Title: Nikah if the bride belongs to misguided sect

Question: I am a male and follower of Sunni Islam (Hanafi). I want to marry a girl of Mahdavi sect based in Hyderabad, India. She doesn't have parents. It is known to me that Mahdavi sect is a misguided sect. So, how to go through? Is it mandatory for the girl to adopt mainstream Islam before marriage just as in case of kafir. If yes, then how? Please provide details procedure. And can Darul Uloom help me in getting married in my case if I go to Deoband since she does not have parents and my parents are agreed but advised to go as recommended by scholars of Islam.

Answer ID: 58600Posted on: Sep 1, 2020

Bismillah hir-Rahman nir-Rahim !

(Fatwa: 279/279/SD=06/1436) Mahdavi sect is out of the fold of Islam due to its non-Islamic beliefs. It is not lawful for a Muslim to marry a girl of the said sect. For the validity of nikah, it is a condition that the girl is Muslim. Nikah is not valid with a non-Muslim girl. Look for any Muslim girl to marry. قال الملا على القاري: وقد ظهر في البلاد الهندية جماعة تسمى المهدوية، ولھم رياضات علمية وكشوفات سفلية وجهالات ظاهرية – إلخ (مرقاة: 1/179، أشرفيه، ديوبند) قال الله تعالى: وَلاَ تَنكِحُواْ الْمُشْرِكَاتِ حَتَّى يُؤْمِنَّ"، والنص عام يدخل تحته جميع المشركات حتى المعظلة والزنادقة والباطنية والاباحية، وكل مذهب يكفر به معتقداته . (مجمع الأنهر:1/487’ بيروت، ردالمحتار: 4:135، زكريا، ديوبند)