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Topic: Ruling on Nikah Conducted via Text Message

(No-41948)

Q Respected Scholars,
I am seeking a clear ruling on my marital status regarding an incident from my past. I need to know if I am currently married or if I am free to marry someone else with my family's consent.
The Details:
Age: I was 15 years old (a minor) at the time of the incident.
Method: The entire interaction took place solely over text messages. There was no video call, no phone call, and we have never met or seen each other in person.
Identity: I did not know the boy’s real identity. He used a fake ID name and provided a different name via text, which I cannot verify.
Wali (Guardian): My father (Wali) was not involved, was not aware, and did not give consent.
Witnesses: There were no witnesses present on my side. I do not know if he had witnesses on his side or if he read the messages aloud. I only sent and received texts.
Current Situation: We have had no contact for years. I have no way of reaching him, and I do not know his real name or location.
My Questions:
Is a Nikah performed via text message by a 15-year-old girl without a Wali or witnesses on her side considered valid in Sharia?
If it is NOT valid, do I need a formal divorce (Talaq/Khula) to marry someone else in the future?
Would marrying someone else now with my Wali’s consent be considered Zina, or am I currently unmarried?
I was young and did not understand the gravity of these actions at the time. I am now seeking to follow the correct, Halal path.
JazakAllah Khair for your guidance.

aIt should be clearly understood that when a boy or girl reaches the age of fifteen, they are considered to be adults according to Shariah, and the rulings of adulthood apply to them.
For a nikah to be valid, along with other conditions, it is also necessary that the man and woman—or their appointed representatives—conduct a formal ijāb and qabūl (offer and acceptance) in the presence of witnesses, within the same sitting. This important condition is not fulfilled when sending or accepting a marriage proposal through text messages.
In the situation described, if the marriage arrangement was indeed conducted only through text messages, and no formal ijāb and qabūl took place in a single sitting in the presence of witnesses, then the nikkah is not valid. Therefore, if you wish to marry someone else, there is no harm in doing so.
However, the conversation that took place via messages with a non-mahram person was inappropriate, and it is necessary to sincerely repent and seek forgiveness from Allah for it.

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دلائل:

الھدایة: (کتاب النکاح، 185/1، ط: دار احياء التراث العربي)
قال: " ولا ينعقد نكاح المسلمين إلا بحضور شاهدين حرين مسلمين بالغين عاقلين أو رجل أو وامرأتين۔

بدائع الصنائع: (فصل ركن النكاح، 231/2، ط: دار الكتب العلمية)
ثم النكاح كما ينعقد بهذه الالفاظ بطريق الاصالة ينعقد بها بطريق النيابة بالوكالة والرسالة؛ لان تصرف الوكيل كتصرف الموكل وكلام الرسول كلام المرسل، والأصل في جواز الوكالة في باب النكاح ما روي أن النجاشي زوج رسول الله صلی الله عليه وسلم أم حبيبة رضي الله عنها فلا يخلو ذلك اما أن فعله بأمر النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أو لا بأمره، فإن فعله بأمره فهو وكيله، وان فعله بغير امره فقد اجاز النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم عقده والاجازة اللاحقة كالوكالة السابقة.

البحر الرائق: (کتاب النکاح، 94/3، ط: دار الکتاب الاسلامی)
(قوله: عند حرين أو حر وحرتين عاقلين بالغين مسلمين، ولو فاسقين أو محدودين أو أعميين أو ابني العاقدين) متعلق بينعقد بيان للشرط الخاص به، وهو الإشهاد فلم يصح بغير شهود لحديث الترمذي «البغايا اللاتي ينكحن أنفسهن من غير بينة» ولما رواه محمد بن الحسن مرفوعا «لا نكاح إلا بشهود» فكان شرطا ولذا قال في مآل الفتاوى: لو تزوج بغير شهود ثم أخبر الشهود على وجه الخبر لا يجوز إلا أن يجدد عقدا بحضرتهم.

Allah the Almighty knows best.
Darul ifta Al-Ikhlas, Karachi.

Find here answers of your daily concerns or questions about daily life according to Islam and Sharia. This category covers your asking about the category of Nikah