Is it obligatory for parents to marry off their children?

Question

You were pleased to write — namely, in reply to the question about the nikah of children — that the nikah of adult children is not legally binding upon the parents but is merely a voluntary favour (tabarru‘), and that adult children are themselves mukallaf. I therefore submit: what is meant by tabarru‘ — an emphasized sunna, or a “za’ida ‘adiya” (an additional, customary sunna), or mustahabb, or mandub, or mubah, or what?

Answer

That the nikah of adult children is not binding upon the parents means this: just as prayer, fasting and other acts of worship are fard ‘ayn (individual obligations) — they are established by a decisive text (nass qat‘i)

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

Preview. The full text opens with JavaScript enabled.