Is It Valid to Marry Someone Who Has Been Drinking Alcohol?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalam alaykum

A friend met this guy who agreed to do marry her. He started to learn about Islam, he understood everything and on the day of the marriage he had a glass of wine.

He then came at night, read his shahada and did the marriage in front of witnesses.
The marriage was then consummated.

After a big argument few weeks later he said to the girl that “if you don’t stop contacting me I want divorce”.

1) Is this marriage valid?
2) Is his shahada accepted?
3) Are they divorced?

Answer: Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah,

In general, drinking alcohol or doing any other unlawful action does not affect the validity of a person’s faith.

According to your description of the events, the person pronounced his faith, and subsequently married the girl. If all the conditions of a marriage contract were met, then it would be a legally valid marriage. Thereafter, “I want divorce” is not a statement of divorce, so the marriage would be unaffected.

However, I’d recommend getting in touch with a sensitive marriage counsellor so that the issues can be resolved; and couple this with some guidance from a local, reliable religious scholar.

Please also consider taking: Marriage in Islam: Practical Guidance for Successful Marriages

And Allah Most High alone knows best.

wassalam,

[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorised the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen, and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based with his family.