Section: A man is required to provide his father with the means for chastity (i'faf) if he has a need for marriage. This is the manifest position of the Shafi'i school. They also have another view regarding providing for the chastity of a healthy father, which is that it is not obligatory. [Abu Hanifa said: A man is not required to provide for his father's chastity, whether his maintenance is obligatory or not; because that is one of the greatest pleasures, so it is not obligatory for the father, like sweets, and because he is one of the two parents, so that is not obligatory] (37) for him (38), like the mother. Our position is that this is something for which his need calls, and he suffers harm by its absence, so it becomes obligatory upon his son for him, like maintenance. It does not resemble sweets, for he does not suffer harm by their absence, but it resembles food and side dishes (udm). As for the mother, [providing for her chastity is only by marrying her off] (39) if she requests that and her equal (kufu') proposes to her, and we say that this is obligatory upon him, and they agree with us on that. Once this is established, it is obligatory to provide for the chastity of those whose maintenance is obligatory, from among the fathers and grandfathers. If two grandfathers are present and it is only possible to provide for one of them, the closer one is given priority, unless one of them is from the paternal side and the other from the maternal side, in which case the one from the paternal side is given priority even if he is more distant; because he is a relative through the male line (asaba), and the Sacred Law has considered his side in inheritance and in being a residuary heir, so it is the same in maintenance and entitlement.

Section: When it is obligatory upon him to provide for his father's chastity, he has the choice: if he wishes, he may marry him to a free woman, or if he wishes, he may make him possess a slave woman, or he may give him what he can use to marry a free woman or buy a slave woman. The father does not have the option to choose over him, except that if the father designates a woman and the son designates another, and their dowries are equal, the father's designation is given priority; because the marriage is for him, and the expense is the same, so his word is given priority just as if a daughter designated an equal and the father designated an equal, her designation would be given priority (40). If they disagree on the dowry, the son is not obligated to pay the greater amount; because he is only obligated for the least amount through which sufficiency is achieved. However, he does not have the right to marry him to or make him possess a woman who is ugly or elderly, such that there is no enjoyment in it, nor does he have the right to marry him to a slave woman, because that involves harm to him, which is the enslavement of his offspring and a deficiency in his enjoyment.