Fatwa #3661125 August 2016Australia
What should I do in the following case?
Question
Prior to practising islam i done a paper marriage under the law of the land. Its to enable the man to get residency. At that time i was not practising islam and done a paper marriage with non muslim man. Note i am a muslim revert sister. Then a few years later i married someone islamically by doing nikkah. I been islamically for 2 years now but have not told my muslim husband about prior paper marriage. Can i keep it secret as it may create doubt in his heart? I do want to get a divorce from paper marriage but it wont be till a year or 2 due to circumstances as i dont want to get in any trouble with the government if they realise i done a paper marriage.please advise me jazak Allah khair
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
We make dua Allah keep you firm and steadfast on Islam. Ameen.
The paper marriage you refer to is not a valid nikah. You should consider informing your husband about the paper marriage in order to avoid problems in future.
And Allāh Ta῾āla Knows Best
Jibran Kadarkhan
Student Dārul Iftā
Mauritius
Checked and Approved by:
Mufti Ebrahim Desai