I further say: One may look at an unrelated woman for purposes of business transactions, legal testimony, teaching, and the like, but only to the extent required; Allah knows best. As for the husband, he may look at every part of his wife’s body.

Section
It is lawful to propose to a woman who is neither married nor in a waiting period. No explicit proposal may be made to a woman observing ʿiddah, nor even an indirect hint to a woman in the waiting period of a revocable divorce. Indirect hints are permitted during the waiting period of widowhood, and—according to the more reliable view—to a woman in an irrevocable divorce as well. It is forbidden to propose after another man’s proposal when that proposal has been explicitly accepted, unless he grants permission. If the first suitor has neither been accepted nor rejected, a second proposal is, on the sound position, not forbidden. When someone is asked for advice about a prospective suitor, he must truthfully mention the man’s faults. It is recommended to deliver the marriage sermon both before making the proposal and before the contract itself. If the guardian recites the sermon and the groom says, “Praise be to Allah and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ; I accept,” the marriage is valid according to the stronger position, and in fact that wording is recommended.

I say, however, that the correct view is that it is not recommended; Allah knows best. Should a lengthy, unrelated statement intervene, the contract is invalid.

Section
A marriage contract is only valid when it contains an offer—such as “I marry her to you” or “I wed her to you”—and an acceptance from the groom, who may say, “I have married her,” “I have taken her in marriage,” “I accept her marriage,” or “I accept her wedlock.” The groom’s wording may precede that of the guardian. Only the verbs “to marry” (tazwīj) or “to wed” (inkāḥ) suffice; no other expressions are acceptable. According to the sounder view, the contract is valid if conducted in a non-Arabic language, but never with ambiguous wording. If the guardian says, “I marry her to you,” and the groom merely replies, “I accept,” the contract does not conclude according to the authoritative position. If the groom first says, “Marry her to me,” and the guardian replies, “I have married her to you,” or if the guardian says, “Marry her,” and the groom replies, “I have married,” the contract is valid.

A conditional marriage is invalid—for example, if a man, upon hearing that a child is expected, says, “If it is a girl, I have married her to you,” or if he says, “Should my daughter be divorced and complete her waiting period, I have married her to you.” Time-limited marriages are likewise void, as is the shighār arrangement, in which one says, “I marry her to you on the condition that….”