‘90 Day Fiancé’ Season 9: Bilal and Shaeeda Have a ‘Nikah’ Ceremony – Are They Legally Married?
90 Day Fiancé Season 9 couple, Shaeeda and Bilal Hazziez are already husband and wife in the eyes of God thanks to them having a Nikah. Here’s everything fans need to know about the Muslim marriage ceremony that Bilal and Shaeeda already had.
Bilal and Shaeeda’s have a Nikah ceremony
On the April 17 episode of 90 Day Fiancé Season 9, Bilal and Shaeeda begin their journey. Bilal, a successful real estate investor and agent, prepares for his fiancée’s arrival. Shaeeda, a yoga instructor from Trinidad and Tobago, is moving to Kansas City, Mo, to be with Bilal.
After Bilal’s divorce, Shaeeda slid into his DM’s, and they began talking online. Bilal went to Trinidad for a week. He explained, “So we only spent actually seven days together physically before we decided that, ‘ Okay, this is official.'” During the trip, Bilal proposed to Shaeeda, and she said yes. Now, two years later, they are finally going to be together.
Bilal told his ex-wife, Shahidah, that they are already married. He said, “You know, we actually had our Nikah, the spiritual union.” He explained to the cameras, “There are a couple of things within our religion that we do not do. Like, we don’t have sexual relationships before we get married. So, Shaeeda and I thought that it would be best to have a Nikah.”
Is the Nikah ceremony legally binding?
What is a Nikah? According to JMW, the Nikah is “the Islamic marriage ceremony, whereby the Muslim couple legitimise their marriage in the eyes of God.” The ceremony is done by “signing the marriage contract in the presence of an imam and at least two witnesses.”
In the episode, Bilal explains what Nikah entails. He said, “It’s like a marriage. It’s a spiritual union.” He revealed that the Nikah is not legally binding, at least in America. He said, “Now, we’re not married under the laws of the United States. But under the eyes of God, we are married.”
Are Bilal and Shaeeda already married?
According to Bilal, their marriage is only recognized as a spiritual union, not a legal one. Nikah ceremonies are considered “non-qualifying” ceremonies that fall outside the Marriage Act of 1949.
After Shaeeda’s arrival on a K-1 visa, the couple will have 90 days to get married legally, or she will have to go back home. However, if Shaeeda and Bilad didn’t have their Nikah before her arrival, they wouldn’t have been allowed to stay under the same roof during the 90 days.
While they might already be husband and wife in the eyes of Allah, they still have to get married legally in the US. However, with Bilal’s switching house “prank” and all of the prenup drama, it will be a miracle if they do make it down the aisle.
New episodes of 90 Day Fiancé Season 9 air Sundays on TLC and discovery+.
