Islamic Fiqh > Marriage and family > Wilaya and kafa'a
Marital guardianship: its 5 causes by priority order, the mature woman, and kafa'a (equivalence) per the schools.
The wilaya is matrimonial guardianship: a woman's marriage passes through her wali, chosen among the agnates in an order of priority (son, brother, uncle), then the judge or the authority, for the sovereign is the wali of whoever has no wali (Abu Dawud 2083). The wali refuses only for a real religious cause, capricious refusal being settled by the judge in the bride's favor. Kafa'a, the equivalence between spouses (religion, lineage, occupation, wealth, free status), is not a condition of validity among the 4 schools: it preserves the bond, whose dissolution may be sought in case of a notable defect, a right that may be waived.
Contents
Updated on 07 October 2026 at 6:42 PM
Kafaa (spousal equivalence) from A to Z: its status, criteria (religion, lineage, craft, wealth, freedom), its consequences and disagreement cases.
The agnates in order (son, brother, uncle), then judge or authority: 'the sovereign is the wali of whoever has no wali' (Abu Dawud 2083).
Yes for a real religious cause (invalid or gravely harmful marriage); capricious refusal is settled by the judge in the bride's favor.
No: a condition of the marriage's preservation, not of validity, in the 4 schools; upon a notable mismatch, the wife (or her wali) may seek dissolution, a right waivable by consent.