حَدَّثَنَا مُعَمَّرُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ الرَّقِّيُّ عَنِ الْحَجَّاجِ عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لَا نِكَاحَ إِلَّا بِوَلِيٍّ وَالسُّلْطَانُ وَلِيُّ مَنْ لَا وَلِيَّ لَهُ
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 2260
It was narrated from Ibn 'Abbas (RA) that the Prophet said: "There is no marriage except with a guardian, and the ruler is the guardian of the one who has no guardian."
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020