Ruling on Parental Objection to Marrying a Righteous ManThis fatwa is taken from the book “500 Questions and Answers for Women,” based on the verdicts of the scholars of the Ḥaramayn, translated by Ḥāfiẓ ʿAbdullāh Salīm.
❖ Question:
A young woman states that a righteous man wished to marry her, but her father refused to allow the marriage. He even swore an oath saying that if she were to marry any religious man, he (God forbid) would disown her until the Day of Judgment. At the same time, many irreligious young men are proposing to her. If she were to agree to marry one of these irreligious men out of obedience to her father, would she be sinful, especially since she herself is a practicing Muslim? Also, by refusing to marry a righteous man whom she favors for his piety and good character, would she be considered in opposition to the guidance of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ?
❖ Answer:
It is not permissible for this girl's father to take such an oath, for this is an oath rooted in disobedience and wrongdoing, and such oaths are not binding.
If this girl can marry through a Sharʿī (Islamic) court, then there is no sin upon her in marrying a righteous, practicing young man.
Choosing to marry a pious suitor while rejecting unworthy or irreligious ones is in accordance with the Prophet’s ﷺ instruction:
«إذا أتاكم من ترضون دينه وخلقه فأنكحوه»
"When someone comes to you with whose religion and character you are pleased, then marry (your daughters) to him."
[Ḥasan – Sunan al-Tirmidhī, 1084]
Therefore, the father’s rejection of a righteous man without a valid Sharʿī reason is an act of injustice and transgression.
(Muḥammad Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Albānī رحمه الله)
