Full Lecture Transcript (Cleaned)
The Question — 0:00
Brother Sayed from London asks: is it permissible to get married over Skype or Zoom? Can the nikah take place virtually — with the groom in one place and the bride in another — or even via telephone?
The Ruling — 0:56
It is permissible to conduct a nikah online or via a video conferencing app or telephone, with one condition: there must be sufficient circumstantial evidence to identify with certainty the bride, the groom, the wali, and the witnesses.
The concern some scholars raise is the possibility of fraud — how do we know that the person on screen is who they say they are? This is a valid concern, but if both families are fully involved and the event is known to all parties — if the bride's family and the groom's family are both present in their respective locations, everyone has prepared for this day, and the wali is known — then the chance of fraud is essentially eliminated. The context itself guarantees the identity.
It is not a condition of nikah that the husband and wife be in the same location. The wali and the groom need to exchange the contract, and this can be done on any live platform that permits immediate back-and-forth communication. Any video call, phone call, or audio platform where both parties can communicate in real time is sufficient.
When Caution Is Needed — 1:40
The scenario that requires extra care is when two people have only met online and have never met in person. In such situations — particularly where visa or immigration issues are involved — identity fraud does happen. Someone pretends to be someone else to obtain money or a visa. In these cases, it is strongly recommended that one of the parties send a physical representative to the other city to confirm in person that the family, the wali, and the individual are who they claim to be.
As long as identities are vetted and confirmed, the nikah online is completely permissible. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala knows best.