What is the ruling on a marriage that takes place without a guardian (wali), where the judge marries the man and woman in the presence of only two witnesses?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
The majority of scholars consider marriage without a guardian (wali) invalid, meaning a woman cannot marry herself. However, Imam Abu Hanifa permits a free, mature woman to marry herself. If a judge marries a woman without a guardian, following the school of thought of Abu Hanifa, the marriage is valid.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/162902
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 162902
- 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.
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- Read the full answer on Ftawy