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Is it permissible for a girl to break off her engagement and marry a colleague of hers, despite her family's objection, and is that considered an injustice to the first fiancé?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The actions of this girl in getting to know a foreign young man are not permissible, as it is a gateway to corruption. It is also not permissible for this man to propose to her as long as the first engagement still exists, due to the prohibition of the Prophet (peace be upon him) regarding that. However, if the girl does not feel comfortable with her first fiancé, she is permitted to break off the engagement. It is disliked to do so without a reason. After breaking off the engagement, there is no impediment for her colleague to propose to her through her family. It is not permissible for the girl's family to compel her to marry someone she does not desire, or to prevent her from marrying someone she does desire. We remind that the engaged woman is still considered a stranger to her fiancé.

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

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