Is an online nikah valid in islam?

If the situation is exactly as described in the question, then merely conducting a nikah through an online video or audio call is not, by itself, sufficient according to Islamic law. According to the Hanafi school of jurisprudence, one of the conditions for a valid marriage is that the offer (ijab) and acceptance (qabul) take place in the same session (ittihad al-majlis).

Therefore, if the bride and groom are in different locations, simply exchanging the offer and acceptance directly over a phone or video call does not fulfill this condition. However, there is a valid Shariah-compliant method for such situations, namely agency (wakalah).

The correct procedure is that the absent party (either the bride or the groom) appoints someone as their authorized representative (wakeel) by phone or another reliable means. The representative then attends the other party, and in the presence of the required Shariah witnesses, makes the offer on behalf of the person who appointed him. The other party accepts the marriage in the same gathering. In this case, the requirement of unity of the session (ittihad al-majlis) is considered fulfilled, and the marriage is valid.

In addition, a valid nikah requires the presence of two adult, sane Muslim male witnesses, or one Muslim male and two Muslim female witnesses.

Therefore, based on what you have described, if:

- you or the woman had validly appointed someone as your wakeel,

- that representative was physically present with the other party,

- the offer and acceptance took place in the same sitting,

- and the required Shariah witnesses were present,

then your nikah is valid.

However, if these conditions were not fulfilled, and the marriage was conducted merely through an online call, or the imam on Fiverr conducted the nikah on his own without a valid wakalah arrangement and without fulfilling the requirement of unity of the session, then according to the Hanafi school, such a nikah is not valid.

References:

- الدر المختار مع رد المحتار (3/14)

- الفتاوى الهندية (1/269)

- بدائع الصنائع (2/231)

- الدر المختار مع رد المحتار (3/21)

- الفتاوى الهندية (1/267)