Any woman who marries without the permission of her guardians, her marriage is void—three times—and if he consummated the marriage with her, she would be entitled to the dowry in return for his copulation with her. If a dispute arises between them, the ruler shall be the guardian of whoever has no guardian
‘Ā’ishah, Mother of the Believers, (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"Any woman who marries without the permission of her guardians, her marriage is void—three times—and if he consummated the marriage with her, she would be entitled to the dowry in return for his copulation with her. If a dispute arises between them, the ruler shall be the guardian of whoever has no guardian."
Reported by Abu Dawud (No. 2083), At-Tirmidhi (No. 1102), Ibn Majah (No. 1879), Ahmad (No. 23074, 23236, 24162) and Ad-Darimi (No. 2089).
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) warned that a woman should not give herself in marriage without her guardians' permission and that her marriage would be void, repeating this three times, as if it did not exist.
If the one who married her without her guardian's permission consummated the marriage with her, then the whole dowry would be hers on account of having sexual intercourse with her.
If the guardians dispute over the guardianship of the marriage contract—and their ranks are equal in this regard—the contract goes to whoever among them initiates it first, provided it is done with her best interest in mind. If the guardian refuses to marry her off, it is as if she has no guardian; in this case, the ruler or his delegate, such as the judge and the like, becomes her guardian. Otherwise, the ruler has no guardianship if a legitimate guardian is present.
Lessons
The legal guardian is a condition for the validity of marriage, and it was reported from Ibn al-Mundhir that none among the Companions is known to have a different opinion.
In case of an invalid marriage, a woman is entitled to the dowry in return for having sexual intercourse with her.
The ruler is the legal matrimonial guardian of any woman who does not have a guardian, whether because he does not exist in the first place or he is preventing her from marriage.
The ruler is regarded as the guardian of anyone having no guardian, in case the guardian is absent or cannot fulfill his role. The judge acts on behalf of the ruler, as he is his deputy in such matters.
Guardianship in a woman's marriage does not mean that she has no right; rather, she has a right, and her guardian is not permitted to marry her off except with her permission.
The conditions of a valid marriage are: 1. Identifying each of the two spouses by signaling, naming, describing, etc. 2. The mutual consent of both spouses. 3. The woman's legal guardian is the one to conclude the marriage contract on her behalf. 4. Having witnesses testify to the marriage contract.
The conditions that should be fulfilled by the guardian who concludes the marriage contract are: 1. Sanity. 2. Being a male. 3. Adulthood, by reaching the age of fifteen or reaching sexual maturity. 4. Having the same religion, as no disbeliever is entitled to guardianship over a male or a female Muslim, likewise no Muslim is entitled to guardianship over a male or a female disbeliever. 5. Uprightness that is contrary to defiant disobedience, and here it is sufficient that he acts with the intent of ensuring the best interest of the woman he is responsible for marrying off. 6. Being sensible and not foolish, meaning the ability to discern the suitability of the potential spouse and understand the interests involved in marriage.
The woman's legal matrimonial guardians have a specific order according to the Muslim jurists, and it is not permissible to bypass the closest guardian unless he is absent or does not meet the necessary conditions. The woman's guardian is her father, then his appointed guardian for her, then her paternal grandfather up to all ancestors, then her son, then his sons down to all descendants, then her full brother, then her half-brother from the father's side, then their sons, then her paternal uncle (from both parents), then her paternal uncle from the father's side, then their sons, then the closest male relative from her ‘Asabah (male relatives who inherit), then the Muslim ruler or his delegate, like the judge, is the guardian of whoever has no guardian.
Explanation in Arabic
حَذَّرَ النبيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِنْ أنْ تُزَوِّجَ المرأةُ نفسَها بغير إذن أوليائها، وأنَّ نكاحَها باطل، وقد كَرَّره ثلاث مرات، وكأنه لم يكن.
فإنْ دَخَل بها الذي تزوجها بغير إذن وليها؛ فالمَهر الكامل لها بما أصاب من جماعها في فرجها.
ثم إنْ تنازع الأولياء في ولاية العقد -ومراتبهم فيه سواء- فالعقد لمن سَبق إليه منهم إذا كان ذلك نظرًا منه في مصلحتها، فإن امتنع الولي من التزويج فكأنه لا ولي لها؛ فيكون السلطان أو وليُّه من القضاة ونحوهم وليَّها، وإلا فلا ولاية للسلطان مع وجود الولي.
اشتراط الوليِّ لصحة النكاح، وحُكي عن ابن المنذر أنه لا يُعرَف عن أحد من الصحابة خلافُ ذلك.
في النكاح الباطل تستحق المرأة المهر مقابل وطء الرجل لها.
السلطان ولي مَن لا ولي لها من النساء، سواء كان ذلك بسبب عدم وجوده أصلًا، أو بسبب امتناعه عن تزويجها.
السلطان يعتبر ولي من لا ولي له، في حال فَقْدِ الولي أو تعذُّرِه، ويقوم مقامه القاضي؛ لأنه النائب عنه في هذه المسائل.
الولاية في تزويج المرأة لا يعني أنه ليس لها حق، بل لها حق ولا يجوز لوليها أن يزوجها إلا بإذنها.
شروط النكاح الصحيح: أولًا: تعيين كل من الزوجين بالإشارة أو التسمية أو الوصف ونحو ذلك، ثانيًا: رِضى كلٍّ من الزوجين بالآخر، ثالثًا: أنْ يَعقِد للمرأة وليُّها، رابعا: الشّهادة على عقد النكاح.
يشترط في الولي الذي يعقد النكاح: أولًا: العقل، ثانيًا: أن يكون ذكرًا، ثالثًا: البلوغ، ببلوغه خمسة عشر عامًا أو الاحتلام، رابعًا: اتحاد الدّين فلا ولاية لكافر على مسلم ولا مسلمة، وكذلك لا ولاية لمسلم على كافر أو كافرة، خامسًا: العدالة المنافية للفسق، ويكفي منها أن يحصل منه النّظر في مصلحة من تولّى أمر تزويجها، سادسًا: أن يكون الولي راشدًا غير سفيه، وهو القدرة على معرفة الكُفْءِ ومصالح النكاح.
لأولياء المرأة في التزويج ترتيب عند الفقهاء فلا يجوز تعدّي الولي الأقرب إلا عند فَقْدِه أو فَقْدِ شروطه، ووليّ المرأة أبوها، ثمّ وَصِيُّه فيها، ثمّ جدّها لأب وإن علا، ثمّ ابنها، ثم بنوه وإن نزلوا، ثمّ أخوها لأبوين، ثم أخوها لأب، ثمّ بنوهما، ثمّ عمّها لأبوين، ثمّ عمها لأب، ثمّ بنوهما، ثمّ الأقرب فالأقرب نسبًا من العصبة كالإرث، والسّلطان المسلم ومن ينوب عنه كالقاضي وليّ من لا وليّ له.
