The woman left unmarried (anus) and the rules on her consent and maintenance

العَنُوس

In the lexicon, 'anus is a woman whose marriage is delayed after she reaches the age and stays in her family's house; the word is also used of a man whose marriage is late, and its plural is 'unnas 1. The obstruction of a marriage by a guardian can be a cause of a woman remaining unmarried 2. The jurists differ on treating the spinster as a virgin in matters of compulsion and consent: the majority hold she remains like a virgin in the guardian's power to compel her, while some Malikis and Shafi'is treat her like a previously married woman once her virginity is lost 2. The jurists do not fix a single age for spinsterhood; some give a range from twenty to forty, and others refer it to custom 2. The father must maintain an unmarried daughter until she marries 2.

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Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Global / Diaspora
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WomenFamily, marriage and kinship

Summary

In the lexicon, 'anus is a woman whose marriage is delayed after she reaches the age and stays in her family's house; the word is also used of a man whose marriage is late, and its plural is 'unnas 1. The obstruction of a marriage by a guardian can be a cause of a woman remaining unmarried 2. The jurists differ on treating the spinster as a virgin in matters of compulsion and consent: the majority hold she remains like a virgin in the guardian's power to compel her, while some Malikis and Shafi'is treat her like a previously married woman once her virginity is lost 2. The jurists do not fix a single age for spinsterhood; some give a range from twenty to forty, and others refer it to custom 2. The father must maintain an unmarried daughter until she marries 2.

People and things also explored

Obstructing a marriage (adl): the guardian and the husband· Fleshy growth in the wife's womb and the right to annul (afal)· Maleness (dhukura) as a condition in the rulings· Jāhilī Marriage Forms· The social condition of the Arabs before Islam· Waʾd (Infant Burial)· The custody of Hamza's daughter· The marriage of Fatima and Ali

Sources

  1. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.11900
  2. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.11901
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “The woman left unmarried (anus) and the rules on her consent and maintenance”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/anus-spinster/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

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Obstructing a marriage (adl): the guardian and the husband

In the lexicon, adl means to prevent, and the jurists use it of a guardian who prevents his ward's marriage, and in the case of divorce for ransom of a husband who harms his wife so that she will pay him back. In principle it is forbidden for a guardian to prevent a ward's marriage to a suitable husband, and for a husband to harm his wife to force her to ransom herself; a guardian may be permitted to refuse for the woman's own benefit. A guardian is an obstructer when a woman asks for a suitable husband, or a suitable man proposes, and he refuses without a valid reason, whether or not she asks for her proper dower; the Hanafis do not count refusing a dower below the usual amount as obstruction, and the Malikis do not count a compelling father's rejection of suitors as obstruction unless harm is intended. Once obstruction is proven before the judge, he orders the marriage; if the guardian still refuses, guardianship passes to the ruler according to the Hanafis, Shafi'is, most Malikis and one Hanbali narration, or to the next guardian according to the main Hanbali view; if all guardians obstruct, the judge contracts the marriage.