Fatwa No : 95810
Ruling on signing of the witnesses of a Nikah in the marriage certificate.

Ruling on signing of the witnesses of a Nikah in the marriage certificate.

Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh,
Respected Mufti Sahib!
My marriage was solemnized in court. The bride was also present, the imam (moulvi) conducted the nikah, the marriage certificate (Nikah Nama) was signed, and the mahr (dower) was agreed upon. Two of my friends were also present with me at the nikah.
After the marriage, I came across a fatwa on your website stating that if the witnesses whose names appear on the Nikah Nama were not actually present at the time of the nikah, then the marriage is not valid. As is commonly the case in court marriages, lawyers often arrange for witnesses to sign the Nikah Nama in exchange for payment, and their identity card numbers are recorded, but those individuals were not present at the time of the nikah.
However, my two friends were present, and the nikah was conducted in their presence.
My questions are:
Will this nikah be considered valid?
Since the nikah, the bride has remained at her parents' home, and the rukhsati (consummation/departure to the husband's home) has not yet taken place.
Please advise whether a new nikah needs to be performed or whether the existing nikah is valid.

الجوابُ حامِدا ًو مُصلیِّا ً

It should be understood that one of the essential conditions for the validity of a nikah (Islamic marriage) is that it be conducted in the presence of the witnesses required by Islam. Therefore, if the questioner is a suitable match (kuf'u) for the woman, and the offer and acceptance (ijab and qabul) took place in the presence of the required witnesses according to Islamic law—even if the witnesses listed on the Nikah Nama (marriage certificate) were different from those who were actually present at the marriage ceremony—then the nikah has been validly concluded according to Islamic law, and there is no need to perform the marriage again.
However, for an adult man and woman to marry secretly without informing or obtaining the consent of their parents is an act of great impropriety and audacity. In respectable families, such marriages are considered highly inappropriate. Moreover, since such marriages are often deprived of the blessings and prayers of the parents, they frequently end in divorce.
Therefore, one should avoid entering into a secret marriage without the knowledge and approval of one's parents or guardians.
Furthermore, recording the names of individuals as witnesses on the Nikah Nama (marriage certificate) when they were not actually present at the marriage ceremony is an act of falsehood and deception. It is therefore obligatory to repent, seek Allah's forgiveness, and refrain from such conduct in the future.

مأخَذُ الفَتوی

ففي البحر الرائق: (قوله نفذ نكاح حرة مكلفة بلا ولي) ؛ لأنها تصرفت في خالص حقها وهي من أهله لكونها عاقلة بالغة ولهذا كان لها التصرف في المال ولها اختيار الأزواج، وإنما يطالب الولي بالتزويج كي لا تنسب إلى الوقاحة ولذا كان المستحب في حقها تفويض الأمر إليه والأصل هنا أن كل من يجوز تصرفه في ماله بولاية نفسه يجوز نكاحه على نفسه وكل من لا يجوز تصرفه في ماله بولاية نفسه لا يجوز نكاحه على نفسه، ويدل عليه قوله تعالى {حتى تنكح} [البقرة: 230] أضاف النكاح إليها ومن السنة حديث مسلم «الأيم أحق بنفسها من وليها» وهي من لا زوج لها بكرا كانت أو ثيبا، فأفاد أن فيه حقين حقه وهو مباشرته عقد النكاح برضاها، وقد جعلها أحق منه ولن تكون أحق إلا إذا زوجت نفسها بغير رضاه. (3/ 117)
وفي الفتاوى الهندية: «(ومنها) سماع كل من العاقدين كلام صاحبه هكذا في فتاوى قاضي خان ولو عقدا النكاح بلفظ لا يفهمان كونه نكاحا ينعقد، وهو المختار هكذا في مختار الفتاوى. (ومنها) الشهادة قال عامة العلماء: إنها شرط جواز النكاح هكذا في البدائع وشرط في الشاهد أربعة أمور: الحرية والعقل والبلوغ والإسلام.» (1/ 267)