a woman marries a man without a guardian—although, as mentioned previously, a guardian is a condition for marriage—the contract is invalid. Thus, if he dies, his son from another wife may marry her, because the contract was not valid. Whenever you hear the word “contract” in the Quran or the sunnah, what is meant is a valid contract.

Thus, by a valid contract, the wife of one’s father or any more remote ascendant becomes forbidden; the phrase, “and the wife of every grandfather,” suffices to include this.

If someone were to ask: Does the word “fathers” in Allah’s saying, “Do not marry those women whom your fathers married” [al-Nisa’ 4:22], possibly refer only to one’s biological father?

The answer is no. “Fathers” includes grandfathers, however far removed. Allah Most High says, “the religion of your father Abraham” [al-Hajj 22:78]. Our father Abraham, peace be upon him, is not our biological father; rather, he is the father of our fathers and grandfathers.

Issue: If a man fornicates with a woman, do her ascendants and descendants become forbidden to him? And do his ascendants and descendants become forbidden to her? They do not become forbidden, because she is not included in Allah’s saying, “the mothers of your wives and your stepdaughters under your care, born of your wives,” nor in His saying, “Do not marry those women whom your fathers married,” nor in His saying, “the wives of your sons.” A woman with whom one has fornicated is not included in any of these. Thus, the woman with whom one has fornicated is not among the wives of one’s sons, and her mother is likewise not among the mothers of one’s wives. Therefore, she remains lawful, by virtue of Allah Most High’s saying, “And lawful to you are all beyond these,” and in another recitation: “And He has made lawful to you all beyond these.” (1)