Is it permissible for a woman to marry herself off, or to appoint a lawyer as her guardian, or to have a guardian who is not a member of her family, given that her family objects to her marriage to a man in his seventies, while she is convinced of him and desires chastity?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
The guardian (wali) is a condition for the validity of the marriage contract (). Without him, the marriage is invalid, unless he obstructs her by preventing her from marrying a suitable suitor. In such a case, she may refer her matter to the ruler (hakim) to marry her off or order her guardian to do so. It is not permissible for her to appoint a stranger to be her guardian. As for the customary public declaration through a wedding feast (), it is not a condition for the validity of the marriage if the contract has been concluded, fulfilling its conditions and pillars, which include the guardian and witnesses.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/94233
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 94233
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy