What is the ruling on a woman saying to a man, "I give myself to you in marriage," when she is divorced and 50 years old? And is it permissible for a father to prevent his daughter from marrying on the pretext of having children?
For a marriage to be valid, the pillars and conditions of marriage must be met, namely: offer and acceptance, the guardian (wali), two witnesses, and the dower (sadaq). A marriage is not valid merely by the agreement of a man and a woman and the writing of a document without the presence of the guardian and two witnesses; rather, that is considered zina (illicit sexual relations). If a father prevents his daughter from marrying without a legitimate শর'i reason, he is considered an 'adil (one who unjustly obstructs). In this case, recourse can be sought through the Sharia court to revoke the father's guardianship, and the judge will then arrange her marriage or designate the next legitimate guardian. If a woman has an adult son, he is the most entitled to her marriage guardianship according to the majority of scholars.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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