A Juridical-Legal Inquiry into  Aḍl in the Marriage of the Grown-up Virgin

To prevent the consequences of inexperience and prevalence of fervor resulting from emotions and sentiments in a young girl who is unfamiliar with marital affairs, the legislator has deemed as necessary the permission [for marriage] by the girl’s father as the most compassionate person in recognition of her interests. However, this is a controversial issue in jurisprudence. The father and paternal grandfather have no authority over the marriage of the grown-up female who is divorced or non-virgin (thayyiba); but there are some views in case she is a grown-up virgin.All the jurists who regard the guardian (walī)’s permission in marriage of the virgin girl as valid go on to say that the guardian’s permission is valid only if the guardian does not refrain from giving permission without an excused reason. However, if the guardian refuses to give permission despite the existence of a competent suitor and the girl’s willingness, in that case the validity of his permission is voided. Nevertheless, if the guardian prohibits the girl from getting married to someone incompatible or equal to her (in marriage), this prohibition is called ‘aḍl. In this paper, following the conceptology of the terms and through a comparative study of the Imāmī and Sunni schools, we will examine the term ‘aḍl as the most important instance of the lapse of authority (wilāya) of the guardian in the marriage of a grown-up virgin. In conclusion, we will critically review the viewpoint of the Iranian law in this respect.