Validity of Marriage Without a Guardian's Consent

 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الصلاة والسلام عليك يا سيدي يا رسول الله

وعلى آلك واصحابك يا سيدي يا نور الله

فداك ابي وامي يا رسول الله

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:

وَاِذَا طَلَّقۡتُمُ النِّسَآءَ فَبَلَغۡنَ اَجَلَہُنَّ فَلَا تَعۡضُلُوۡہُنَّ اَنۡ یَّنۡکِحۡنَ اَزۡوَاجَہُنَّ اِذَا تَرَاضَوۡا بَیۡنَہُمۡ بِالۡمَعۡرُوۡفِ

And when you divorce women and they reach the end of their period, prevent them not from marrying their husbands, if they agree between themselves in a decent manner

(Surah 2 Ayah 232)

The principle laid down in this Ayah is that a lady is free to marry a Muslim man without her guardian’s consent. The guardian is being instructed in this Ayah not to prevent her from marrying the man she wishes to marry. And this is the well known ruling of the Hanafi madhhab, that although it is preferable and ideal for a woman to marry with her guardian’s consent, it is not a requirement for the validity of a marriage. This principle is made clear in the Hadith of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم

الأَيِّمُ أَحَقُّ بِنَفْسِهَا مِنْ وَلِيِّهَا

A single woman has more right to her person than her guardian (Sahih Muslim)

Abu Bakr Ibn Abi Shaybah has brought out several narrations from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and the Companions رضى الله عنهم concerning the validity of a marriage without the guardian’s consent under the heading:

من أجازه بغير ولي ولم يفرق

Here it is mentioned that Mawla Ali كرم الله وجهه approved of the marriage of al-Qa’qa bin Thawr to Bahirah bint Hani without her father’s permission (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah; v.3, pp.456-457, #15948)

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو دَاوُدَ عَنْ شُعْبَةَ عَنْ مُصْعَبٍ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ مَوْلَى ابْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ فَقَالَ يَجُوزُ فِي الْمَرْأَةِ تَزْوِيجٌ بِغَيْرِ وَلِيٍّ

The mawla of Ibn Abdillah bin Yazid said: It is permissible for a woman to marry without a guardian (ibid, p.457, #15949)

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْأَعْلَى عَنْ مَعْمَرٍ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ الزُّهْرِيَّ عَنِ امْرَأَةٍ تُزَوَّجُ بِغَيْرِ وَلِيٍّ فَقَالَ إِنْ كَانَ كُفُؤًا جَازَ

Ma’mar said: I asked az-Zuhri about a woman who gets married without a guardian, so he said: If he is a suitable match, it is permissible (ibid, #15950)

حَدَّثَنَا - وَكِيعٌ عَنْ سُفْيَانَ عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ سَالِمٍ عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ قَالَ إِذَا كَانَ كُفُؤًا جَازَ

Ash-Sha’bi said: If he is a suitable match, it is permissible (ibid, #15951)

حَدَّثَنَا - أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ عَنِ الشَّيْبَانِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي قَيْسٍ الْأَوْدِيِّ عَمَّنْ حَدَّثَهُ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ أَنَّهُ أَجَازَ نِكَاحَ امْرَأَةٍ بِغَيْرِ وَلِيٍّ أَنْكَحَتْهَا أُمُّهَا بِرِضَاهَا

Ali رضى الله عنه permitted the marriage of a woman without a guardian, if her mother married her with her consent (ibid, #15952)

حَدَّثَنَا سَلَّامٌ وَجَرِيرٌ عَنْ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ بْنِ رُفَيْعٍ عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ قَالَ جَاءَتِ امْرَأَةٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَتْ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ عَمَّ وَلَدِي خَطَبَنِي فَرَدَّهُ أَبِي وَزَوَّجَنِي وَأَنَا كَارِهَةٌ قَالَ فَدَعَا أَبَاهَا فَسَأَلَهُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ إِنِّي أَنْكَحْتُهَا وَلَمْ آلُوهَا خَيْرًا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَا نِكَاحَ اذْهَبِي فَانْكِحِي مَنْ شِئْتِ

A woman came to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and said that her son’s paternal uncle proposed to her but her father rejected it and married her (without her consent to someone else), whom she disliked. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم verified this from him then said: There is no marriage, go and marry whomever you wish (ibid, #15953)

حَدَّثَنَا - يَزِيدُ بْنُ هَارُونَ عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ أَنَّ الْقَاسِمَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّ عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ يَزِيدَ وَمُجَمِّعَ بْنَ يَزِيدَ الْأَنْصَارِيَّيْنِ أَخْبَرَاهُ أَنَّ رَجُلًا مِنْهُمْ يُدْعَى خِدَامًا أَنْكَحَ ابْنَةً لَهُ فَكَرِهَتْ نِكَاحَ أَبِيهَا فَأَتَتْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَذَكَرَتْ ذَلِكَ لَهُ فَرَدَّ عَنْهَا نِكَاحَ أَبِيهَا فَخُطِبَتْ فَنَكَحَتْ أَبَا لُبَابَةَ بْنَ عَبْدِ الْمُنْذِرِ وَذَكَرَ يَحْيَى أَنَّهُ بَلَغَهُ أَنَّهَا كَانَتْ ثَيِّبًا

A man called Khidam married his daughter to someone, and she disliked her father’s choice, so she came to the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم and mentioned that to him, so he rejected her father’s marriage choice. She was proposed to and married to Abu Lubabah ibn Abd al-Mundhir (ibid, #15954)

حَدَّثَنَا - يَزِيدُ بْنُ هَارُونَ قَالَ نَا يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ أَنْكَحَتْ حَفْصَةَ ابْنَةَ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ الْمُنْذِرَ بْنَ الزُّبَيْرِ وَعَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ غَائِبٌ فَلَمَّا قَدِمَ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ غَضِبَ وَقَالَ أَيْ عِبَادَ اللَّهِ أَمْثَلِي يُفْتَاتُ عَلَيْهِ فِي بَنَاتِهِ فَغَضِبَتْ عَائِشَةُ وَقَالَتْ أَتَرْغَبُ عَنِ الْمُنْذِرِ

A’ishah رضى الله عنها married Hafsah, the daughter of Abd ar-Rahman bin Abi Bakr, to Al-Mundhir bin Az-Zubayr, and Abd ar-Rahman was absent. When Abd ar-Rahman came, he became angry and said: O servants of Allah, is someone like me being forced upon him regarding his daughters? So she became angry. A’ishah رضى الله عنها said: Do you want to turn away from Al-Mundhir? (ibid, #15955)

حَدَّثَنَا- ابْنُ فُضَيْلٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ الْحَكَمِ قَالَ كَانَ عَلِيٌّ إِذَا رُفِعَ إِلَيْهِ رَجُلٌ تَزَوَّجَ امْرَأَةً بِغَيْرِ وَلِيٍّ فَدَخَلَ بِهَا أَمْضَاهُ

al-Hakam said: Whenever a man was brought to Ali who married a woman without a guardian and entered upon her he would ratify it (ibid, #15957)