Is My Marriage Valid If I Didn’t Say The Shahada?

Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Question

Assalamu ‘Alaykum.

I was a kind of Athiest earlier in life. I got into Islam later but didn’t say the Shahada. The same happened to my wife. We both practice now. Is our marriage valid?

Answer

Wa ‘alaykum assalam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.

I pray you are well.

Yes, your iman is valid, and so is your marriage. The Shahada is a means to let the Muslim community know you are a Muslim, so the relevant rulings can be applied to you, such as burial in a Muslim graveyard. 

This can be known through other actions, such as prayer, fasting, etc. Your marriage is valid. Work on improving your marriage and your practice of the din. That is the way to success: “Truly, though the remembrance of Allah, do hearts become tranquil.“ (Qur’an, 13:28)

May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.

[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History, he moved to Damascus in 2007, where, for 18 months, he studied with many erudite scholars. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Quranic recital. He was able to study an extensive curriculum of Quranic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.