Is an urfi marriage for a divorced woman, mature and of her own free will, who married without the knowledge of her husband's family or her adult children, considered valid in Islamic law, taking into account the woman's need for a husband both emotionally and financially, and her fear for herself due to difficult living conditions?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
A woman cannot marry herself according to the majority of scholars. Instead, her guardian (wali) or his representative must be present. The aforementioned marriage, if it occurs without a guardian, is invalid according to the majority, and it must be annulled. However, it is valid according to the Hanafi school of thought, or if a legitimate judge who deems such a marriage valid rules for its validity. As for the husband's family not knowing about the marriage, and the fact that he is younger than her, these do not affect the validity of the marriage.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/100632
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 100632
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy