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Fatwa CenterSecretly marrying Christian workmate for fear of temptation
Question
Asalam-o-Alieykom I work in a good job and make good money to support my family i'm the boss and until recently i had a male assistant but now i have a female we have to spent long hours together in a room just us and we have to travel in a car for long distances to go to meetings she is single christian who doesn't date or drink we talk about work and islam and some times family i'm married and cant leave my job and the law says i cant fire her or ask for a replacement that is male. so what i want to know is should i marry her to avoid sin i count tell my work or my wife. she can support her self i know it would be nice to have a 2nd wife who could travel with me on businesses trips she is learning about islam she asked me to teach her on are trips in the car to help avoid sins and i could spend some nights with her but not the same as my first wife so please help me is a secret marriage a good thing to help me stay a good Muslim man i do all my prayers on time and find mosque where ever i travel and can't get to mine. t
Answer
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 
is His Slave and Messenger.
It is not permissible to be in seclusion with a non-Mahram woman. What is meant by seclusion is that a man and a woman become safe from anyone entering upon them. The Fiqh Encyclopedia reads: “It is not permissible for a woman to be in seclusion with a non-Mahram man even at work, and what is meant by seclusion is for a woman to be alone with a man and they are safe from a third person entering upon them.” For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 88280.
On the other hand, marrying a Christian woman is permissible if she is chaste, but it is undesirable. However, it is permissible to resort to it in case of necessity, as in your case. Please refer to Fatwa 84159.
You are not obliged to inform your first wife or those who work with you about this marriage. Announcing the marriage is desirable but not an obligation, but it should fulfill the conditions for its validity, the most important of which are the consent of the bride's guardian and the presence of two witnesses as clarified in Fatwa 83629. It is her guardian from her religion who should marry her off, and if there is none, then a priest according to the view of some scholars or whoever may act on behalf of an Islamic judge according to the view of some other scholars. For more benefit, kindly refer to Fatwa 39267.
Finally, it should be noted that a condition for marrying more than one wife is to be just between them. There is no harm if the wife provides for herself and renounces her right upon her husband in this regard. However, it is not permissible to stipulate this as a condition in the marriage contract. If such a condition is stipulated in the contract, then this condition is void.
Allaah Knows best.
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