Buying and Selling: Authority to Sell the Property of a Child, Insane Person, Orphan, or Missing Person
Practical Laws of Islam as per the teachings of Ayatullah Sistani
Ruling 2097
The father and paternal grandfather of a child, and the executor (waṣī) of the father or the executor of the paternal grandfather of a child, can sell the property belonging to the child. In case none of them is alive, a dutiful (ʿādil) jurist (mujtahid)[1] can also sell the property of an insane person, an orphan child, or a missing person if a matter of primary importance necessitates it.
-Ayatullah Sistani, Practical Laws of Islam, Buying and Selling
1
A mujtahid is a person who has attained the level of ijtihād, qualifying him to be an authority in Islamic law. Ijtihād is the process of deriving Islamic laws from authentic sources.