The Benefits of Announcing a Nikah

Question

You have said: “Let there be an announcement before the nikah or after the nikah.” An announcement is an extremely dangerous matter. This humble one’s submission is that news of a secret nikah should reach only the qadi and the two witnesses, and that not even a child should be able to learn of it, because a hidden nikah causes no kind of strife or disorder among people. If news is given before or after the nikah, it becomes the cause of grave harm.

Answer

According to the Shari‘a, a nikah is concluded merely before two witnesses. However, announcing it is mustahabb (recommended). In this too there are many considerations of benefit (masalih). For example, if one of the two witnesses went off somewhere or died, and the woman denied the nikah, there would be difficulty in proving it judicially.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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