Want a quick remote solution? Most jurists allow reading the temporary-marriage formula by phone — but there are exact conditions: a third party, audible voices, clear timing and later registration. Read the simple checklist.
One of the most frequently asked questions about the marriage formula (du‘ā’ al-nikāḥ) concerns how it should be pronounced. Today, as our lives are entwined with technology, reciting the temporary-marriage formula over the phone and conducting online contracts of marriage have become widely discussed. Many questions circulate on this topic, and many of them are mistaken.
According to the view of most religious authorities, reciting the formula by phone is permissible and there is no prohibition — provided that a third person performs this act. If you seek a temporary marriage and wish to have the declaration recited remotely, you should consult your local marriage-registration office about the procedures for a telephone or remote sigheh.
For a relationship between a man and a woman to be considered religiously lawful in Islam, a declaration of maḥramiyya (sigheh) must be recited. The sigheh used for initial acquaintance prior to marriage is sometimes practiced within families. This formula is essentially the marriage formula used for a fixed, limited duration and typically does not involve sexual relations (though practice and details depend on personal beliefs and community norms). Jurists differ among themselves over the validity of such preliminary declarations of maḥramiyya.
The best time to recite a sigheh of acquaintance is when the parties wish to become familiar with one another with the possibility of later permanent marriage; this is usually done with parental consultation and consent. Reciting a sigheh without the father’s permission is generally not valid in the same way as marrying without a father’s permission is not valid.
On the legal side, because historically technologies such as the telephone or the internet did not exist, there is no direct classical precedent; therefore contemporary juristic opinions must be consulted. Based on our review, most marājiʿ do not object to non-in-person nikāḥ, with the notable exception of Ayatollah Makārim Shīrāzī.
Even among jurists who accept remote marriage, the validity is conditional on the proper completion of the nikāḥ formula from both parties.
It is worth noting that when the contract takes place remotely, both parties must be able to hear each other clearly and there must be no pauses that break the exchange of consent.
From a civil-law perspective, there is no provision in Iranian law requiring that the spouses be physically present when the nikāḥ formula is recited, so there is no legal prohibition on remote marriage. Ultimately, non-in-person marriage can be legally valid.
However, because official registration of nikāḥ in notary offices requires the signatures of both spouses, if one party is absent and does not have a power of attorney the marriage cannot be registered. Therefore it is recommended that anyone who is abroad obtain a formal power of attorney through their embassy to enable legal registration of the nikāḥ.
Yes — according to the fatwas of the marājiʿ, a one-hour sigheh is permissible and legally unobjectionable; similarly a ten-hour or longer temporary marriage is also permissible. In temporary marriage there is no prescribed minimum or maximum duration; what matters is that the duration be explicitly specified.
To pronounce a temporary-marriage formula one must know its wording. In both permanent and temporary nikāḥ the dowry (mahr) must be specified. If the formula is read by an authorized agent (wakīl) on behalf of the woman, the agent says:
Arabic: زَوَّجتُ مُوکِّلَتی (فاطمۀ) مُوَکَّلی (علی) فِی المُدَّۀِ المَعلُومَۀِ عَلَی المَهر المَعلُومTranslation: “I (as agent) have married my principal (Fatimah) to my mandatary (Ali) for the specified term, for the specified dowry.”
And the male’s agent would say:
Arabic: قَبِلتُ التَّزویجَ لِمُوَکِّلی (علی)Translation: “I accept the marriage for my principal (Ali).”
Here the feminine name Fatimah and the masculine name Ali are used as examples by default. It is preferable that the sigheh be read by a representative (wakīl) who is familiar with the correct formula.
If a man and woman themselves wish to recite the sigheh (per Ayatollah Makārim Shīrāzī’s guidance), the woman may say:
Arabic: زَوَّجتُکَ نَفْسِی فِی المُدَّۀِ المَعلُومَۀِ، عَلَی المَهرِالمَعلُومTranslation: “I have wedded you myself for the specified term, for the specified dowry.”
The man then says:
Arabic: قَبِلتُ التَّزویجَTranslation: “I accept the marriage.”
There is no fixed limit; the term may be as short as an hour or as long as years. The essential legal requirement for an islamically valid temporary marriage is the specification of a definite duration. One may not say the formula with an indefinite condition such as “until I am employed” or “as long as we love each other.” The period must be definite.
Photo ID booklets (shenasnameh) and copies, national identity cards with photocopies, and the presence or copy of the father’s or paternal grandfather’s identification are typically necessary at the registration office. If the woman is a virgin who has never been married before, she must have her father’s (or paternal grandfather’s) permission for the marriage to be registered. If the father is deceased, court approval may be required. If the woman has been married previously, paternal consent is not necessary.
According to Ayatollah Makārim Shīrāzī, in certain circumstances a temporary marriage may be valid without the father’s permission — for example if the woman was previously married or if the father is unfit — provided that the court grants approval. In such cases the woman may marry (temporarily or permanently) without paternal consent.
