What is the ruling on a man who married a girl and discovered that she was not a virgin, so he gave her the choice between divorce or khul‘? Is their marriage contract considered void? And can the husband be persuaded to reconsider his decision?

If a man marries a woman, believing her to be a virgin, and she turns out not to be, the marriage contract remains valid and is not nullified by this. However, if he stipulated virginity, he has the option to annul the marriage according to some scholars. The loss of virginity can be due to reasons other than intercourse, such as severe menstruation, a fall, or heavy lifting. Divorce is fundamentally disliked, and one should not resort to it except out of necessity. If her virginity was lost due to an unlawful act, but she has repented and become righteous, it is preferable for the husband to keep her, as repentance erases what came before it. He will also receive a great reward for concealing her secret and helping her maintain chastity.