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What is the opinion of the 4 madhab regarding the father marrying his prepubescent son without his consent?

I read online on this site that all four madhab agree that the father has the right to wed his young son without his consent, however no sources were mentioned.

"i. Approval of the groom who has not reached puberty: The four Madhabs agree that the father may wed his son, who has not reached puberty, to the bride, without his permission."

I would like to know the sources of this claim, along with the opinion of four madhab regarding this issue. I know the ruling that applies to young girls, but I have yet to come across a fatwa discussing young boys.

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Yes, a father can marry off his minor male child without his consent. This is the opinion the four madhabs.

واتفقوا على أن الأب يجبر ابنه الصغير على النكاح، وكذلك ابنته الصغيرة البكر ولا يستأمرها

They agreed that a father can force his minor son to marry, as well as his minor virgin daughter, without consulting her

Bidayat al-Mujtahid

It is without the child's consent because taking the consent of a child is meaningless, since they are not able to understand things properly or to decide wisely for themselves. It is their father who is their legal guardian and is responsible for deciding everything on their behalf. For example it is their father who will manage their finances, conduct transactions on their behalf, put them in school, take them to the dentist etc. He can do this even if the child themselves disagree because the father understands and knows better and he has great compassion towards the child and so is expected to decide what is in their best interest. Similarly it is the father who will decide whether they need to marry and who will be a suitable spouse for them.

The evidence of this includes:

  • وأنكحوا الأيامى منكم والصالحين من عبادكم وإمائكم

    And marry the unmarried among you and the righteous among your male slaves and female slaves.

    Quran 24:32

    This verse is addressed to guardians and tells them to marry off those who are unmarried among their dependents. Both minors and adults are included in the literal meaning of أيامى (unmarried ones) and there is no other evidence to exclude them.

  • أن ابن عمر زوج ابنا له ابنة أخيه وابنه صغير يومئذ

    Ibn Umar married off his son to the daughter of his brother and his son was a minor at that time

    Sunan al-Kubra al-Bayhaqi

    This is the act of a sahabi which is a source of evidence for the law.

  • It serves an interest: the father might come across a suitable match which will be lost if he waits for the child to grow up. Hence he can conduct marriage on behalf of his child to secure the opportunity while it is available.

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  • Thank you for the reference. For additional guidance, all four Madhabs—namely, Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Malik, Imam Ahmad, and Imam Shafi—unanimously agree that a minor son can be compelled by his father to marry? If possible, I would appreciate additional references from the primary books of these Madhabs for further clarity, though this is optional. جَزَاكَ ٱللَّٰهُ خَيْرًا Commented Aug 14 at 15:42

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