📚 Excerpt taken from Shaykh Mubashir Ahmad Rabbani’s book: “Ahkām wa Masā’il – In the Light of the Qur’an and Sunnah”
❖ Question:
If one or two years have passed since a man’s nikah (marriage contract) was conducted but the rukhsati (consummation or moving in together) has not yet taken place —
① Is it permissible for the man to meet or converse with his wife (fiancée in public terms)?
② Is it allowed in Islam to keep them apart (unconsummated) for such a long time?
❖ Answer:
Once a nikah (marriage contract) has been executed between a man and a woman, then:
✔ It is permissible for both spouses to meet and converse,
✔ Because they are now legally husband and wife and share the rights granted to married couples.
However, in the scenario described, the rukhsati (consummation) should be conducted without delay.
❖ Wisdom and Purpose of Immediate Rukhsati
Among the primary objectives of nikah are:
① Lowering the gaze,
② Guarding one’s private parts (preserving chastity).
Postponing rukhsati can lead to:
✖ Unnecessary delay,
✖ Social and emotional strain,
✖ Even potential moral corruption and fitnah (temptation).
❖ Social Norms vs. Islamic Guidance
In many of our societies today, there is an increasing trend of either:
- Avoiding marriage for girls under the pretext of worldly excuses, or
- Performing nikah and then delaying rukhsati unnecessarily — often due to cultural expectations, financial excuses, or social norms.
This practice is against the teachings of Islam.
✔ Islam encourages that once a nikah is conducted, the spouses should live together without delay.
✔ This is more suitable for the preservation of modesty, protection from evil, and the fulfillment of mutual marital rights.
