The Muslim woman is considered oppressed since she must have her father’s permission to get married.
1. Islaamic law requires the permission of a woman’s father for her marriage to be valid. Prophet Muhammad (r) was reported to have said, “The marriage of any woman who marries herself without her guardian¶s consent is invalid.”
2. From a Western perspective in which teenagers are required to leave home and fend for themselves, it would seem unthinkable that the father’s permission would be needed for marriage.
3. The Muslim woman lives a sheltered life. She is not used to dealing with men outside her blood relatives whom she cannot marry (mahaarim). The father will be more capable of judging the young man objectively. The young woman could easily be fooled or sweet-talked as she tends to be more emotional in her judgement.
4. If the guardian refuses proposals for illegitimate reasons like the persons tribe, race, color, status, the young lady has the right to seek redress from the court. If he judge concludes that the father is wrongfully preventing his daughter from marriage, he may take the guardianship from the father and act as the girls guardian.
BY :Dr Zakir Abdul Karim Naik
