I am a young man who has been engaged for three years through a valid marital contract, meaning that my fiancée is my lawful wife according to Sharee‘ah. My fiancée and I were in seclusion that resulted in pregnancy. She has been pregnant for a month. Now, I want us to get married (hold a wedding ceremony) as soon as possible in order to avoid the scandal. I do not have enough money and there is no one to lend me money without taking interest. Is it permissible to borrow with interest because I am in dire need of that now to conceal this pregnancy that happened before the wedding? Please advise.

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

If you have concluded a Sharee‘ah-approved marital contract with all the stipulations and pillars fulfilled, that woman is your wife and you are blameless for what happened between the two of you. However, it was better for you to wait until after the wedding because this is the people’s custom.  Now that this has happened, it is not permissible for you to borrow with Riba because it is not a state of necessity.

You should look for a benevolent man to lend you the money without interest or try to convince your wife and her family to be patient until Allaah Gives you out of His Grace.

Also, if you can hold a modest wedding as soon as possible, you have to hurry to do so. Otherwise, there is no necessity that calls on you to commit the sin of borrowing with Riba. You should not be ashamed of what happened as long as you have concluded a valid marital contract with that woman with all its conditions and pillars fulfilled. And first and foremost, do not forget to ask the Most Beneficent, Allaah The Almighty, to Give you out of His Bounty, because He Does not Let down the person who resorts to Him.

We ask Allaah The Almighty to Guide you, Ease matters for you and Give you out of His Grace.

Allaah Knows best.