There is no marriage except with a guardian
Narrator in the source: Abu Mūsa
Abu Mūsa al-Ash‘ari (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There is no marriage except with a guardian."- Grade in the source
- Authentic
- Reported by
- Narrated by Abu Dāwūd, At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Mājah, and Ahmad
- Source entry
- HadeethEnc · 58066 ↗
Original Arabic wording
عن أبي موسى رضي الله عنه أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: «لا نِكَاحَ إِلّا بِوَليٍّ».Understand this hadith
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) points out that a woman's marriage is not valid without a guardian who concludes the marriage contract.
Lessons from the hadith
- The guardian is a prerequisite for the validity of marriage. If the marriage occurs without a guardian or a woman marries herself off, the marriage is not valid.
- The guardian is the closest man to a woman. No distant guardian can marry her off while a closer guardian is available.
- A guardian must be: accountable, male, wise, aware of the interests related to marriage, and have the same religion as the one under his guardianship. Whoever does not fulfill these requirements is not qualified to be a guardian in a marriage contract.
References (original Arabic)
سنن أبي داود (3/ 427) (2085). سنن الترمذي (2/ 392) (1101). سنن ابن ماجه (3/ 79) (1881). مسند أحمد (32/ 280) (19518). البدرُ التمام شرح بلوغ المرام، للمَغرِبي (7/ 57). إرواء الغليل في تخريج أحاديث منار السبيل، للألباني (6/ 237). توضِيح الأحكام من بلوغ المَرَام، للبسام (5/ 262). منحة العلام في شرح بلوغ المرام، لعبد الله الفوزان (7/ 222). فتح ذي الجلال والإكرام بشرح بلوغ المرام، لابن عثيمين (4/ 469).