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Is the marriage considered valid if the man concealed from the woman his marriage to another woman, which made her unwilling to complete the marriage after she found out?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is permissible for spouses to annul the marriage if a defect is found that negates the purpose of marriage, which includes enjoyment, affection, tranquility, and procreation. This is by agreement of the jurists. Ibn Taymiyyah stated that a woman may be returned due to any defect that prevents full enjoyment. Ibn al-Qayyim considered that any defect which alienates the other spouse and prevents the fulfillment of the marriage's purpose necessitates the option (of annulment). Ibn Uthaymeen mentioned that a defect is what people consider a defect that impairs full enjoyment. However, a man's marriage to another woman is not a defect for which the marriage is annulled, as a man is permitted to practice polygyny if he is just among his wives. He is not obligated to inform the woman he intends to marry that he is already married unless he is asked. If he lies about that, then the wife has the option of annulment.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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