Is it considered a consummation of marriage if the spouses meet online in an activity of a sexual nature (video or text) and have not met in person even once after the marriage due to the husband being abroad?
If a man has a proper (private seclusion) with his wife, meaning he could have intercourse with her without anyone observing them, this khalwa entails certain rulings, such as: the wife's entitlement to the full mahr (dowry), and divorce after such khalwa but before consummation being considered a revocable divorce according to the Hanbalis (whereas it is considered an irrevocable divorce by the majority of scholars), and the wife's obligation to observe (waiting period) according to the majority of scholars.
For this khalwa to be proper, several conditions must be met: 1. No discerning person is with them. 2. The wife is compliant and not resistant. 3. They are safe from anyone observing them; thus, khalwa is not valid in public places like a mosque, a road, or an open desert. 4. The husband is aware of the khalwa (not unconscious or ill and unaware of it).
If these conditions are met, the khalwa is considered equivalent to consummation regarding the aforementioned rulings. However, communication via the internet (visual, audio, or textual) is not considered a proper khalwa due to the impossibility of intercourse.
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