Grand Ayatollah Shirazi: A girl’s mature status is a matter of Shari’a ruling, based on common custom

The daily scholarly meeting of Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Sadiq al-Hosseini al-Shirazi was held on Monday, the 16th of Rabi al-Awwal. In this session, like the previous meetings, the Marja answered the questions of the attendees about various jurisprudence issues.

In response to a question about a girl’s maturity and the necessity of the father’s permission for a girl’s marriage, Grand Ayatollah Shirazi said: There is nothing specified in the hadiths as the criterion for a girl’s maturity. Therefore, in such cases which are decided by Sharia rulings, the decision will be formed based on the custom practice and opinion (Urf) as to who is described as a mature girl.

His Eminence gave a brief definition of a mature (Rashidah) girl as follows: A girl who is not stupid and who can distinguish between good and bad standards at her own level at any age, and is able to understand and appreciate such issues.

He further said: Of course, it is clear that a girl who is twenty years old does not have the same experience as a forty-year-old woman, and the latter is more mature, but the meaning of maturity should also be taken from common practice and opinion (Urf). Whatever Urf determines as maturity of a girl should be taken as the standard.