❖ Question:
What is the ruling on marrying off an underage girl?
Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
✿ Answer:
The marriage of an underage girl is permissible.
❀ Imām Ibn al-Mundhir رحمه الله (d. 319H) said:
اجمع كل من نحفظ عنه من اهل العلم ان نكاح الاب ابنته البكر الصغيرة جائز
“All the scholars from whom knowledge has been preserved are unanimous that it is permissible for a father to marry off his young virgin daughter.”
(al-Mughnī by Ibn Qudāmah: 7/379)
❀ Al-Muhallab bin Aḥmad al-Andalusī رحمه الله (d. 435H), commentator of al-Bukhārī, said:
اجمعوا انه يجوز للاب تزويج ابنته الصغيرة البكر ولو كانت لا يوطا مثلها
“The scholars are unanimous that it is permissible for the father to marry off his young virgin daughter, even if she is not yet suitable for marital relations.”
(Fatḥ al-Bārī by Ibn Ḥajar: 9/190)
❀ ʿAllāmah Ibn Baṭṭāl رحمه الله (d. 449H) stated:
“The marriage of an underage girl to an adult man without consummation is permissible, even if she is still in the cradle. However, seclusion and consummation will only take place once she becomes capable of it.”
(Fatḥ al-Bārī by Ibn Ḥajar: 9/124)
❀ Ḥāfiẓ al-Nawawī رحمه الله (d. 676H) wrote:
اجمع المسلمون على جواز تزويج الاب ابنته الصغيرة لهذا الحديث
“Based on this hadith, the Muslims are in consensus that it is permissible for the father to marry off his young daughter.”
(Sharḥ al-Nawawī: 9/206)
✔ Scholarly Consensus
The ijmāʿ (consensus) of the Ummah is binding, and no argument against it is valid. Truth cannot contradict truth.
If someone argues that the natural purpose of marriage is sexual fulfillment and procreation, which is absent in the case of an underage girl, then the response is:
- Sharīʿah has declared such a marriage permissible.
- Its natural benefits will be realized in due time.
- Not every ruling must yield its benefits immediately.
Marriage is an act of goodness, supported by reason and revelation. Physical intimacy will only take place when the girl becomes capable.
Some people impose restrictions not only before puberty but even after it, opposing both reason and revelation.
✿ Final Advice
Muslims should hasten the marriages of their children to discharge their responsibility. Delaying marriage leads to many problems and can be harmful to health and society.
