Proforma Marriage
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:
So what is your
opinion on proforma marriages? That it is ok as long as the person has the
right faith? And in some cases you do know the intention of the person, when
they actually brag about their intentions for instance. I find it appalling
that a person who praises islam can condone criminal activities. There is a
reason many get caught in proforma marriages by the government etc. I dont
believe in entering a marriage because you want money, passports etc. Thats not
marriage but a business deal. Maybe you should seperate your opinions from what
Allah actually preaches. Its unclear but I am sure Allah does not promote
something sacred as matrimony in order to obtain materialistic goods.
(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:
Proforma 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 no one (no idol,
no person, no grave, no
prophet, no imam, no dai,
nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that
Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
We must be able to comprehend
the difference between one thing being legal in the sight of Shariah, and one being ethical or right or just or
fair! The believers have not been
given the power to go into the hearts of mankind and see what are their real
intentions when they do a deed; that Power is vested in the Supreme Lord
Alone, Who will Judge each act of each
individual by their intentions on an Inevitable Day. The believers can only look at the available witnesses and
decide whether it is legal or not in accordance with the Shariah.
If a believing man marries a
woman fulfilling all the Shariah legal requirements, with Mehr, two witnesses,
proposal by the man and acceptance by the woman, etc.; that marriage will
be deemed legal and binding in the sight of Shariah and the believers, as will the children that may result from
the marriage.
But if the man or the woman has
ulterior motives in performing the marriage, be it his/her money, or a visa, or
a passport, or anything else for that
matter; that intention of their hearts
can only be known for sure by that person and their All Knowing Creator! If someone has married someone for ulterior
motives and disrespected this sacred and noble institution of matrimony, then he/she will have to give a severe
accounting in the Presence of their Just and All Mighty Lord on an Inevitable
Day!
Therefore, the clear guidance of Allah to the believers
is to fear Allah whatever they do, and
be aware that He has full knowledge of everything that everyone does, and fear the Accounting in His Just Court on
an Inevitable Day! If one fears Allah,
and is conscious of His Creator and His Attributes, it is expected that he
would never dare abuse any of His given blessings.
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verse 1: O mankind!
Fear your Guardian-Lord, Who created you from a single person; (and)
created of like nature, his mate; and
from them twain, scattered (like seeds)
countless men and women. Fear Allah
through Whom ye demand your mutual (rights), and (reverence) the wombs (that
bore you): for Allah ever watches over
you.
Whatever written of Truth and
benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error
is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He
is the Only Source of Strength.
Your Brother in
Islam,
Burhan