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Is it permissible to marry a divorced woman whose divorce papers have not been presented? And is it permissible to marry secretly with the consent of both parties and by the hand of a friend?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is permissible to marry a woman who claims to be divorced without proof, according to the Hanafis and Malikis, especially if there is a divorce document. However, it is preferable to verify, and divorce is only established by the testimony of two just witnesses. As for secret marriage, if it is without a guardian or witnesses, it is invalid. If it fulfills the conditions but is not publicly announced, it is valid according to the majority of scholars but disliked. It becomes valid and enforceable if a Sharia judge rules it to be so.

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

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