gave her the choice either to uphold the marriage or to reject it.
Points derived from the narration:
1 – This ḥadith conveys the same ruling as the preceding reports: a woman who is capable of understanding the interests of marriage may not be forced into it—neither by her father nor by any other guardian. The decision lies with her, even if she is a virgin. A detailed discussion of the scholarly dispute on this question has already been presented.
2 – Shaykh al-Islām said that the basis for compulsion is minority, not virginity, for an adult woman—though still a virgin—knows her own rights and what is suitable or unsuitable for her. Ibn al-Qayyim added: “Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim records from Ibn ʿAbbās: ‘A virgin is consulted by her father.’ This is the opinion to which we are committed; we hold no other. It accords with the judgment, commands, and prohibitions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, with the principles of his law, and with the welfare of his community.”
3 – Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm Āl al-Shaykh said: “Consent is a condition for the validity of marriage. Even when the girl is a virgin, her father may not compel her. The evidences for this position are clear, and it was the choice of Shaykh al-Islām and Ibn al-Qayyim.” Al-Fāʾiq declares this view “the soundest,” and al-Zarkashī calls it “the more evident.” It is also the position of al-Awzāʿī, al-Thawrī, Abū Thawr, the Ḥanafī jurists, and Ibn al-Munḏhir, and it is the correct view.
4 – Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Saʿdī stated: “The correct ruling is that a father has no right to force his adult, rational daughter to marry someone she does not approve of. If he cannot compel her to sell any part of her property, then how could he compel her in what concerns her very person? The harm of coercing her in this matter is far greater than that related to wealth, as the well-known aḥādīth in this chapter demonstrate.”
5 – The ḥadith further indicates that if a marriage contract is concluded in a manner contrary to Islamic law, it must be annulled, and the authority competent to annul it is the sharʿī judge.