Is my marriage to a man 25 years my senior valid, given that my father objects and my mother approves, and can the marriage contract be validly concluded without my father's consent?

A father is often the most keen person to choose a righteous husband for his daughter, owing to his experience and compassion. If a father prevents his daughter from marrying a suitable match, thus harming her, he is considered to be 'adil (unduly preventing marriage). However, if the prevention is for a valid reason, then it is not considered so. A father's prevention due to an age difference may be justifiable, and the daughter might be emotionally impulsive. It is not permissible to issue a fatwa (definition) (religious edict) that the father's guardianship is forfeited merely because the suitor is a person of religiousness and good character, as there is no certainty that your father intends to harm you. Closeness between spouses in education, culture, age, and financial and social standing is desirable for the convergence of temperaments and to facilitate understanding.