What is the ruling on forcing a girl to marry her cousin?

The questioner : Shaykh, may Allah keep you safe, this is a paper with a long question from a confused questioner. The questioner says: I do not know.

The Shaykh : A full page, and the handwriting is fine.

The questioner : No, we can read something on it.

The Shaykh : No, no, one person can take it and wash it, let me see.

The questioner : And this is a female questioner, Honorable Shaykh, she says: She is traveling tomorrow, as the questioner said. The female questioner says: I am a religious girl who came for 'Umrah with my father. I ask for advice for them, because I am sad, and my problem is that my cousin, to whom I was engaged against my will, because I do not feel affection toward him.

The Shaykh : My engagement to him, or his engagement to her?

The questioner : My engagement to him against my will, because I do not feel affection toward him. But I have a colleague at work who is religious and of good character. He has problems with his family, and I often reconcile him with his wife. On one occasion, he asked me to marry him, and I agreed to his request. But here is the problem with my family. Am I wrong? I ask for advice for me and my family. May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : As for her family forcing her to marry a person she does not want, this is forbidden for them, and it is not permissible for them to do so. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) And the woman is a guardian over herself, and she is responsible for protecting her chastity. And her being forced to marry a person she does not want is undoubtedly an aggression against her and a wrong done to her. The most likely outcome of this marriage will be a bad result. As for her desiring to marry another person.
A colleague of hers at work. This is a problem, because regarding this colleague at work, she must first look into his religion and his character. If he has religion and good character, let her marry him, and there is no blame on her for that. As for his family, it is well known that a woman, in most cases, does not approve of her husband marrying another woman over her. But I wish that this barrier would be broken regarding women, and that we try to remove these obstacles, and that we say that plural marriage is a matter established by the Shari'ah. And look, the most noble of creation, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), had multiple wives. So there is no blame on a person marrying another woman. In fact, if a man is capable financially, physically, and socially, marrying another woman is better than limiting himself to one. Financial capability means he has money with which he can marry. As for going to borrow in order to marry another woman, that is a mistake. Physical capability means he is able to give each of the two wives her right.
Social capability, such that he is just, able to be just between the two wives or more. If he is not capable of being just, Allah the Exalted said: What? The colleague, yes, the colleague is a problem, my brothers. Perhaps in a country they do not see anything wrong with it. She is religious. In any case, this is something we cannot discuss. We cannot discuss it. The brothers say how many seconds have passed? There is still a long hour left, and we will keep you until seven o'clock, there is no objection. Marry, what? Advice, what?
The colleague, my brothers, does not mean that she took him as a close friend or companion. It may be that work brings them together, but she has no relationship with him and he has no relationship with her. And yet, we are against schools with free mixing of men and women. We hold that the rulers in countries that permit free mixing have committed a great crime against their people, for which they will be held accountable as soon as they leave this world, and Allah will punish them for it on the Day of Resurrection. They are wrongdoers against the people, and they adopted this from the disbelievers of the West or the East. We do not approve of the issue of free mixing, not in medicine, not in chemistry, and not in any subject, because it is possible to provide women for women and men for men, and things will proceed. But, unfortunately, those people who became mixed were colonized by the disbelieving colonialism for a long time, and they changed their way of life, and even their thoughts and beliefs, except for this recent awakening, which we hope Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) will use to change the Muslims to the best. But I bear witness to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) that those who allow their young men and young women to mix in schools are traitors to their people, and they are criminals, refuge with Allah, in this matter. And it is obligatory for them to try, as much as possible, to separate these from these. And Allah will make for them a relief and an exit if they fear Allah. But they do not care about such matters. Are there not female doctors, female nurses who can teach the girls? And there are also male doctors and male nurses who can teach the young men, and the matter is settled. But we ask Allah to revive the hearts of these people and to make them among the shepherds who care well for creation.