Ruling on Nikāḥ Shighār (Exchange Marriage)
Source: Fatāwā Amunpūrī by Shaykh Ghulām Muṣṭafā Ẓahīr Amunpūrī
❖ Question
What is the ruling on Nikāḥ Shighār (commonly known as baṭṭa-satṭa marriage)?
❖ Answer
Nikāḥ Shighār (exchange marriage, where one marriage is conditioned upon another without a proper dowry) is not permissible. This is proven by authentic aḥādīth and the consensus of the Ummah.
- If each marriage has a separate dowry stipulated, then the exchange marriage is valid.
- If the dowry is only based on the exchange of marriages (one in return for another), then the marriage contract is invalid, even if later an equivalent dowry (mahr al-mithl) is paid.
❖ Evidence from Ḥadīth
◈ ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar (RA):
((إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم نهى عن الشغار))
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade Shighār marriage.”
— Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5112, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1415
❖ Scholarly Consensus
◈ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Daqīq al-ʿĪd (d. 702H):
((الحديث صريح فى النهي عن نكاح الشغار واتفق العلماء على المنع منه))
“This ḥadīth is a clear proof for the prohibition of Nikāḥ Shighār, and the scholars are unanimously agreed on its prohibition.”
— Iḥkām al-Aḥkām Sharḥ ʿUmdat al-Aḥkām 2/175
Conclusion
- Nikāḥ Shighār is forbidden in Islam.
- The prohibition is established by authentic aḥādīth and scholarly consensus.
- A valid marriage requires a proper dowry (mahr) independent of exchange conditions.
