The Wife of a Missing Person

Question

A woman’s husband has gone missing (mafqud al-khabar) and has not been found after a search. After how long a period may this woman conclude a second marriage contract?

Answer

Such a woman, when she has grown weary of waiting and patience has become hard for her, should present her case in the court of a Muslim ruler who holds authority: that such-and-such a man is her husband, that he has been missing for such-and-such a time, that she now has no strength left to wait and is in dire need of a second nikah.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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