Nikah and witness issue

**Eimaan** · 09-06-2012, 09:00 PM

I posted here a while ago and I'm still having issues regarding my mother and she's never going to be happy me wanting to marry a convert Muslim. She wants me to marry a Pakistani man to make her happy regardless of what I want or what makes me happy. I am too old to play the waiting game to see if she will change her mind. We've decided to go ahead and do the nikah alone.

We have an issue where do we get male witnesses from? I don't have male relatives in the UK except my brother but his wife doesn't get on with me and therefore won't allow him to go and he won't do anything without her say. I don't have a big extended family as many Asian people do in the UK. My sister's husband won't come as my mother isn't coming. Am I just meant to give up on marriage and live a life of sin instead

? Is having a nikah meant to be frustratingly difficult? Obviously his father can't be a witness as he's a non-Muslim and (he doesn't have many relatives either). Can we use strangers? Do witnesses have to be relatives or people who know us both or one of us or neither of us? How have other male converts Muslims managed to get married?

Has anyone got married in the Regents Park Mosque and how helpful and easy were they to make an appointment with? We'll both be in London for a couple of days for work and I was wondering if we could do it there and do the Nikah.

**Colonel_Hardstone** · 09-06-2012, 09:13 PM

Originally Posted by Eimaan

I posted here a while ago and I'm still having issues regarding my mother and she's never going to be happy me wanting to marry a convert Muslim. She wants me to marry a Pakistani man to make her happy regardless of what I want or what makes me happy. I am too old to play the waiting game to see if she will change her mind. We've decided to go ahead and do the nikah alone.

We have an issue where do we get male witnesses from? I don't have male relatives in the UK except my brother but his wife doesn't get on with me and therefore won't allow him to go and he won't do anything without her say. I don't have a big extended family as many Asian people do in the UK. My sister's husband won't come as my mother isn't coming. Am I just meant to give up on marriage and live a life of sin instead

? Is having a nikah meant to be frustratingly difficult? Obviously his father can't be a witness as he's a non-Muslim and (he doesn't have many relatives either). Can we use strangers? Do witnesses have to be relatives or people who know us both or one of us or neither of us? How have other male converts Muslims managed to get married?

Has anyone got married in the Regents Park Mosque and how helpful and easy were they to make an appointment with? We'll both be in London for a couple of days for work and I was wondering if we could do it there and do the Nikah.

Any 2 Muslims can witness your Nikah and that means two random Muslims whom you have never met/seen before i.e. people praying at the Masjid.

I didn’t see your post the last time so couldn’t respond. My sister I have been dealing with these issues for a long time and my advice for you is to consult a qualified Islamic Scholar (Shariah council) for your needs for two reasons:

According to most Scholars a girl needs a Wali to get married (its still Sunnah in the Hanafi Madhab), if your parents are objecting then an Islamic Scholar of some standing can become your Wali.
Allah (SWT) has given you protection (as a woman) to take these matters out of your hand and to protect you. It’s your option to act unilaterally but the protection and Barakh of Sunnah will be taken from your matrimony.

Please understand that no one is stopping OR prohibiting you form this, just go about it the right way. Contact Shaykh (Mufti) Zubair Dudha (HA) and their council can perform your Nikah and provide you with witnesses etc.

I also suggest that you browse through our section on Relationships and request that you read: Nikah (Marriage) & Walima (Reception) in Islam