Is it obligatory for a son to provide for the marriage (i'faf) of his father if the father requires marriage?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Maintenance (Nafaqāt)
Primary text
It is obligatory for a man to provide for the marriage (i'faf) of his father if the father is in need of marriage. This is the apparent position within the Shafi'i school. The evidence supporting this obligation is that marriage provision is something the father requires, and its absence causes him harm, thus it must be incumbent upon the son, similar to maintenance (nafaqah). This provision is likened to food and condiments, not luxuries like sweets, because the father suffers from the lack of marriage provision.
Supporting text
Abu Hanifa held that the son is not obliged to provide for his father's marriage, whether the father's maintenance is obligatory or not, because marriage provision is considered among the greatest pleasures, and it is not obligatory for the father, unlike sweets. Furthermore, since the father is one of the two parents, marriage provision is not obligatory for him just as it is not obligatory for the mother.