Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

salam , brother i wanted to ask that i sometimes feel like doing `zina` , but i know how wrong it is , so i wanted to ask that i am a student and i will be going abroad for studies and i am planing to do a nikah to some girl over there so that i wont commit zinah, but i would keep that marriage hidden, and i will break that marraige as when i will come back to my country, so mainly my question is that can a marraige be accepted if i dont tell my parents or any family member, and if i have this in mind that i will break my marriage as soon as i fininsh my studies.. ?

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Secret temporary marriage

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 17 Surah Israa verse 32:

Do not even go near ‘zina’ (fornication or adultery) for it is a very indecent thing and a very evil way!

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 7 Surah Aaraaf verse 33:

33 Say (O Prophet (saws)): ‘The things that my Lord hath indeed (absolutely) forbidden (declared ‘haraam’) are: shameful deeds whether open or secret; sins and trespasses against truth or reason; assigning of partners to Allah for which he hath given no authority; and saying things about Allah of which ye have no knowledge.

Dear and beloved brother in Islam, it is indeed good, and a sign and a manifestation of one’s sincere faith that one fears Allah and His Day of Accounting that although one is tempted towards the ‘fahisha’ and the abomination of ‘zina’, one fears their Lord and stays far far away from it.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 2.504 Narrated by Abu Huraira

The Prophet (saws) said, "Seven people will be shaded by Allah under His Shade on the Day (of Judgment) when there will be no Shade except His. They are:

(1)   a just ruler;

(2)   a young man who has been brought up in the worship of Allah, (i.e. worship Allah (Alone) sincerely from his childhood),

(3)   a man whose heart is attached to the mosque (who offers the five compulsory congregational prayers in the mosque);

(4)   two persons who love each other only for Allah's Sake and they meet and part in Allah's Cause only;

(5) a man who refuses the call of a charming woman of noble birth for an illegal sexual intercourse with her and says: ‘I am afraid of Allah’;

(6)   a person who practices charity so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given (i.e. nobody knows how much he has given in charity).

(7)   a person who remembers Allah in seclusion and his eyes get flooded with tears."

Your Question: so mainly my question is that can a marraige be accepted if i dont tell my parents or any family member, and if i have this in mind that i will break my marriage as soon as i fininsh my studies.. ?

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verse 5:

5 …. (Lawful unto you in marriage) are (not only) chaste women who are believers but chaste women among the People of the Book revealed before your time when ye give them their due dowers and desire chastity, not lewdness nor secret intrigues. If anyone rejects faith fruitless is his work and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who have lost (all spiritual good).

Beloved Sister, the guidance of Islam Commands and Demands that the believers marry desiring chastity, not lewdness and secret intrigues! It is only those who are inclined towards the heinous and abomination of the evil of ‘zina’ who develop lewd and secret intrigues; for the sacred institution of marriage in Islam is a public affair whereby one is guided and commanded to openly declare one’s sacred association of marriage to the society one lives in and by offering the ‘walima’ or marriage banquet or feast.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 8.395 Narrated by Anas

The Prophet (saws) seeing a yellow mark (of perfume) on the clothes of 'Abdur-Rahman bin 'Auf, said, "What about you?" 'Abdur-Rahman replied, "I have married a woman with a Mahr of gold equal to a date-stone." The Prophet (saws) said, "May Allah bestow His Blessing on you (in your marriage). Give a wedding banquet, (Walima) even with one sheep."

Your Question: ….and if i have this in mind that i will break my marriage as soon as i fininsh my studies.. ?

Beloved brother in Islam, when one enters into a contract to unite with someone in the sacred institution of marriage in Islam, one makes the intention to commit to that sacred institution as long as their life permits. To marry someone temporarily and the with the intention to divorce the wife after a particular time is a manifestation of the evil crime and sin of ‘muta’ or temporary marriage, something which is absolutely forbidden and declared ‘haraam’ for the believers.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 5.527 Narrated by Ali bin Abi Talib

On the day of Khaibar, Allah's Messenger (saws) forbade the Mut'a (i.e. temporary marriage), and the eating of donkey-meat.

‘Mutah’ was a term used for a form of ‘temporary’ marriage prevalent in the Days of Ignorance before Islam, where a man would ‘temporarily’ contract a woman for a fixed period, fulfil his lust with her, and divorce her at the end of the agreed period without any responsibility towards the woman whatsoever. This mutually agreed period would be at an agreed and negotiated price between the man and the woman, for a fixed period of time which could be for a couple of hours, or days, or weeks, etc. as negotiated.

The society in the Days of Ignorance before Islam had tried to give a legal ‘veil’ to the abomination of ‘zina’ and prostitution by various means, and the ‘mutah’ was one of such veils! Islam removed all such veils from the abomination of ‘zina’ and declared that the only legal way for a man and woman to enjoy conjugal relationships was for the man and woman to be legally wedded to each other in the ‘nikaah’ contract, where the man would shoulder the responsibility of a proper marriage. One should note here that it was not Islam who started or initiated this evil concept of ‘muta’, but it was a system prevailent in the days of ignorance before Islam. Allah and His Messenger (saws) completely and absolutely abolished and forbade this evil concept of ‘muta’ for those who sincerely believed in Allah and the Last Day.

Thus brother, one should fear Allah and neither arrange a ‘secret’ marriage, nor marry a woman with the intention to divorce her after a period of time….both such actions would be absolutely impermissible and unlawful for the believers who sincerely fear Allah and the Last Day.

If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of never ever being misled; but if one believes, obeys and follows any other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of being led astray.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan