Yasir Qadhi – Ask Shaykh YQ #86 – Is Getting Married over Zoom Permissible

			Brothers say you're from London, is asking about getting married over Skype or zoom? Is it
permissible or not? And so the question arises, therefore, that not just because of the pandemic,
let's say in any situation, circumstances that can take place, virtually, can the groom be sitting
somewhere and the bride be sitting somewhere else, and the * has taken place, you know, via
video conferencing call any mechanism, whether it's zoom, whether it's FaceTime, whatever it is, or
even via phone call, even Is it possible or not? One?
		

			Send me in.
		

			No, he him, first, coo
		

			coo.
		

			Now, I'm aware that there are opinions out there, but again, this is the rapid fire. So we're going
to be doing one opinion only, it is shallow to either permissible to engage in a nikka online or via
social media, you know, apps or via telephone, with the condition with the condition that there are
enough circumstantial evidences to kind of basically identify with certainty, the bride and the
groom, and the witnesses and the wedding. So the problem that some odema they raised is that how do
we know it is actually what if it's some type of fraud or something of this nature. And of course, I
mean, that might be valid, but if the entire families are involved, for example, right, and
		

			everybody's looking forward to that day, and the bride's parents or the groom's parents, and, you
know, everybody's knowing that it's taking place, then the chances of fraud are basically eliminated
to the degree as if it was in one room, therefore, as long as the identities are in some fashion
guaranteed, and as I said, this doesn't have to be a circumstantial evidence, the context is good
enough. So if both families are involved, and again, you know, the bride is getting ready in her
household, the groom is getting ready. And the worry is known, everybody can have an account online.
And it is not a condition of * that the husband and wife to be are in the same vicinity, you can
		

			conduct any guy, you know, in different places. The worry, of course, the actual * contract
should be between the Wali and between the the groom. And, you know, that they that can be done
online, that can be done via any type of social media platform in which immediate back and forth can
take place. And as long as the identities are vetted and confirmed, now, the only case again would
be problematic if, for example, you know, the the the the the two individuals were corresponding
online had never met and you know, as there's a visa issue because there are cases where there's
visa fraud or somebody pretends to be somebody else, and just to get the money or the visa, that's
		

			where I can understand some of our scholars are hesitant that you don't want to do in the gap. And
you don't even know that that other person is real, the identity is real. So that's why in such
circumstances I can definitely say that reasonable precautions should be taken somebody like from
whichever side is doubtful should send an actual physical person in that city to make sure the
family the worthy whoever is basically living flesh and blood. They are who they say they are and
everything is legit. Otherwise and shallow to add it is completely permissible and Allah subhana wa
Taala knows best