Written by: Imran Ayub Lahori
Nikah Shighār is strictly prohibited in Islam.
The word Shighār originates from the Arabic form شَاغَرَ يُشَاعِرُ (mutual exchange or action). Linguistically, it is derived from شَغَرَ (fatha) which can mean:
Technically, Nikah Shighār refers to a mutual agreement between two men to marry each other’s sisters or daughters on the condition that one gives the other in exchange, without a proper dowry (mahr) being stipulated.
➊ Narrated by Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
لا شغار في الإسلام
"There is no Shighār in Islam."
[Muslim: 1415]
➋ Another narration from Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما:
نهى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عن الشغار
"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prohibited Shighār."
He explained:
"Shighār is when a man gives his daughter in marriage to another man on the condition that the other gives him his daughter in return, with no mahr stipulated for either."
[Bukhari: 5112; Muslim: 1415; Muwaṭṭa: 2/535; Ahmad: 2/62; Abu Dawood: 2074; Tirmidhi: 1124; Dārimī: 2/136; Nasa’i: 6/110; Ibn Mājah: 1883; ʿAbd al-Razzāq: 6/184; Abū Yaʿlā: 5795; Bayhaqī: 7/99]
➌ In the Hadith of Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه, Shighār is defined as:
"A man says: 'Marry me your daughter and I will marry you mine' or 'Marry me your sister and I will marry you mine.'"
[Ahmad: 2/439; Muslim: 1416, Book of Nikah: Chapter on the Prohibition and Invalidity of Shighār; Nasa’i: 6/112; Ibn Mājah: 1884; Bayhaqī: 7/200]
Every marriage that includes the condition of giving one woman in exchange for another is considered Shighār, whether or not mahr is paid.
For instance, when ʿAbbās bin ʿAbdullāh bin ʿAbbās gave his daughter in marriage to ʿAbd al-Raḥmān bin Ḥakam, and in return, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān gave his daughter to ʿAbbās, both with dowries, Muʿāwiyah bin Abī Sufyān رضي الله عنه sent an official letter through Marwān bin Ḥakam ordering separation between them.
The letter stated:
وهذا الشغار الذي نهى عنه رسول الله ﷺ
"This is the Shighār that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade."
[Ḥasan: Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 1826; also: Abū Dāwūd: 2075; Aḥmad: 4/94; Bayhaqī: 7/200]
✔ Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr رحمه الله:
The scholars are in consensus (ijmāʿ) that Nikah Shighār is not permissible.
[Fatḥ al-Bārī: 9/163]
✔ Majority (Jumhūr), including Mālik, Shāfiʿī, and Aḥmad رحمهما الله:
Such a marriage is invalid (bāṭil).
✖ Imām Abū Ḥanīfah رحمه الله:
If the mahr equal to that of similar women (mahr al-mithl) is paid, then the marriage is valid — though this view contradicts clear Prophetic Hadith.
[Fatḥ al-Bārī: 10/204; Nayl al-Awṭār: 4/221; Al-Umm: 5/174; Badā’iʿ al-Ṣanā’iʿ: 3/1430; Al-Mudawwanah: 2/152]
✔ Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله:
Nikah Shighār is haram by consensus (ijmāʿ) among Muslims.
[Fatāwā al-Nisā’: p. 280]
✔ Shaykh Ibn Bāz رحمه الله:
Nikah Shighār is absolutely forbidden, regardless of whether mahr is paid or not.
[Fatāwā Ibn Bāz (Urdu Trans.): 1/168]
Nikah Shighār (exchange marriage) is explicitly prohibited in Islam, based on clear and authentic Hadiths, and supported by the consensus of scholars.
It is invalid whether or not mahr is stipulated, and any such condition renders the marriage contract null and void.
❖ Definition and Ruling on Nikah Shighār
Nikah Shighār is strictly prohibited in Islam.
The word Shighār originates from the Arabic form شَاغَرَ يُشَاعِرُ (mutual exchange or action). Linguistically, it is derived from شَغَرَ (fatha) which can mean:
- A dog lifting one leg to urinate,
- Exile or expulsion,
as per Al-Munjid (p. 436).
Technically, Nikah Shighār refers to a mutual agreement between two men to marry each other’s sisters or daughters on the condition that one gives the other in exchange, without a proper dowry (mahr) being stipulated.
❖ Hadith Evidence
➊ Narrated by Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
لا شغار في الإسلام
"There is no Shighār in Islam."
[Muslim: 1415]
➋ Another narration from Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما:
نهى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عن الشغار
"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prohibited Shighār."
He explained:
"Shighār is when a man gives his daughter in marriage to another man on the condition that the other gives him his daughter in return, with no mahr stipulated for either."
[Bukhari: 5112; Muslim: 1415; Muwaṭṭa: 2/535; Ahmad: 2/62; Abu Dawood: 2074; Tirmidhi: 1124; Dārimī: 2/136; Nasa’i: 6/110; Ibn Mājah: 1883; ʿAbd al-Razzāq: 6/184; Abū Yaʿlā: 5795; Bayhaqī: 7/99]
➌ In the Hadith of Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه, Shighār is defined as:
"A man says: 'Marry me your daughter and I will marry you mine' or 'Marry me your sister and I will marry you mine.'"
[Ahmad: 2/439; Muslim: 1416, Book of Nikah: Chapter on the Prohibition and Invalidity of Shighār; Nasa’i: 6/112; Ibn Mājah: 1884; Bayhaqī: 7/200]
❖ Important Clarification
Every marriage that includes the condition of giving one woman in exchange for another is considered Shighār, whether or not mahr is paid.
For instance, when ʿAbbās bin ʿAbdullāh bin ʿAbbās gave his daughter in marriage to ʿAbd al-Raḥmān bin Ḥakam, and in return, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān gave his daughter to ʿAbbās, both with dowries, Muʿāwiyah bin Abī Sufyān رضي الله عنه sent an official letter through Marwān bin Ḥakam ordering separation between them.
The letter stated:
وهذا الشغار الذي نهى عنه رسول الله ﷺ
"This is the Shighār that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade."
[Ḥasan: Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 1826; also: Abū Dāwūd: 2075; Aḥmad: 4/94; Bayhaqī: 7/200]
❖ Scholarly Opinions
✔ Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr رحمه الله:
The scholars are in consensus (ijmāʿ) that Nikah Shighār is not permissible.
[Fatḥ al-Bārī: 9/163]
✔ Majority (Jumhūr), including Mālik, Shāfiʿī, and Aḥmad رحمهما الله:
Such a marriage is invalid (bāṭil).
✖ Imām Abū Ḥanīfah رحمه الله:
If the mahr equal to that of similar women (mahr al-mithl) is paid, then the marriage is valid — though this view contradicts clear Prophetic Hadith.
[Fatḥ al-Bārī: 10/204; Nayl al-Awṭār: 4/221; Al-Umm: 5/174; Badā’iʿ al-Ṣanā’iʿ: 3/1430; Al-Mudawwanah: 2/152]
✔ Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله:
Nikah Shighār is haram by consensus (ijmāʿ) among Muslims.
[Fatāwā al-Nisā’: p. 280]
✔ Shaykh Ibn Bāz رحمه الله:
Nikah Shighār is absolutely forbidden, regardless of whether mahr is paid or not.
[Fatāwā Ibn Bāz (Urdu Trans.): 1/168]
Conclusion:
Nikah Shighār (exchange marriage) is explicitly prohibited in Islam, based on clear and authentic Hadiths, and supported by the consensus of scholars.
It is invalid whether or not mahr is stipulated, and any such condition renders the marriage contract null and void.
