What Is Nikah al-Shighar and Does My Marriage Fall Under It?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

My brother has been married for five years. Recently, my sister-in-law’s brother got divorced because his previous wife was not mentally stable. Now my marriage has been fixed with him. There was no prior deal or condition linking my brother’s marriage with mine. My consent has been taken, and there will be a proper mahr and dowry. Does this fall under the category of Shighar marriage, or is it valid?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.

Your marriage will be valid if you have a proper marriage ceremony (nikah) with witnesses present and a mahr. However, it is not Nikah al-Shigar.

Nikah al-Shigar

Nikah al-Shighar is when one man marries off his female relative to another man on the condition that the other man marries off his own female relative to him, and there is no dowry (mahr) except this exchange.

Each woman’s private part (bud‘) becomes the supposed mahr of the other. This form of marriage is invalid because it lacks a proper mahr; the essence of shighar is the absence of a lawful dowry.

[Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. You will receive guidance and direction in sha Allah.

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• Marriage Archives – SeekersGuidance
• Key Considerations in the Act of Marriage – SeekersGuidance
• Love, Marriage and Relationships in Islam: All Your Questions Answered (seekersguidance.org)
• The Elements of Meaningful Marriage Contracts – SeekersGuidance
• Etiquette of Marriage: A Comprehensive SeekersGuidance Reader

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I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

[مَطْلَبٌ نِكَاحُ الشِّغَارِ]

ِ (قَوْلُهُ فِي الشِّغَارِ) بِكَسْرِ الشِّينِ مَصْدَرُ شَاغَرَ اهـ ح (قَوْلُهُ هُوَ أَنْ يُزَوِّجَهُ إلَخْ) قَالَ فِي النَّهْرِ: وَهُوَ أَنْ يُشَاغِرَ الرَّجُلَ: أَيْ يُزَوِّجَهُ حَرِيمَتَهُ عَلَى أَنْ يُزَوِّجَهُ الْآخَرُ حَرِيمَتَهُ وَلَا مَهْرَ إلَّا هَذَا، كَذَا فِي الْمُغْرِبِ: أَيْ عَلَى أَنْ يَكُونَ بُضْعَ كُلٍّ صَدَاقًا عَنْ الْآخَرِ، وَهَذَا الْمُقَيَّدُ لَا بُدَّ مِنْهُ فِي مُسَمَّى الشِّغَارِ، حَتَّى لَوْ لَمْ يَقُلْ ذَلِكَ وَلَا مَعْنَاهُ بَلْ قَالَ زَوَّجْتُك بِنْتِي عَلَى أَنْ تُزَوِّجَنِي بِنْتَك فَقَبِلَ أَوْ عَلَى أَنْ يَكُونَ بُضْعُ بِنْتِي صَدَاقًا لِبِنْتِك فَلَمْ يَقْبَلْ الْآخَرُ بَلْ زَوَّجَهُ بِنْتَه وَلَمْ يَجْعَلْهَا صَدَاقًا لَمْ يَكُنْ شِغَارًا بَلْ نِكَاحًا صَحِيحًا اتِّفَاقًا وَإِنْ وَجَبَ مَهْرُ الْمِثْلِ فِي الْكُلِّ، لِمَا أَنَّهُ سَمَّى مَا لَا يَصْلُحُ صَدَاقًا، وَأَصْلُ الشُّغُورِ: الْخُلُوُّ، يُقَالُ بَلْدَةٌ شَاغِرَةٌ إذَا خَلَتْ عَنْ السُّكَّانِ، وَالْمُرَادُ هُنَا الْخُلُوُّ عَنْ الْمَهْرِ لِأَنَّهُمَا بِهَذَا الشَّرْطِ كَأَنَّهُمَا أَخْلَيَا الْبُضْعَ عَنْهُ نَهْرٌ

الكتاب: حاشية رد المحتار، على الدر المختار: شرح تنوير الأبصار
المؤلف: محمد أمين، الشهير بابن عابدين [ت ١٢٥٢ هـ]
الناشر: شركة مكتبة ومطبعة مصطفى البابي الحلبي وأولاده بمصر
الطبعة: الثانية ١٣٨٦ هـ = ١٩٦٦ م

Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received a traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.