Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
1- Though religious commitment should firstly be taken in consideration in marriage, a woman is also allowed to consider other valid concerns.
2- If a woman doesn’t desire to leave her place of residence, she may reject the marriage proposal.
Responding to your question, Dr. Hatem Al-Hajj, Dean of the College of Islamic Studies at Mishkah University and a member of the Permanent Fatwa Committee for the Assembly of Muslim Jurists in America (AMJA), states:
If you don’t desire to leave your place of residence, you may reject the marriage proposal. You could even do that if you don’t wish to leave your state or even hometown.
Religious commitment is essential for acceptance of proposals. However, a woman may seek other qualities or stipulate other conditions for the acceptance of marriage proposals, as long as they are of benefit to her and they are not prejudicial.
Almighty Allah knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.
Source: www.drhatemalhaj.com