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Is it permissible for the guardian to compel his daughter to marry an undesirable young man, according to the Hanbali school of thought, or is that limited to a girl under nine years of age and the insane?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

A previously married woman (thayyib) who has reached puberty cannot be forced into marriage at all, based on the hadith: "A previously married woman has more right to herself than her guardian." As for a virgin (bikr) who has reached puberty, scholars have differed regarding her father's right to compel her. The majority of scholars hold that only the father may compel her, not other guardians. However, the fatwa adopted by us is that a father does not have the right to compel his adult, sane daughter to marry someone she does not desire.

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

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