Sunday 21 Jumada al-akhirah 1446 - 22 December 2024
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Delaying consummation of the marriage after doing the marriage contract

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Publication : 04-07-2006

Views : 49805

Question

A young man came and proposed marriage to me, but I was surprised to see his family objecting strongly to that, and they caused a great deal of trouble for him. I suggested to him that we do the marriage contract on paper for now, and we will stay apart from one another for some of the time, especially since I want to leave my current job and I have many entitlements that I cannot take unless I am married. Is there anything Islamically wrong with doing the marriage contract in this manner and delaying the consummation of the marriage?.

Answer

Praise be to Allah.

Firstly: 

We ask Allaah to help you and guide you, and to compensate you with something better if you leave your job, and to bless you with a righteous husband who will be a delight to you.  

Secondly: 

If the marriage contract is done with the consent of both parties and in the presence of the woman’s wali (guardian) and two witnesses, then it is a valid marriage, whether the consummation takes place immediately afterwards or it is delayed for a long time or a short time. 

The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did the marriage contract with ‘Aa’ishah when he was in Makkah, and he consummated the marriage with her three years later. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3894) and Muslim (1422). 

Thirdly: 

It is better for him to try and convince his parents of this marriage, because that will be beneficial for him and for you and your children. He should try not to do this marriage without the agreement of his family, so that it will not be a cause of never-ending disputes and arguments or have a bad effect on your family life. 

Fourthly: 

It should be noted that it is not permissible for you to form a relationship with this young man, and that the fiancé is a stranger (non-mahram) to his fiancée until the marriage contract is done.

And Allaah knows best.

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Source: Islam Q&A