Marriage & Nikah
We’re getting married
Planning the nikah, deciding about the civil ceremony, and understanding what each one does, and doesn’t, protect.
Marriage & NikahFamily services
The decisions a family lives with.
Marriage, separation, inheritance. Most people face them once, under pressure, and in two systems at the same time: their faith and English law. We help you get them right in both.
Why it takes care
Married in faith is not always married in law.
In England and Wales, religious and civil family life run on separate tracks, and the gaps between them show only when something goes wrong. The two systems can almost always be brought into line, but someone who understands both has to arrange it.
- Married religiously, invisible legally. A UK nikah without civil recognition can leave both spouses without the legal protections of marriage.
- Divorced in one system, married in the other. A decree from the court does not, by itself, dissolve the nikah, and a talaq pronounced here does not end a civil marriage.
- Intended one way, distributed another. Without a valid English will, intestacy law decides who inherits, and it does not follow Faraid.
LawFiq exists for exactly this work: scholars who know what your faith asks, alongside advisers who know what English law requires. Where regulated legal services are required, these are provided by our partner SRA-regulated law firm.
Where to start
Start with what’s happening
Four doors into the same room. Choose the one closest to your situation. The first conversation will find the rest.
Divorce & Separation
A marriage is ending
Talaq, khula and civil divorce are separate processes, and finishing one does not finish the others. See the whole picture before your next step.
Divorce & SeparationWills & Inheritance
We want our affairs in order
A will that honours the Faraid shares and is valid under English law, so your intentions are carried out, not just written down.
Wills & Inheritance · FaraidFamily Mediation
We need to resolve something privately
A confidential, structured conversation with a neutral, accredited mediator, before positions harden and options narrow.
Family MediationHow we help
What working with us looks like
Every matter starts with a confidential conversation. We then explain where you stand under Islamic principles and under English law, with your options in front of you. From there the work may be planning, untangling, or a dispute that needs a neutral room rather than a courtroom.
- Clarity first. You understand your position in both frameworks before you commit to anything.
- The right order. Family matters go wrong when steps are taken in the wrong sequence. We plan the sequence.
- Documented. What is agreed is written down so it holds.
- Seen through. We stay with the matter until it is finished, not just advised on.
Who you’ll be talking to
Advice you can question, and check
Family matters deserve more than confident answers. They deserve answers you can examine, from people qualified to give them.
Dr Hafiz Muhammad Siddique
Academic Board
Specialist in Islamic law, Muslim family law and women’s rights: PhD in Islamic Law, with postdoctoral work at the University of Oxford.
Owais Qarni
Founder & Principal · Accredited Mediator
Brings the two frameworks together in practice, and mediates in English, Arabic and Urdu.
Behind them sits LawFiq’s Islamic Board, led by Shaykh Saad Al-Deen Al-Dhafiri, so the religious dimension of your matter rests on scholarship, not opinion. Meet the full team.
Practical questions
Before you get in touch
Is LawFiq a law firm?
No. LawFiq is a UK advisory company: we advise on how Islamic principles and English law apply to your situation, and we plan and coordinate what needs to happen. Where regulated legal services are required, these are provided by our partner SRA-regulated law firm.
Can we speak in Arabic?
Yes. You can write or call in Arabic or English, and the form lets you tell us your preferred language. Language requirements for the consultation itself can be discussed when we arrange it.
Is everything confidential?
Yes. Family matters are discussed in confidence from the first call. When you book, we also ask whether it is safe to leave a voicemail, so that contact from us never causes a problem at home.
Do we have to come to London?
Our office is in London E20, but do not let distance put you off. Tell us where you are and what suits you when you book, and we’ll arrange the consultation in a way that works for you.
Book a consultation
Talk it through with someone who understands both.
A confidential conversation with no obligation, and a clearer picture than you have now.
Book a consultation
Or call 020 3930 1088