Fatwa ID: 08197

Answered by: Maulana Kawsar Ahmed

Question:

Assalamualaikum,

If a girl explicitly states that she does not accept a Nikah where her father is acting as her wali (guardian)—if she says this either to herself, her father, or anyone else—but later her father acts as her wali during her Nikah and she does not have any objections, will her Nikah be valid?

Also, can a woman take her father’s right of being her wali away from him?

JazakAllah Khairan

Answer:

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

It is important for us to recognise that a wali (guardian) being involved in the marriage of a woman is a major factor in a successful, blessed, and Islamic marriage. The Prophet ﷺ has clearly expressed this in a Hadith within which he said:

“There is no (complete) marriage without a wali (guardian).” [1]

From this Hadith and its strong language, we can understand the importance of the involvement of a guardian in an Islamic marriage and that a woman should always try her very best to keep her guardian involved as much as she is able to do so.

However, the scholars have mentioned that the consent or involvement of a guardian is not a condition for the validity of a marriage for a mature woman, but rather it is something which is desirable. [2]

This means that a marriage will be valid without the consent of a guardian. So with this in mind, if a father was to act as a guardian on behalf of his daughter or not, it would not have any bearing on the validity of the marriage.

Hence, if a woman is pleased with the action of her father on her behalf, then the marriage will be valid.

There are certain situations wherein the guardian will no longer possess the right to marry a woman off on her behalf.

The main factor due to which a father will no longer be allowed to marry his daughter off is if he is careless or reckless in his judgement—meaning that he attempts to marry off his daughter to someone who she is not compatible with or he attempts to do so for an amount of dowry which is not reasonable. However, if the daughter is content with this sort of marriage, then the marriage will still be valid. [3]

Only Allah knows best.

Written by: Maulana Kawsar Ahmed
Checked and approved by: Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham

[1] عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «لَا نِكَاحَ إِلَّا بِوَلِيٍّ».

ص229 – كتاب سنن أبي داود ت محيي الدين عبد الحميد، رقم الحديث: ٢٠٨٥– باب في الولي – المكتبة الشاملة

وَهِيَ هُنَا نَوْعَانِ: وِلَايَةُ نَدْبٍ عَلَى الْمُكَلَّفَةِ وَلَوْ بِكْرًا وَوِلَايَةُ إجْبَارٍ عَلَى الصَّغِيرَةِ وَلَوْ ثَيِّبًا وَمَعْتُوهَةٍ وَمَرْقُوقَةٍ كَمَا أَفَادَهُ بِقَوْلِهِ

ص55 – كتاب حاشية ابن عابدين رد المحتار ط الحلبي – باب الولي – المكتبة الشاملة [2]

[3] (قَوْلُهُ مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ مُتَهَتِّكًا) فِي الْقَامُوسِ: رَجُلٌ مُنْهَتِكٌ وَمُتَهَتِّكٌ وَمُسْتَهْتِكٌ لَا يُبَالِي أَنْ يَتَهَتَّكَ سِتْرُهُ اهـ قَالَ فِي الْفَتْحِ عَقِبَ مَا نَقَلْنَا عَنْهُ آنِفًا، نَعَمْ إذَا كَانَ مُتَهَتِّكًا لَا يَنْفُذُ تَزْوِيجُهُ إيَّاهَا بِنَقْصٍ عَنْ مَهْرِ الْمِثْلِ وَمِنْ غَيْرِ كُفْءٍ وَسَيَأْتِي هَذَا. اهـ. وَحَاصِلُهُ أَنَّ الْفِسْقَ وَإِنْ كَانَ لَا يُسْلَبَ الْأَهْلِيَّةَ عِنْدَنَا، لَكِنْ إذَا كَانَ الْأَبُ مُتَهَتِّكًا لَا يَنْفُذُ تَزْوِيجُهُ إلَّا بِشَرْطِ الْمَصْلَحَةِ وَمِثْلُهُ مَا سَيَأْتِي مِنْ قَوْلِ الْمُصَنِّفِ وَلَزِمَ وَلَوْ بِغَبْنٍ فَاحِشٍ أَوْ بِغَيْرِ كُفْءٍ إنْ كَانَ الْوَلِيُّ أَبًا أَوْ جَدًّا لَمْ يُعْرَفْ مِنْهُمَا سُوءُ الِاخْتِيَارِ وَإِنْ عُرِفَ لَا اهـ وَبِهِ ظَهَرَ أَنَّ الْفَاسِقَ الْمُتَهَتِّكَ وَهُوَ بِمَعْنَى سَيِّئِ الِاخْتِيَارِ لَا تَسْقُطُ وِلَايَتُهُ مُطْلَقًا لِأَنَّهُ لَوْ زَوَّجَ مِنْ كُفْءٍ بِمَهْرِ الْمِثْلِ صَحَّ كَمَا سَيَأْتِي بَيَانُهُ

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ص54 – كتاب حاشية ابن عابدين رد المحتار ط الحلبي – باب الولي – المكتبة الشاملة