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Is it permissible for a girl to leave her family and marry a young man from another country without their consent, knowing that neither of them will marry anyone else?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If the intention behind a girl leaving her family is to marry without her guardian's permission, then she is not permitted to do so, because the guardian's consent is a condition for the validity of the marriage, according to the preponderant view among the majority of scholars. The guardian should not refuse a suitor who is committed to his religion and character merely because he is from another country.

If the suitor is a man of religion and good character, the girl should try to convince her parents. If they agree, then praise be to Allah. If they insist on refusing for valid reasons (such as fear for her well-being), then she must obey them. However, if the refusal is due to obstinacy without just cause, she has the right to marry him, and this is not considered disobedience, provided it is not done without her guardian's permission. Otherwise, she should take her case to the Sharia judge.

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

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