Islamic Legal Analysis

Child Marriage in Islamic law

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Javad Habibi Tabar

Member of Law faculty, International University of Al-Mustafa, Qom, Iran

Abstract
There is a consensus among Imami jurisprudents about permitting marriage with a minor, provided that it is to his/her own benefit and there is no sin or corruption. However, there are some fatwas (legal opinion) about the permission or prohibition of pleasure from a minor wife in many recent books of Imamiyya jurisprudence which at first glance, indicate some non-conventional pleasures from an immature wife. By elaborating on the jurisprudents’ comments, the present paper rejects the above accusations, arguing that they stated the preliminary injunction and that they did not state the issue in a secondary injunction. The author then tries to prove that rulings which are in accordance with Imamiyya jurisprudence, have absolutely prohibited pleasures from a child, by providing details on the jurisprudence reasons and documents and by referring to the generalities of no loss principle.

Highlights

In spite of an extensive anti-Shia propaganda of giving permission for unconventional sexual pleasures and child abuse, it was proved by the present paper that the jurisprudents’ fatwas on the permission for pleasures were on preliminary injunctions. It tried to refute the charges by proving that grand jurisprudents basically did not consider secondary injunction. Considering the dominance of no loss principle, the Imam jurispruden principles require that any pleasure from one’s minor wife be prohibited given the physical and particularly mental harm that might be inflicted on her.

 

6-Implications

Given the results of the present study, some implications about the benefits of minors and her physical and mental health are proposed.

  • Legislators follow jurisprudents like Ayatollah Mustafa Khomeini to clearly forbid any unconventional pleasures. from one’s minor wife in the case law, if any law permitting marriage with minors is passed.
  • If not so, given the potential harm that may be caused on minor wife, it is recommended she undergo a medical test before engaging in sexual intercourse. If the doctor believes that she is not physically capable for marriage, the court of law prevents the marriage and no notary office can register this marriage. If marriage takes place without being registered at the notary office and the husband engages in intercourse in contrary to doctor’s diagnosis and the wife is harmed, he has to pay fine. Obviously, it will come into effect when the associated laws are enacted and a penal system is established.
  • To overcome the difficulty to enforce the laws of minors’ marriage according to Shiite jurisprudence, it is recommended that the meaning of benefit of minor girls in the case law be explicitly defined. It is of great significant given the various factors in the modern society about the criteria of choosing spouse.
  • It should be stipulated if spouses have no consent to their marriage after maturity the legal order of annulment is issued. This is in accordance with some narrations2 and is based on no loss principle, with this approximation that without consent to marriage, the requirement to pay alimony and dowry by the husband, and the requirement to be obedient and accept the dominance of husband by the wife causes harm on them, which is rejected in Islam.

Keywords

minor
marriage
pleasure (Istemta)
no loss principle

Article Title Persian

ازدواج کودکان در شریعت اسلامی

Author Persian

جواد حبیبی تبار
Member of Law faculty, International University of Al-Mustafa, Qom, Iran
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