Is Civil Marriage Forbidden in Islam?
Is civil marriage prohibited in Islam? This is the question asked by many people. Civil marriage is a marriage governed by the laws of the country in which it is conducted. There can be a difference between the law and religion. The law can also be inconsistent with religion. Marriage in Islam has certain requirements. If the legal requirements meet the religious requirements, then the civil marriage is inconsistent with the religion. If the law of the country where you are conducting your marriage also meets the requirements of the religion, then the civil marriage is not forbidden in Islam. For example, if a court marriage in Pakistan or an online marriage in Pakistan is done according to the religious requirements, then it will be valid religiously also.
Some Basic Requirements are given Below:
Below are the requirements of the Islamic marriage, which, if fulfilled, then the civil marriage is not forbidden.
OPPOSITE GENDER:
Marriage in Islam is only allowed between the opposite gender. Only a male and a female can marry each other. The religion Islam does not allow same-gender marriage, like marriage between males and females. It is considered to be a sin in Islam. Any such marriage, though recognized by the law, will be invalid as per the religion of Islam.
OFFER AND ACCEPTANCE:
For marriage in Islam, there should be an offer and acceptance of marriage between the spouses. The male who wants to get married will give the offer of marriage to the female, and the female has to accept that offer. This offer and acceptance are the mandatory part of the Islamic nikah, and without this offer and acceptance, there can be no marriage in Islam.
FREE WILL:
In Islam, marriage is considered valid only if it is done with free will. If the consent of the male or the female is taken by force or coercion, then such a marriage will be invalid. Even if such a marriage gets registered legally, if the consent was taken by force, then such a marriage will be void from the start in the eyes of the law.
DOWER AMOUNT:
In the Islamic marriage, the dower amount is also a mandatory requirement of the marriage. In the marriage ceremony, the amount of dower is fixed between the spouses. The amount of dower is the amount that is to be paid by the husband to the wife in case the husband divorces his wife or when the wife demands that dower. The deferred dower is given in case of divorce, and the prompt dower is given whenever the wife demands it. The spouse can fix any amount of dower and any type of dower at the time of marriage.
WITNESSES:
The marriage in Islam should be in the presence of witnesses. Any marriage between the spouses without the witnesses will be invalid. At least two witnesses should be present at the time of marriage. For example, to conduct a nikah in Pakistan, you will need at least two witnesses, which is also according to the requirements of Islam.
If the above requirements of the Islamic marriage are fulfilled by the law of the land, then the civil marriage is not prohibited. Is civil marriage prohibited in Islam depends on the law of the country where the marriage is registered.
Read our other blogs on divorce in Pakistan, divorce certificate in Pakistan, and unmarried certificate in Pakistan.
