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What is the ruling on the conflict between custom and Sharia regarding the issue of enjoying one's wife after the marriage contract without intercourse, and should custom be adopted here despite its contradiction with Sharia?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

A man is permitted to enjoy his wife, with whom he has contracted marriage, through any permissible form of enjoyment. However, the woman or her guardian is not obligated to allow him to do so unless he pays the immediate dowry (Mahr Al-Haal). Observing the custom of not engaging in sexual intercourse before the wedding (Zفاف) does not contradict Islamic law, because there is no sin upon the husband if intercourse occurs, and any children born would be attributed to him. However, this custom is observed out of preference for a legitimate Islamic benefit, such as people's disapproval of sexual intercourse before the wedding, and to avoid hurting the feelings of the wife's family. It is important to consider these feelings and go along with people's customs as long as they do not conflict with Islamic law.

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

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