Praise be to Allah.
Is a Groom’s Father a Valid Witness in Marriage?
The marriage contract mentioned is valid and your father can be counted as a witness to your marriage. This is the view of Imam Ash-Shafi`i and was narrated in one of the reports from Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on them both). (See Nihayat Al-Muhtaj, 6/218; Al-Insaf, 8/105)
That is because he is not a Wali (guardian) with regard to marriage, so he may be a witness, unlike the wife’s father.
Scholarly Opinions on Fathers as Witnesses
The view that this is valid was favoured by Shaykh Ibn `Uthaymin (may Allah have mercy on him). After mentioning the first view on this matter, which is that it is not permissible for any ascendant (father, grandfather, etc.) or descendant (son, grandson, etc.) of either spouse to be a witness to the marriage, he said: The second view is that this is valid, and one or both witnesses may be an ascendant or descendent.
Then he said: So the correct view is that the marriage contract is valid. This was narrated from Ahmad and was the view favoured by many of our companions. (End quote from Ash-Sharh Al-Mumti`, 5/163)
Public Announcement vs. Witness Requirement
Moreover you mention that you have been married for two years, so it may be assumed that the marriage has been announced publicly, such as inviting people to a wedding party and so on, as is customary among people nowadays. This is sufficient to make the marriage valid, even if it was not witnessed by two witnesses, according to some scholars. This is the view favoured by Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) who said: There is no doubt that a marriage that is announced publicly is valid, even if it is not witnessed by two witnesses. (Al-Ikhtiyarat, p. 210)
The wife’s father erred by saying that he had received the dowry when in fact he had only received half of it, but that does not affect the validity of the marriage contract.
Examine these answers for additional information: (113868, 126254, 124678, 118856, 211954, 112112)
And Allah knows best.
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