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Can a Non-Muslim Be a Witness for Marriage?

05 December, 2023
Q Can I get married and have two non-Muslims as witnesses to the marriage?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. 

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.


In this fatwa:

If there are no Muslim witnesses available at all to witness the marriage contract, you can get married and have two non-Muslims as witnesses. 


Answering your question, Sheikh Kifah Mustapha, the Imam and Director of The Prayer Center of Orland Park and representative for Dar El Fatwa of Lebanon in the US, states:

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Yes, you can get married and have two non-Muslims as witnesses to the marriage with the condition that there are no Muslim witnesses available at all to witness the marriage contract.

Please keep in mind that marriage ceremony is a contract that can be delayed until you find Muslim witnesses and a person should try to meet all conditions of a valid marriage including: agreement for marriage from both spouses, agreement of bride’s guardian, the presence of two witnesses, the dowry amount and making the ceremony known to people.

Allah the Almighty spoke about Abu Lahab (the uncle of the prophet, peace be upon him) and his woman in chapter Al-Masad and referred to her as his wife. Allah said:

{And his wife the carrier of firewood around her neck is a rope of fiber.} (Al-Masad 111:4-5)

The verse spoke of a legitimate term of a husband and wife during the period of ignorance before Islam, even if marriage was not witnessed by any Muslims.

Almighty Allah knows best.