If a Christian marries a woman during her waiting period and comes to us for judgment, we say we will not write the contract for him. Do we order him to annul it?

The questioner : If a Christian marries a woman during her waiting period... we do not write the contract for him. Does this mean we order him to annul it?

The Shaykh : No, no. If he considers it a marriage, we do not order him to annul it.

The questioner : Do we tell him to wait until...

The Shaykh : We say: When it ends and he comes to us, if he considered the first contract valid, we apply it to him. If he considered it defective, we annul it and contract a new one for him.

The questioner : Is he punished? ...

The Shaykh : No, as long as he believes it is valid. He believes it is a marriage; he married her just as he would marry her with a valid contract.