About the Bureau
Many Muslims cannot produce a certified document for a fact of religious importance in their lives, because the document was never issued, was lost, or can no longer be obtained from the person who would have issued it. The facts themselves are often well established through court records, photographs, messages and the people who were present, yet no document states them in a form that others will accept.
Why the Bureau exists
No written divorce
A woman whose Talaq was never written down cannot prove the divorce when she remarries.
ConversionNo conversion certificate
A convert who was never given a certificate cannot prove conversion when applying for a Hajj visa.
SettlementNo proof of the mahr
A husband who has paid the bride-purse (mahr) has nothing to show that the debt is settled.
The Islamic Records Bureau was founded because services of this kind, which should be common and standard and are not difficult to provide, had gone unaddressed. The Bureau has the evidence for such facts reviewed by scholars and specialists and issues a certified attestation of what that review confirms, so that the person concerned holds it when it is needed.
How a record is issued
Anyone shown a certificate can check its number in the register, which gives its dates and the reviewer who confirmed the facts and never the names of the parties or the witnesses.
- 01
Application
The applicant confirms their identity through Stripe Identity, states the facts and supplies the evidence for them.
- 02
Review
A reviewer checks each fact against its source and asks any question on the applicant's private case page. Where no civil record exists, the reviewing scholar also interviews the parties.
- 03
Signatures
The parties and two witnesses each confirm their identity through Stripe Identity and sign the certificate through a separate link.
- 04
Issue
After the last signature the certificate is sealed with a digital signature and entered in the public register.
What a record is and is not
A record attests to facts about an event that has already taken place. It states only what the reviewers confirmed from the evidence supplied.
While these records have no binding civil legal effect, they are important proof for life events that are useful for mosques, embassies, and families, seeking affirmation and attestation from trusted sources.
We ensure that every party involved has a verified identity and take assurances to avoid issuing records obtained by a false statement or by altered document.
Every identity is confirmed through Stripe Identity.
Divorce records
Records a Talaq or Khulu' that has taken place, or a Faskh issued by the reviewing scholar. It does not end a civil marriage; only a civil court can.
Marriage records
Records a nikah that has already been contracted. The Bureau does not perform marriages, and a record is not a civil marriage licence.
Conversion records
Records that the person embraced Islam, as two witnesses attest, with the date and place the convert declares. Authorities that issue Hajj and Umrah visas set their own requirements.
Settlement records Not yet open
Records an agreement already made, such as a paid bride-purse or a divided estate, and how it was carried out. The Bureau does not arbitrate or enforce agreements.
Oversight and Operations
- Joe BradfordFounder and Director
- Sh. Ibrahim KhedrBoard Member
- Sh. Abdullah AshrafBoard Member
- Sr. Bibi KhanBoard Member
- Abu Ya'la AlfaroOperations and Support
Community partners
- An-Nisa Family ServicesCommunity partner
Questions can be sent to [email protected].