Source: http://qa.muftisays.com/?4050
Question ID: #4050
 
Question: civil marriageand nikkah
assalamualaikummy brother recently had his civil marriage, we heard that it is also equivalent to or same as a nikkah, is that true?jazakallah
 
 
Answered by: Ulamaa ID 02 ()
Date: 02/12/2008 20:16pm

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

A civil marriage will be valid under Islamic law as long as there were two male witnesses or one male and two female witnesses; a separate nikah is not necessary although khutbah is sunnah.

This is conditional on the assumption that all other prerequisites of marriage had been met.

والله اعلم
Mufti Saifur Rahman Sahib
London, UK
 
www.MuftiSays.com