What role does the wali have in the marriage contract?
2026-09-21
F83 · Selected fatwas
Shaykh Ibn Bāz
الشيخ عبد العزيز بن باز
Original Q&A · Complete published question and answer
The complete published question and answer are included. The guardian requirement and the requirement for the woman's consent are both preserved, including the distinction between explicit consent and the silence discussed in the cited hadith.
النص العربي
السؤال الأصلي
هل تجب موافقة الولي في حالة زواج المرأة الثيب مرة أخرى؟ وما شروط الزواج الصحيح في حالتها؟
الجواب
من شرط صحة النكاح: صدوره عن ولي، سواء كانت المرأة بكرًا أو ثيبًا؛ لقول النبي ﷺ: لا نكاح إلا بوليّ، وقوله ﷺ: لا تزوج المرأة المرأة، ولا المرأة نفسها، ولكن الأيم لا بد من إذنها صريحًا، وهي الثيب، أما البكر فيكفي سكوتها، لقول النبي ﷺ: لا تنكح الأيم حتى تستأمر، ولا تنكح البكر حتى تستأذن، قالوا: يارسول الله وكيف إذنها؟ قال: أن تسكت متفق على صحته.
وروى مسلم في صحيحه عن النبي ﷺ أنه قال: الأيم أحق بنفسها من وليها، والبكر يستأذنها أبوها وإذنها صماتها، ومعنى قوله ﷺ: الأيم أحق بنفسها من وليها أنه ليس لوليها تزويجها إلا بإذن صريح منها؛ جمعًا بين الأحاديث في هذا الباب وهذا هو قول جمهور أهل العلم، وهو الحق الموافق للأحاديث الصحيحة. والله ولي التوفيق.
English translation
English translation prepared for SalafAlSalih.com from the cited Arabic source. It is not an official translation.
Original question
Is a guardian's approval required when a previously married woman marries again? What are the conditions of a valid marriage in her case?
Answer
A condition of a valid marriage is that it be concluded by a guardian, whether the woman is a virgin or previously married, because the Prophet ﷺ said: “There is no marriage without a guardian,” and: “A woman must not give another woman in marriage, nor give herself in marriage.” But the ayyim—that is, a previously married woman—must give explicit consent. For a virgin, her silence suffices, because the Prophet ﷺ said: “A previously married woman must not be married until she is consulted, and a virgin must not be married until her permission is sought.” They asked, “Messenger of Allah, how is her permission given?” He replied: “By her silence.” Its authenticity is agreed upon by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.
Muslim narrated in his Ṣaḥīḥ that the Prophet ﷺ said: “A previously married woman has more right over herself than her guardian, and a virgin's father seeks her permission; her permission is her silence.” His words that a previously married woman has more right over herself than her guardian mean that her guardian may not marry her without her explicit consent, thus reconciling the hadiths on this subject. This is the view of the majority of scholars, and it is the truth in accordance with the authentic hadiths. Allah is the One who grants success.
Source and editorial notes
Official Ibn Bāz website fatwa 19063
الموقع الرسمي للشيخ عبد العزيز بن باز
Official website of Shaykh ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Bāz
Arabic checked against the complete official published transcript. Text is preserved; spacing is normalized and legacy honorific glyphs are expanded. The English translates every displayed paragraph; Quran quotations are translations of their meanings.