2. Ruling of proposing to a woman that someone else has already proposed to her:
a) Proposing to a woman that another Muslim has already proposed to her:
i. It is impermissible for a man to propose to a marriageable woman if she has already accepted a marriage proposal, and the first man to propose has not given his permission to him to propose and does not express that he is no longer interested in the woman. This is agreed on by the agreement of all scholars, [1] The Maliki scholars hold the view that if the first suitor was a faasiq, then it is not forbidden for a man who is known to be righteous, or his condition is unknown to propose to her. However, if he is a faasiq like the first one, then it is forbidden. as transmitted by Ibn al-Arabi, Ibn Qudaamah al-Nawawi, Ibn Taymiyyah, and al-San’aanee.
ii. It is permissible for a man to propose to a marriageable woman if she has not yet responded to the marriage proposal she has received, if the man who proposed to her permits him to propose to her, or if he expresses that he is no longer interested in the woman. This is agreed on by the four schools of jurisprudence.
b) Proposing to a woman that a non-Muslim has already proposed to her: [2] Example: A Muslim man proposes to a woman from the People of the Book who has already accepted the marriage proposal of another non-Muslim man:
i. It is permissible to propose to a woman that a non-Muslim has already proposed to her. This is the view of the Hanbali Madhab, the view of some Shafi’i scholars, al-Awzaa’ee and al-Shawaakanee.

3. Desired characteristics of the future wife, and the ruling on the woman offering herself in marriage to a righteous man:
a) Desired characteristics of the future wife:
i. Piety and righteousness: It is recommended to marry a woman who is religious and pious. This is the view of the Shafi’i and Hanbali Madhabs, and it is also the apparent view of the Maliki and Hanafi madhhab.
ii. Fertility: It is recommended for the man to marry a fertile woman. This is the view of the majority of scholars from the four Madhabs.
iii. Virginity: It is recommended for the man to marry a virgin woman, [3] Some jurists excluded the case when marrying a previously married woman serves a purpose and brings a benefit. which is the agreed-on view by the four Madhabs.
1. Informing the suitor about the rapture of the hymen: It is not obligatory to inform the suitor about the rapture of the woman’s hymen before consummating the marriage if it was torn because of an accident and the likes. This is the official verdict of the Permanent Committee.
2. Repairing the torn hymen surgically: It is permissible to repair a torn hymen surgically if the rapture happened because of an accident or rape. It is not allowed at all to repair it if it was caused by a sinful act like fornication. This is the adopted ruling that the Fiqh Council has issued to block the means of deception and corruption.
b) Ruling on a woman offering herself in marriage to a righteous man and the guardian of a woman offering her in marriage to a righteous man:
i. A woman may offer herself in marriage to a righteous man, which is the view of the Shafi’i scholars as well as the view of Ibn al-Munthir, Ibn al-Arabi, al-Qurtubee, Ibn Daqeeq al-’Eid, al-’Aaynee, al-San’aanee, and Ibn Baaz.
ii. It is recommended for the guardian of a woman to offer her in marriage to a righteous man, which is the view of the Shafi’i scholars as well as the view of Ibn al-Arabi, Ibn al-Jawzee, al-Qurtubee, al-Shawkaanee, and Ibn Baaz.