Various masaail of Nikaah

Q: After marriage, who comes first, the husband or the wife’s brother and family?

Q: Can a Muslim woman of marriageable age refuse marriage proposals altogether from Muslim men of good deen and character without meeting them with the approval of her father who is seeking a good spouse for his daughter, or accepts to meet with them due to her father putting pressure on her to get married with the intention of refusing the proposal before meeting the male prospective and then following through to decline the proposal after meeting them because she feels she is not 'mentally ready' for the responsibilities of marriage, or she says that there aren't any 'good' boys left due to trauma surrounding the idea of marriage, after witnessing firsthand from a young age her elder brothers 3 very toxic, unislamic and abusive marriages that all ended in divorce?

According to Islam, are there any valid reasons for a female choosing not to get married or to get married at a later stage (when one is mentally ready etc.)

And if a female is to choose not to marry, how is she expected to live her life whilst under the care of her elderly parents? Is she expected to stay at home or can she go out and work to take care of herself etc.?

And what category (fardh, waajib, musthab, sunnah etc.) does marriage fall under and what category does choosing not to marry for the above reasons fall under for a Muslim female? And what category would refusing a good proposal fall under? (Makrooh, haraam etc.)

Also, what is the responsibility of the parents and especially the father in the above scenario? Is it correct for him to keep pressuring his daughter to accept proposals coming home before making a decision for marriage (Note: he isn't forcing her to get married to anyone specific but is encouraging her to get married and leaving the final decision to his daughter after bringing good proposals for her given her age and that he is elderly and concerned for her wellbeing should anything happen to him) or should he decline the marriage proposals until his daughter is ready despite his concerns for her future?

What advice would you give to the father and daughter in the above situation?

Q: I heard that there is a hadith which states that if a husband follows what his wife tells him to do, he will have la'nat on him. Is this correct?

Q: I want to find out if A and B are invited to a wedding or walima and have to Rsvp. They Rsvp but in their place C and D go. Is it correct if C and D go without asking the host. Or do u have to take permission from the host to take another person in your place.

Q: In sha Allah I'll be getting married to a girl I love 2 days from now. We did not date or hangout because we knew it was haraam. We got our families in touch and they have agreed to marry us. However my mother decided that I am not ready to bring her home because I am not that financially strong. (I live in Pakistan, I make 2000 USD a month, I am 23, I am quite well off compared to everyone my age and a huge percentage of adults).

They also said that we can't bring the girl home unless I pay 25000 USD for a grand event. The standard 3 day wedding in our country.

I really need your guidance as to what I should do. I love this girl and I want to hang out with her. My mother says that I can't even hang out with her after nikkah. And I should wait one year to bring her home and then meet her. This all sounds and feels so stupid and painful. My mother has no real logical reason to do this. Please tell me what to do? I'm already working so hard and did my best to always stay halaal.

Q: If someone doesn't want to get married. Will their parents be sinful for this?

Q: My husband and I have been married for 35 years. For years now things haven't been good between us. He had several extramarital affairs and treats me disrepectfully. We kept on trying but it's not working. I keep worrying what will happen if I pass away. I have 4 adult children, 2 of whom live at home and are financially dependant on us.

Previously when I made enquiries I was told that in the case of divorce, my husband would get half of my pension. I worked for 27 years and put all my money in helping him provide for our family. Alhamdulillah, we're married in CoP. For me the worry is what would happen to my children as my son is 32 and has a mental health diagnosis and my daughter is unmarried, pregnant & still studying. Giving away half of my pension would be a knock financially.

I would like to have our civil marriage dissolved but remain married Islamically, at least until I feel I can manage that as well. I know I should have divorced him years ago but I kept hoping he would mend his ways but unfortunately things have become worse over time. I would want him to get some money from my pension so he can at least set himself up with a place to stay but definitely not 50%. He's previously said we should keep the house. He doesn't have a pension benefit. Would getting a legal divorce mean we're divorced according to Shariah automatically? We are South African and follow the Hanafi madhab. 

Q: Can a married woman whose age is 27 have a second marriage due to sex and economic necessity. She can't take a divorce as her husband is ill and they also have a 6 year old child. She has not had sexual relations with her husband for the last 3 years as her husband is incapable. So she is afraid of getting involved in zina. Can she take a second husband.

Q: When a couple are divorced, then all gifts are to remain with the person they were given to, but what about the wedding ring? This is given as a recognition of being married. Thus, on termination of the marriage, should the wedding ring be given back to the husband?