Is it permissible for a suitor to marry someone other than his fiancée to please his family, despite his refusal to do so and his desire to marry his fiancée, to whom he has been engaged for many years, and whose engagement has recently faced his family's rejection?

A man's marriage is valid even if his parents do not approve, but their approval is a form of righteousness. A mother does not have the right to force her son to marry someone he does not desire, or to prevent him from marrying someone he does desire. Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah stated that parents cannot compel their child to marry someone he does not want. Ibn Qudamah mentioned that if a guardian prevents a woman from marrying someone she desires, he has wronged her. If a guardian does not have the right to prevent a woman, then it is even more fitting for a mother not to prevent her son, because a mature, sane man has no guardianship over him regarding marriage. The son is advised to be patient with his mother and be dutiful to her, and to involve righteous people to persuade her. If she does not respond, then if no harm befalls him, he should obey her and abandon marrying the one she disapproves of. However, if harm does befall him, such as his heart becoming attached to the girl and he fears falling into haram, then he is permitted to marry her, and he must thereafter seek his mother's satisfaction.