Is the relationship that led to cohabitation between a young man and a young woman, where the young man swore to marry her and the young woman accepted that, considered a legitimate marriage before the completion of the contract, announcement, and parental approval? What is the ruling on this cohabitation, and how can atonement be made for it? Is the young man now obligated to marry the young woman with an official contract?

What the young man did with the girl is an act of frivolity and a transgression of God's boundaries, and it is not a marriage but rather fornication. Its cause is negligence and laxity concerning God's boundaries in the interactions between the sexes. They must repent to God by abandoning the sin, regretting it, and resolving not to return to it, along with concealment. As for his marriage to her, it is permissible if they both repent. If she is pregnant, he should not marry her until she has purified herself with one menstrual cycle. For the marriage to be valid, the presence of a guardian (wali), witnesses, and the proper صيغة العقد (marriage formula) are required. Their life before the contract was sinful, and they must repent. Their life after the contract is valid if the contract fulfills the conditions.