Concealing one's marriage

Q: If a woman gets divorced, keeps it a secret, and then gets married again secretly. Her second marriage is done without her guardian but in the presence of two witnesses and it is not announced.

After some time, she reveals this secret only to her children. They keeps this secret for almost 8-9 years because the children are afraid and their parents constantly tell them to hide it. After those years of stress and frustration, their children reveal all this.

I have heard somewhere that hiding your marriage is actually commiting zina. I want to know if the couple is subjected to the hadd punishment and this includes her children too as they were hiding too all this time although they did not want to?

A: It is not zina, but concealing the marriage is not in accordance to the sunnat. Further, it creates a lot of complications, doubts and suspicions in the minds of people. Islam strongly advocates against this.

And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.

 

Answered by:

Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)