Title: Regarding Misrah Marriage Question/Comments: I have read your responses relating to "secret" marriages, which, frankly speaking, are comforting. However, many months ago, I read in a Qatari newspaper about the concept of MISRAH marriage. The article was ascribed to an Islamic scholar of considerable standing. Can you please send me your views on this concept? Also, may Allah forgive me if I say anything wrong - my intention here is only to clear my thinking, Isn't the support of a divorced or widowed woman with children a good deed. If the man's niyat [1] is not lust and he accepts responsibility and relationship of children born from this relationship does it not assist the woman? Answer: I am not aware of the concept of MISRAH marriage. I shall try to find it and only after that will I be in a position to comment on it. Yes, I do agree that supporting a divorced woman or a widow is indeed a very good and an honorable deed. I also agree that marrying a woman for supporting her and her children shall insha'Allah be greatly rewarded in the hereafter. However, what I wanted to stress in my previous response was that if a person truly wants to support a widow or a divorced woman, he should do so, without breaking any other moral or legal code of Islam in the process. For instance, charity is indeed a "good deed". However, Islam does not allow stealing from the rich even if it is for the "noble" cause of helping the poor. Stealing is not allowed, irrespective of the "noble" motives of the thief. In the same way, helping the needy (including widows and orphans) is a "good deed". A person is allowed to marry a widow if he feels that he shall then be able to help her and her children more effectively. However, this marriage has to be according to the prescribed norms of the Shari`ah . In case a person is in a position to support a widow or a divorced woman but his circumstances do not allow marrying her in the manner prescribed by the Shari`ah , then he should not only support that woman and her children without marrying her, but also try to arrange for her marriage with a respectable person. The basic point is that marriage - for whatever motives it is undertaken - should be according to the norms prescribed by the Shari`ah . 6 th September 1999 [1] That is 'intention'.