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Is a son considered disobedient if he refuses to marry his paternal cousin based on his father's wish? And does this entail his father's anger towards him? And what should the son do in this situation?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

A father is not permitted to force his son or daughter to marry someone they do not desire, because forced marriages often lead to failure. Refusal in this case is not considered disobedience (ʿuqūq). Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said: "Parents do not have the right to compel a child to marry someone they do not wish for, and if the child refuses, they are not disobedient." Sheikh Ibn ʿUthaymin clarified that a father is not allowed to force his son to marry an unsuitable woman, nor to prevent him from marrying a suitable woman, and the son is not obligated to obey his father in this regard. The son should be tactful and wise in dealing with his father, seeking assistance from sensible relatives. If the father insists, his obedience is not obligatory, because in this case, he is being unjust. However, the son must still maintain good companionship with his father and treat him kindly.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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