Rise in 'Khutbah Ki Shaadi' Cases: Another Hyderabad Woman Trapped

In Hyderabad’s Old City, many poor Muslim women are facing problems because of undocumented marriages, called ‘Khutbah ki shaadi.’ These marriages are not officially recorded. The incident came to light when Rabia was abandoned by her husband after a short marriage. Since there was no official marriage paper (nikah nama), she has no legal support or way to take action.

Rabia was 28 when Imran came to her house to ask for her hand for marriage. Her daily wage-earning parents were happier than she was. Being the eldest of five siblings and considered past the "ideal" marriage age, Rabia had often faced quiet criticism from relatives for her plain looks. So when Imran, a small-time trader from Hyderabad's Hussaini Alam, suggested an "off-the-record" marriage, no one objected. Imran promised a Mehr (marriage gift) of Rs 50,000, brought two witnesses, and the marriage took place. There was no Qazi (Islamic priest) or nikah nama (official marriage document). Just three months later, Imran abandoned Rabia. Now she is back at her parents’ small home, afraid of the man she once trusted. Without a nikah nama, Rabia has no legal proof of marriage and cannot go to the police or the court.

The storyline in most cases is much the same, the woman is past her "prime", taken in by the husband for a few months and then abruptly dumped - often for another woman. But none of the victims has legal documents to prove their nikah. Social workers explain how this "trend" of dummy marriages started picking up after the decriminalization of adultery in 2018. "This, coupled with the ban on triple talaq that came in 2017, led to several men, unwilling to get tangled in legalities, abandoning their women without a formal divorce," said Jameela Nishat, founder of Shaheen Women's Resource and Welfare Association.