Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (12/173)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

Second: in this case, the benefit of the bridal gift reverts to someone other than the woman; it reverts to the guardian. Yet Allah, Most High, says: “Give women their bridal gifts graciously” [al-Nisa 4:4]—that is, as a gift, without withholding any part of it. Thus, He ascribed the bridal gifts to the women and commanded that they be given to them freely. But here, we have given this poor woman no bridal gift.

Third: this arrangement generally entails a breach of trust and a departure from it. When a man obtains access to a woman through offering his female ward in marriage, he neglects what the trust placed upon him requires—namely, choosing a suitable match for her. His only concern then becomes the one who will fulfill his own desire. Whether the man is righteous or corrupt does not matter to him. A righteous man may come to him and say, “I want you to marry her to me for a bridal gift,” but because he has no daughter, the guardian says, “No.” Then a sinful man who has a daughter comes to him, and they exchange marriages. This is a squandering of the trust which Allah, Most High, has placed upon man. Therefore, this contract is invalid both by textual evidence and rational consideration.

His statement, “with no bridal gift between them,” implies that if there is a bridal gift between them, the contract is valid. The apparent meaning of his words is that this applies whether the bridal gift is small or large, for he said, “with no bridal gift.” This indicates that if there is a bridal gift between them, the marriage is valid. This is because Nafiʿ’s explanation of shighar marriage was: “That he marries his daughter to him on the condition that the other marries his daughter to him, with no bridal gift between them” (1). Moreover, shighar carries the meaning of emptiness; thus they say, “The place became empty,” and people speak of “a vacant position,” meaning one that is empty, with no one occupying it. So, if there is a bridal gift, there is no emptiness. Furthermore, Allah says: “provided you seek them in marriage with your wealth,” and this man has sought

(1) Its source has been cited previously on p. 172.

ثانياً: أنه في هذه الحال عادت منفعة الصداق إلى غير المرأة، فعادت إلى الولي، والله تعالى يقول: ﴿وَآتُوا النِّسَاءَ صَدُقَاتِهِنَّ نِحْلَةً﴾ [النساء: ٤] أي: عطية بلا تقصير، فأضاف الصداق إليهن، وأمر بإعطائهن إياه نحلة، وهنا ما أعطينا هذه المسكينة صداقاً. ثالثاً: أن هذا فيه غالباً مخالفة الأمانة ومجانبتها، فإن الإنسان إذا كان يحصل له فرج امرأة بفرج موليته غفل عن مقتضى الأمانة، وهي اختياره الكفء لها، وصار لا يهمه إلا من يحقق له رغبته، أما أن يكون صالحاً أو طالحاً فلا يهمه، يأتيه الرجل الصالح فيقول: أريد أن تزوجني بمهر، لكن ليس عنده بنت فيقول: لا، ويأتيه الرجل الفاسق عنده بنت فيتبادلان، ففي هذا تضييع للأمانة التي حملها الله ـ تعالى ـ للإنسان، ولهذا كان هذا العقد باطلاً بالأثر وبالنظر. وقوله: «ولا مهر بينهما» مفهومه أنه إن كان بينهما مهرٌ صح العقد، وظاهر كلامه سواء كان المهر قليلاً أم كثيراً؛ لأنه قال: «ولا مهر» فعلم منه أنه إذا كان بينهما مهر فالنكاح صحيح؛ لأن تفسير نافع للشغار قال: «أن يزوجه ابنته على أن يزوجه الآخر ابنته وليس بينهما صداق» (١)، وأيضاً فإن الشغار بمعنى الخلو، ومنه قولهم شغر المكان إذا خلا، ومنه قول الناس: وظيفة شاغرة، يعني خالية ما فيها أحد، فإذا كان هناك مهر فلا خلو، وأيضاً فإن الله قال: ﴿أَنْ تَبْتَغُوا بِأَمْوَالِكُمْ﴾ وهذا الرجل قد ابتغى

(١) سبق تخريجه ص (١٧٢).