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Is it permissible for a Muslim girl to marry a Muslim man in the presence of a jurist, two witnesses, and her guardian, knowing that her guardian is her father who does not pray, drinks alcohol, and does not approve of her marriage, and knowing that she was adopted by a non-Muslim mother, and she has no Muslim relatives in her country of residence?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

For a marriage to be valid, it must be contracted by the guardian (wali) or his agent, based on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "There is no marriage except with a guardian and two just witnesses." The guardian of a woman is her father, then his father, then her son, then her sons, then her full brother (from both parents), then her half-brother (from the father only), then the sons of her brothers, then her paternal uncles, then their sons, then the ruler. The man who sponsors (kāfil) or adopts a child is not considered a guardian in marriage. If none of the guardians are present, then the شرعي (Sharia) judge, or the head of the Islamic center, or the Imam of the mosque, or a scholar among the scholars, or a just Muslim man may marry her off.

Adoption is forbidden in Islam, whereas sponsoring an orphan is a righteous deed. If the sponsor is a man and the sponsored is a girl, she must observe hijab in front of him upon reaching puberty, as he is a stranger to her. One should be kind to those who are kind to them, and treat them with respect, gentleness, and maintain ties.

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

Read the full answer on Ftawy