Kafaah
Kafaah is a recommended match between spouses in matters such as religious commitment and character, weighed before a marriage.
What it means for me: Kafaah is not about wealth or family status the way custom often assumes. For the majority of scholars, religious commitment and character outweigh lineage, profession, or money as the standard that matters most.
Example: A guardian hesitates over a suitor because his family is less prominent locally. The man himself prays regularly and is known for honesty. Scholars weighing kafaah by religion and character would treat that hesitation differently than one based on lineage.
Do not confuse with: Wali, the marriage guardian. A guardian's approval is a separate requirement from kafaah. A guardian may raise a kafaah objection, but kafaah itself is a standard, not a role a person holds.
If scholars differ: Scholars differ on whether kafaah is a condition for the marriage contract's validity or simply recommended. They also differ on which standards count most, though the majority hold that religious commitment and character outweigh the rest.
See the term in context
What is the Islamic ruling on the issue of sponsor (kafeel) and sponsorship (kafaalah) for foreigners in Arab countries, and is the phrase "my sponsor" (kafeeli) and "so-and-so's sponsor" (kafeel fulaan) Islamically permissible, and is the money that the sponsor takes from the sponsored person as a commission lawful?
The basic principle is that a Muslim has the right to enter any Muslim country, reside in it, and engage in permissible work. They are entitled to the same rights and obligations as the country's inhabitants. However,…
Is it permissible, in Islamic law, for a manager to refuse to grant an employee a waiver to transfer to another job, or to renege on promises of promotion and salary increase? And was sponsorship (kafalah) instituted to prevent an employee from earning his livelihood?
It is not permissible for the employer to break a promise. The questioner may continue his work while demanding a salary increase or non-renewal of the contract. The company has the right to prevent transfer if it is in…
What is the ruling regarding a person who disbelieved (kafara), then led the people in prayer (amma), and we do not know whether he repented or not?
Among the conditions for the validity of following an Imam is that he must be a Muslim. Thus, it is not permissible to follow a disbeliever (Kafir), whether he is an original disbeliever or an apostate (Murtad). If an…
Questions that use it
What is the ruling on an employer deducting one thousand riyals monthly from the dues of a worker whom he forced to sign a paper to that effect, stipulating the completion of his kafala transfer to receive his dues?
Why was a "fatḥah" placed on the last word "al-mushrikīn" in the noble verse: "Lām yakuni allatheena kafaroo min ahli al-kitābi wa-al-mushrikīna munfakkeena," even though it is a sound masculine plural and in the genitive case?
Can the amount of an orphan's sponsorship (kafala) be transferred for the treatment of the sick if she is not in need of the money, and would the donor be sinful for doing so?