، وَإِنْ كَانَ حَاضِرًا فِي الْبَلَدِ ط (قَوْلُهُ: فَتْحٌ) فَإِنَّهُ قَالَ يَنْعَقِدُ النِّكَاحُ بِالْكِتَابِ كَمَا يَنْعَقِدُ بِالْخِطَابِ. وَصُورَتُهُ: أَنْ يَكْتُبَ إلَيْهَا يَخْطُبُهَا فَإِذَا بَلَغَهَا الْكِتَابُ أَحْضَرْت الشُّهُودَ وَقَرَأَتْهُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَقَالَتْ زَوَّجْت نَفْسِي مِنْهُ أَوْ تَقُولُ إنَّ فُلَانًا كَتَبَ إلَيَّ يَخْطُبُنِي فَاشْهَدُوا أَنِّي زَوَّجْت نَفْسِي مِنْهُ، أَمَّا لَوْ لَمْ تَقُلْ بِحَضْرَتِهِمْ سِوَى زَوَّجْت نَفْسِي مِنْ فُلَانٍ لَا يَنْعَقِدُ؛ لِأَنَّ سَمَاعَ الشَّطْرَيْنِ شَرْطُ صِحَّةِ النِّكَاحِ، وَبِإِسْمَاعِهِمْ الْكِتَابَ أَوْ التَّعْبِيرَ عَنْهُ مِنْهَا قَدْ سَمِعُوا الشَّطْرَيْنِ …صَرَّحُوا بِهِ أَنَّ النِّكَاحَ يَثْبُتُ بِالتَّصَادُقِ؛ لِأَنَّ الْمُرَادَ هُنَا أَنَّ الْإِقْرَارَ لَا يَكُونُ مِنْ صِيَغِ الْعَقْدِ، وَالْمُرَادُ مِنْ قَوْلِهِمْ إنَّهُ يَثْبُتُ بِالتَّصَادُقِ أَنَّ الْقَاضِيَ يُثْبِتُهُ بِهِ أَيْ بِالتَّصَادُقِ وَيَحْكُمُ بِهِ أَبُو السُّعُودِ عَنْ الْحَانُوتِيِّ (قَوْلُهُ: كَمَا يَصِحُّ بِلَفْظِ الْجَعْلِ) أَيْ بِأَنْ قَالَ الشُّهُودُ جَعَلْتُمَا هَذَا نِكَاحًا فَقَالَا نَعَمْ فَيَنْعَقِدُ؛ لِأَنَّ النِّكَاحَ يَنْعَقِدُ بِالْجَعْلِ، حَتَّى لَوْ قَالَتْ جَعَلْت نَفْسِي زَوْجَةً لَك فَقَبِلَ تَمَّ فَتْحٌ…
Raddul Muhtār (Vol.3, pg.12-3, Dār Al-Fiqr)