Article 6 of the Saudi Personal Status Law
المادة 6 من نظام الأحوال الشخصية · الفصل الثاني: أحكام عامة للزواج
The article defines marriage as a contract with pillars and conditions that creates rights and duties between the spouses, aimed at chastity and founding a stable family.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
الزواج عقد بأركان وشروط، يرتب حقوقاً وواجبات بين الزوجين، غايته الإحصان وإنشاء أسرة مستقرة يرعاها الزوجان بمودة ورحمة.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 6 explained in plain English
This article sets the legal definition of marriage, stating its nature, effects and purpose, and it is the basis for all the provisions that follow in the Personal Status Law.
The definition contains four elements:
- Marriage is a contract: it is a binding agreement between its parties, different from the engagement stage that precedes it.
- With pillars and conditions: marriage does not exist unless its pillars and conditions, which the Law sets in its later articles, are met.
- It creates rights and duties between the spouses: once the contract exists, mutual obligations arise on both the husband and the wife.
- Its purpose is chastity and founding a stable family that the spouses look after with affection and mercy.
Stating the purpose helps in understanding the spirit of the Law: marriage is not merely a financial or formal relationship, but aims at a stable family whose care the spouses share. The text shows that caring for the family is a joint responsibility of the spouses.
This definition follows the provisions on engagement, including Article 5, which regulates what happens to the dowry (mahr) handed over if the marriage contract is not concluded, which confirms that marital rights do not arise before the contract.
To learn the details of the pillars, conditions and rights, refer to the articles of the Law devoted to them, or consult a lawyer specializing in personal status in particular cases.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Active contributorFrequently asked questions about Article 6 of the Saudi Personal Status Law
What is the definition of marriage in the Personal Status Law?
Marriage is a contract with pillars and conditions that creates rights and duties between the spouses, whose purpose is chastity and founding a stable family that the spouses look after with affection and mercy.
When do the rights and duties between the spouses arise?
The article provides that the marriage contract is what creates the rights and duties between the spouses.
More articles on Marriage Contract and Its Conditions
- Article 7
The article defines seclusion (khalwa) as the spouses being alone in a place where no person of discernment is with them.
الخلوة -في سبيل تطبيق هذا النظام- هي انفراد الزوجين في مكان ليس عندهما من يميِّز.
- Article 8
The article requires the marriage contract to be documented by the spouses or one of them, lets any interested person request proof of an undocumented marriage, and regulates documenting a non-Muslim's marriage.
1- يجب توثيق عقد الزواج، وعلى الزوجين -أو أحدهما- توثيقه، وذلك وفق الأحكام المنظمة لذلك. 2- يجوز لكل ذي مصلحة طلب إثبات عقد الزواج غير الموثق. 3- يوثق عقد زواج
- Article 9
The article bars documenting the marriage contract of a person under 18, and lets the court permit the marriage if the person has reached puberty and his or her interest is established.
يمنع توثيق عقد الزواج لمن هو دون (ثمانية عشر) عاماً، وللمحكمة أن تأذن بزواج من هو دون ذلك ذكراً كان أو أنثى إذا كان بالغاً بعد التحقق من مصلحته في هذا الزواج، و
- Article 10
The article gives a person who married under 18 with the court's permission capacity to litigate in everything relating to the marriage and its effects, provided he or she is of sound mind.
يكتسب من تزوج وفق حكم المادة (التاسعة) من هذا النظام أهلية التقاضي في كل ما له علاقة بالزواج وآثاره؛ إذا كان عاقلاً.
- Article 11
The article lets the court permit the marriage of a person who is insane or mentally impaired at the request of his guardian, on condition of a medical report, the other party's acceptance and a proven interest.
للمحكمة أن تأذن بزواج المجنون أو المعتوه بناء على طلب ولي تزويجه، بعد توافر الشروط الآتية: 1- أن يقدم الولي تقريراً طبيًّا معتمداً عن حالة الجنون أو العته. 2- أ
- Article 12
The article sets the two pillars of the marriage contract: the spouses, who are a man and a woman, and offer and acceptance.
أركان عقد الزواج هي: 1- الزوجان، وهما: الرجل والمرأة. 2- الإيجاب والقبول.
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.