over the proposal of his brother." And because he found from her that which indicated consent to him and inclination toward him, it became prohibited to propose to her, just as if she had stated that explicitly. As for the hadith of Fatimah, it does not constitute evidence for them, for it contains what indicates that she did not incline toward either of them, in two respects: First, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had said to her: "Do not precede me with yourself [in marriage]." In another wording: "Do not let us miss out on you." And in a narration: "When you are lawful [to be married], inform me." Thus, she would not have dared to respond before informing the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Second, that she mentioned this to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was like seeking his consultation regarding both of them, or regarding turning away from them [to others], and in consultation there is no evidence for preferring one of the two matters, nor of an inclination toward either of them. Furthermore, she only mentioned this to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to defer to his statement and opinion, and he had indicated to her to leave them both, due to what he mentioned of their shortcomings, so that acted as her rejection of them and her explicit refusal of them. From another perspective, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had preceded them in proposing to her by allusion, with his statement to her that we mentioned, so his proposal after them was based on the earlier proposal [made] to them, unlike what we are discussing.

Section: Reliance for rejection and acceptance lies with the guardian if she is compelled, and with her if she is not compelled, because she has more right to herself than her guardian. If he accepts and she desires not to marry, the matter is hers. If her guardian accepts and she is content, it is as if she accepted; if she is displeased, his acceptance has no legal standing because the right belongs to her. If the guardian accepts on behalf of one who is compelled, and she dislikes the one accepted and chooses another, the ruling of her guardian's acceptance is voided because her choice takes precedence over his. If she dislikes him and does not permit another, the ruling of the acceptance should also be voided, because he has been commanded to seek her consultation.