Secret nikaah

Q: I'm with a person for many years. But now we live in the same place because we are studying in the same state. We meet every day and shake hands or be together that puts us under extreme guilt. From the start we only had an intention to get married SO we have now. We can't tell our parents this time because we live in a high society where you are supposed to get married when you achieve something in life, have a great job and everything. But we are still studying.

Now we are at the same place so we come in touch and we want to make our relationship halaal by doing nikaah so as not to get in any haraam things. Our age is 25. Can you please enlighten us in this matter. How we are supposed to do it? When in future we will do it in front of our parents that time do we have to give divorce first? Can we marry the same person twice?

A: A society that feels that you must achieve a career etc. and then get into marriage is not a high society because it sets up its values in a wrong way. A high society is one which considers Allah Ta`ala to be the highest and therefore His commands and values will be highest. And those who treat His commands as low, they are the lowest. As Allah Ta`ala states: "Indeed those who disbelieve from the people of the book and the polytheists are in the fire of Jahannum forever therein. They are the worst of the creation." However, if you do make the nikaah secretly provided it is done in the presence of the desired witnesses, the nikaah will be valid.

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

 

Answered by:

Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)