Restricting the marriage of a woman to a certain relative
Question:
“What is the ruling on some men restricting the choice of their female relatives in marriage so that they marry only them? May Allah reward you with the best.”
Answer:
“This is an act of Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic time of ignorance) and may come under the general ruling of preventing women from marrying, which is prohibited by Allah (Exalted be He) in His Saying:
{And when you have divorced women and they have fulfilled the term of their prescribed period, do not prevent them from marrying their (former) husbands, if they mutually agree on reasonable basis.} [Surah al-Baqarah 2:232]
It was also reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “If someone whose standard of faith and honesty is satisfactory comes to you seeking marriage, give him (your daughter or female relative) in marriage. If you do not do so, this will lead to Fitnah (trials) on earth and great corruption.”[1] (Related by Al-Tirmidhy)
Refusing a suitor whose religion, honesty, and morals are satisfactorily acceptable leads to corruption for both the man and the woman. Furthermore, marriage should be based on mutual consent of the spouses; the woman should accept the man, as this is a precondition of marriage. If one of the woman's relatives forces her to marry someone without her consent, this is Haram (prohibited). Men should have Taqwa (fear of offending Allah) remembering that Allah (Exalted be He) is always watching, so they should take care of the women who are under their guardianship and choose competent partners for them. Men should give up the prohibited habits of Jahiliyyah that are not sanctioned by Allah (Exalted be He) and bring about malice, dissension, and disputes between the spouses.”
Shaykh 'Abdul-'Azeez Aal ash-Shaykh
Source: www.alifta.net - Fatwas by His Eminence Shaykh `Abdul-`Aziz ibn `Abdullah Al Al-Shaykh
[1] Al-Tirmidhy, Sunan, Book on marriage, no. 1085.
“What is the ruling on some men restricting the choice of their female relatives in marriage so that they marry only them? May Allah reward you with the best.”
Answer:
“This is an act of Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic time of ignorance) and may come under the general ruling of preventing women from marrying, which is prohibited by Allah (Exalted be He) in His Saying:
{And when you have divorced women and they have fulfilled the term of their prescribed period, do not prevent them from marrying their (former) husbands, if they mutually agree on reasonable basis.} [Surah al-Baqarah 2:232]
It was also reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “If someone whose standard of faith and honesty is satisfactory comes to you seeking marriage, give him (your daughter or female relative) in marriage. If you do not do so, this will lead to Fitnah (trials) on earth and great corruption.”[1] (Related by Al-Tirmidhy)
Refusing a suitor whose religion, honesty, and morals are satisfactorily acceptable leads to corruption for both the man and the woman. Furthermore, marriage should be based on mutual consent of the spouses; the woman should accept the man, as this is a precondition of marriage. If one of the woman's relatives forces her to marry someone without her consent, this is Haram (prohibited). Men should have Taqwa (fear of offending Allah) remembering that Allah (Exalted be He) is always watching, so they should take care of the women who are under their guardianship and choose competent partners for them. Men should give up the prohibited habits of Jahiliyyah that are not sanctioned by Allah (Exalted be He) and bring about malice, dissension, and disputes between the spouses.”
Shaykh 'Abdul-'Azeez Aal ash-Shaykh
Source: www.alifta.net - Fatwas by His Eminence Shaykh `Abdul-`Aziz ibn `Abdullah Al Al-Shaykh
[1] Al-Tirmidhy, Sunan, Book on marriage, no. 1085.