Is Nikah Valid If the Imam Can Only Be Reached via Zoom?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

Is it permissible to conduct a marriage (nikah) where both parties and witnesses are in the same physical space, but the imam officiates the nikah remotely via zoom?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

It is permissible to conduct a marriage where both parties and witnesses are in the same physical space. The imam officiating the nikah remotely via zoom does not affect the validity of the marriage. [Maydani, al-Lubab fi Sharh al-Kitab]

One of the conditions of a valid marriage is that everyone is in the same assembly (ittihad al-majlis).

Being online would still fall under this rubric as long as everyone’s identity is clear and known – for instance, if one logged in on zoom without their camera on, this would not suffice.

The Imam guides the nikah, but the proposal and the acceptance in the presence of the witnesses solidify the marriage’s validity. Their being physically present together fulfills the conditions for a valid marriage. [Maydani, al-Lubab fi Sharh al-Kitab]

Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch teaches Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences.

He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he studied for three years in Dar al-Mustafa under some of the most outstanding scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib.

In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Quran and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Quranic exegesis, Islamic history, and several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.