Validity of Nikah and relocating the Bride directly to Saudi Arabia
My brother lives in Saudi Arabia due to his job, and he has conducted the nikah with a girl from India. The nikah occurred via video/voice call in the girl’s neighborhood Mosque/Masjid, with witnesses and the imam etc from both families present. The groom has fulfilled all mehr obligations. The nikah was accepted by both families, and the bride and groom confirmed their acceptance through phone calls or witnesses. Presently, the groom plans for the bride to directly join him in Saudi Arabia. All parties, including the families, agree to this plan. However, the groom doesn’t intend to conduct a walima or ruksati ceremony ever, nor is he able to travel to India due to work commitments to bring the girl with him. Is it acceptable in Islam for the groom to bring the girl like this directly to Saudi Arabia? And is their marriage/nikah valid?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Respected questioner,
There is no fixed method for the union of a couple. Ummu Habibah, Mother of the Believers, traveled from Abyssinia on a boat to join our beloved Prophet ﷺ in Madinah Munawwarah. Your sister-in-law can travel to her husband accompanied by a mahram in a way that best suits your family’s circumstances.
The celebration of walima, a Sunnah, should align with what suits the husband. Islam advocates simplicity, as seen when our revered Prophet ﷺ presented what was available to those present at his walimah. Your brother can celebrate according to his circumstances, provided the nikah over the call was conducted in a Sharia-compliant manner. This involves appointing a wakīl (agent) for one of the intending spouses to contract the marriage and to pronounce the proposal and acceptance on his/her behalf,in the physical presence of at least two Muslim, sane, mature male witnesses or one male and two female witnesses. If the nikah was performed this way, it is valid; otherwise, it should be repeated.