Is it correct to marry a woman over forty and not beautiful, with the intention of earning reward and fulfilling the desire of a chaste Muslim woman who missed the opportunity to marry?
If you are capable of marriage and of being just among your wives, then there is no blame upon you for marrying. And if you desire to marry an elderly or an unattractive woman with the intention of protecting her chastity and comforting her, then you will have a great reward for this intention, and it is considered a praiseworthy form of asceticism. Abu Talib al-Makki and Abu Sulaiman mentioned that desiring a woman who is physically less attractive or elderly is a door to asceticism. Malik bin Dinar also pointed to the virtue of marrying an orphan or a woman of modest means. Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, it is mentioned, chose a one-eyed woman because she was more intelligent.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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