611 – ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “A pilgrim in iḥrām must not marry, be married off, or make a marriage proposal.” Recorded by Muslim (1).

Glossary of the ḥadīth
• “lā yankiḥ”: the present-tense verb has an open yāʾ and is in the active voice, meaning that he must not conduct a marriage contract for himself. It is transmitted in two readings:

1. As an indicative statement, with “lā” functioning as a particle of negation.
2. As a prohibitive command, with “lā” functioning as a particle of prohibition that puts the verb in the jussive mood.
   According to the first reading the three verbs are in the indicative; according to the second they are in the jussive. Al-Khaṭṭābī considered the prohibitive reading the sounder one, and it is the predominant form in the various chains of transmission.
   • “wa-lā yunkaḥ”: with ḍammah on the yāʾ, passive voice, meaning that no one else may marry him off.
   • “wa-lā yakhṭub”: with ḍammah on the ṭāʾ, derived from “khiṭbah” (marriage proposal); it refers to requesting a woman in marriage, whether from her directly or from her family.

Lessons derived from the ḥadīth

1. It is forbidden for a person in iḥrām to contract a marriage for himself, whether both prospective spouses are in iḥrām or only one of them is while the other is not. Although expressed as a negation, the wording carries the force of prohibition, rendering the contract invalid.
2. It is likewise forbidden for a person in iḥrām to conduct a marriage contract on behalf of someone else—even if the bride or groom is outside iḥrām—whether he acts as guardian or agent. The general wording of the ḥadīth covers this case as well; being a negation intended as prohibition, it renders the contract invalid.