and of indulgence and sensual enjoyment; rather, he is dishevelled, dusty, and wholly absorbed in obeying Allah instead of seeking comfort and luxury.

2 – One of the most intense forms of worldly pleasure is intimacy with women and enjoying their company. For that reason the pilgrim in ihrām is forbidden to marry on his own behalf, to marry off his ward, or even to put forward a mere proposal for himself, because such acts are a means that lead to sexual enjoyment. When the ultimate end—intercourse—has been prohibited, the means that lead to it, namely the marriage contract and the proposal, are likewise prohibited.

3 – If, in spite of this, a pilgrim in ihrām concludes a marriage contract for himself or for his ward, the act is sinful and the marriage invalid, for a prohibition entails both unlawfulness and invalidity.

Al-Wazīr Ibn Hubayra said: “There is unanimous agreement that a pilgrim in ihrām may not conclude a marriage contract for himself or for anyone else, whether he does so deliberately or unintentionally, because of the explicit ḥadīth. Moreover, ihrām forbids sexual intercourse and all that leads to it; accordingly, any contract concluded during it is void.”

Our jurists have stated: “It is unlawful for a pilgrim in ihrām to contract a marriage. If he were to marry for himself, to marry off a woman who is in ihrām or one who is not, or to act as guardian or agent in a marriage, the act would be sinful and the contract invalid. This is the position of the three imams—Mālik, al-Shāfiʿī, and Aḥmad.”

4 – With regard to ḥadīth no. 858, which says that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) married Maymūnah while he was in ihrām, the leading scholars held that this is a mistake on the part of Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with him).

Abū Rāfiʿ said, “I was the intermediary between the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and Maymūnah. He married her while he was in a state of ritual purity and consummated the marriage likewise,” and some declared the story to be mass-transmitted.

Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr said: “The reports on this ruling differ, yet the narration that he (peace and blessings be upon him) married her while ritually pure comes by numerous chains. The report of Ibn ʿAbbās has a sound isnād, but error is more likely to stem from one individual than from a group.”

Imam Aḥmad related that Ibn al-Musayyib said, “Ibn ʿAbbās was mistaken, for Maymūnah herself said, ‘He married me while he was not in ihrām.’”

Al-Albānī remarked: “The Companions’ unanimous adherence to the ḥadīth of ʿUthmān lends further support…"