is it permissable to marry a non muslim

A Muslim woman cannot marry a non-Muslim man. A Muslim man is allowed to marry a Jew or Christian.

With regard to marrying a Christian or Jewish woman, this is permissible according to the text of the Qur’aan. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Made lawful to you this day are At Tayyibaat [all kinds of Halaal (lawful) foods, which Allaah has made lawful (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk products, fats, vegetables and fruits)]. The food (slaughtered cattle, eatable animals) of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) is lawful to you and yours is lawful to them. (Lawful to you in marriage) are chaste women from the believers and chaste women from those who were given the Scripture (Jews and Christians) before your time when you have given their due Mahr (bridal-money given by the husband to his wife at the time of marriage), desiring chastity (i.e. taking them in legal wedlock) not committing illegal sexual intercourse, nor taking them as girlfriends”

[al-Maa’idah 5:5]

Ibn al-Qayyim said:

It is permissible to marry a woman from the People of the Book. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“(Lawful to you in marriage) are chaste [muhsan] women from the believers and chaste women from those who were given the Scripture (Jews and Christians) before your time”

[al-Maa’idah 5:5]

Muhsan here means chaste; the same word is also used in Soorat al-Nisa’ to describe married women, who are forbidden in marriage to anyone else. And it was said that the chaste women to whom marriage is permitted is free women, so slave women from the People of the Book are not permissible. However, the first view is the one which is correct, for several reasons…

The point is that Allaah has permitted us to marry chaste women from among the People of the Book, and the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did that. ‘Uthmaan married a Christian woman, as did Talhah ibn ‘Ubayd-Allaah; and Hudhayfah married a Jewish woman.

‘Abd-Allaah ibn Ahmad said: I asked my father about a Muslim man who married a Christian or Jewish woman. He said: I do not like for him to do it, but if he does, then some of the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did that too.

Ahkaam Ahl al-Dhimmah, 2/794, 795.

Although we say that it is permissible, and we do not doubt that there is a clear text concerning that, nevertheless we do not think that a Muslim should marry a kitaabi woman (a woman of the people of the Book), for several reasons:

1 – One of the conditions of marriage to a kitaabi woman is that she should be chaste, but there are very few chaste women to be found in those environments.

2 – One of the conditions of marriage to a kitaabi woman is that the Muslim man should be in charge of the family. But what happens nowadays in that those who marry women from kaafir countries marry them under their laws, and there is a great deal of injustice in their systems. They do not recognize a Muslim’s authority over his wife and children, and if the wife gets angry with her husband she will destroy his household and take the children away, with the support of the laws of her land and with the help of their embassies in most countries. It is no secret that the Muslim countries have no power to resist the pressure of those countries and their embassies.

3 – The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) encouraged us to look for Muslim wives who are religiously committed. If a woman is Muslim but is not religiously committed and of good character, then the Muslim is not encouraged to marry her, because marriage is not simply the matter of physical enjoyment only, rather it is the matter of Allaah’s rights and the spouse’s rights, and preserving his household, his honour and his wealth, and bringing up his children. How can a man who marries a kitaabi woman be certain that his sons and daughters will be raised according to Islam when he is leaving them in the hands of this mother who does not believe in Allaah and associates others with Him?

Hence even though we say that it is permissible to marry a kitaabi woman, it is not encouraged and we do not advise it, because of the negative consequences that result from that. The wise Muslim should choose the best woman to bear his children and think in the long term about his children and their religious upbringing. He should not let his desire or worldly interests or transient outward beauty blind him to reality; true beauty is the beauty of religious commitment and good morals.

He should realize that if he forsakes these type of women for the sake of that which is better for his religious commitment and that of his children, Allaah will compensate him with something better, because “Whoever gives up something for the sake of Allaah, Allaah will compensate him with something better than that, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us, the one who speaks the truth and does not speak of his own whims and desires. Allaah is the source of strength and the One Who guides to the Straight Path.

From: http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/45645/...d%20christians

format_quote Originally Posted by Insane Insaan

A Muslim woman cannot marry a non-Muslim man. A Muslim man is allowed to marry a Jew or Christian.


From: http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/45645/...d%20christians

Are you sure about that? A muslim man is allowed to marry a mushrik pagan Christian but not to a mushrik pagan Hindu ... wow ... great ....

I believe that the christian women whom a Muslim man can marry are those who are monotheistic ...

format_quote Originally Posted by - Qatada -

asalaam alaikum


check this out;

http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/S...=1119503543656

http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/S...=1119503543058

Are you sure about that? A muslim man is allowed to marry a mushrik pagan Christian woman but not a mushrik pagan Hindu ... wow ... great logical interpretation by some ....

I believe that the christian women whom a Muslim man can marry are those who are monotheistic ...

format_quote Originally Posted by Boaz

What about women of other Monotheistic faiths like Samaritans, Baha'i, or Druze? They both worship the God of Abraham.

Only those specifically mentioned by Allah in the Qur'an are allowed, namely People of the Scriptures, i.e. Jews and Christians.

format_quote Originally Posted by mad_scientist

Are you sure about that? A muslim man is allowed to marry a mushrik pagan Christian but not to a mushrik pagan Hindu ... wow ... great ....

I believe that the christian women whom a Muslim man can marry are those who are monotheistic ...

The ayah in Surah al Maaidah, ayah 5, begins, "Made lawful to you this day..". At the time of the revelation of this ayah, the Christians were already trinitarian, which is why there are verses denouncing the trinity in the Qur'an. I'm not aware of any hadeeth where it says that the verse only applies to unitarian Christians. If anyone has such information, I hope they will post here so we can all benefit and learn from it.

Please also see the quote from islamqa.com in my earlier post.

format_quote Originally Posted by Insane Insaan

The ayah in Surah al Maaidah, ayah 5, begins, "Made lawful to you this day..". At the time of the revelation of this ayah, the Christians were already trinitarian, which is why there are verses denouncing the trinity in the Qur'an. I'm not aware of any hadeeth where it says that the verse only applies to unitarian Christians. If anyone has such information, I hope they will post here so we can all benefit and learn from it.

Please also see the quote from islamqa.com in my earlier post.

But there are verses in Quran which say that those Jews and Christians who maintained their duty will not have any fear on the day of judgment. Quran is not saying that those pagan (trinitarian) Christians will not have fear, rather it is talking about monotheistic Christians etc ... So how do we know that the verses in Quran regarding marrying Christian women are for monotheistic or trinitarian christians ... anyone?

format_quote Originally Posted by Still_learning

Asalam walkum

A co-worker asked me this question, and i wasnt sure exactly how to answer it. As a child i remeber my mom saying that it is ok for the male to marry a non muslim but its not ok for a women to marry a non muslim, since the kids will follow the religion of the father. I personally think this is from afghani culture so i told him just that. but i would like to answer this brothers question as i promised him i would.

jazakular kahir.

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

Inter-marriage between Muslims and non-Muslims is something that has been clearly prohibited in the Qur�an and Sunnah, thus not permissible in any way. The only exception to this general rule is the marriage of Muslim men with Christian and Jewish girls, and that also with certain conditions.

Allah Most High says:

"Do not marry unbelieving women until they believe. A slave woman who believes is better than an unbelieving woman, even though if she attracts you. And not marry (your girls) to unbelievers until they believe. A man slave who believes is better than an unbeliever, even though if he attracts you. Unbelievers do (but) beckon you to the fire but Allah beckons by His grace to the garden (of bliss) and forgiveness, and makes His signs clear to mankind; that they may receive admonition". (al-Baqarah, 221).

The above verse of the Holy Qur'an along with many other statements of the Qur'an and Sunnah clearly mention the impermissibility of Muslims marrying non-Muslims. Therefore, a marriage between a Muslim and someone from another religion will not be lawful or even valid according to Islam. The exception, however, is mentioned in the following verse:

"(Lawful unto you in marriage are chaste women who are believers and chaste women among the people of the book". (al-Ma'idah, 5).

Thus, it would be permissible, in principle, for Muslim men to marry women from the people of the book (ahl al-Kitab) namely Christian and Jewish women. However, this is also subjected to certain conditions, as will be mentioned later.

The reason behind this is that, marital relationships demand mutual love, affection and intimacy and without this, the purpose of marriage is left unfulfilled. If such close relationship of love and intimacy is established with a non-Muslim, it may emotionally incline a Muslim towards disbelief (kufr) or, at least, the abhorrence of Kufr and Shirk may not remain in the heart. Consequently, it may lead one to disbelief and eventually the fire of Hell. This is why Allah Almighty said towards the end of the verse of Surah al-Baqarah quoted above:

"Unbelievers do (but) beckon you to the fire but Allah beckons by His grace to the garden (of bliss) and forgiveness, and makes His signs clear to mankind; that they may receive admonition". ( 221). (See: Ma'arif al-Qur'an, 1/ 540).

Therefore, the fear that a Muslim man or woman may well be affected with his/her partner's religion, thus go on to a path that leads to the fire of hell, is the main cause for this prohibition. Hence, a Muslim woman will not be allowed whatsoever to marry anyone besides a Muslim man, and even if she did, the marriage will not be valid in Islam. Similarly, a Muslim man will not be allowed to marry any non-Muslim girl, such as a Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, or any other non-Muslim woman. However, it will be permissible for him to marry a Christian or a Jewish girl. This is explained in the following section.

Marrying Christian and Jewish girls

As stated previously, Islam has allowed Muslim men to marry women from the people of the book (ahl al-Kitab). This permission is explicitly mentioned in the verse of the Qur'an already quoted:

"(Lawful unto you in marriage are chaste women who are believers and chaste women among the people of the book". (al-Ma'idah, 5).

However, there are certain points that need to be taken into consideration here:

Firstly, the exception of Christian and Jewish girls is because the difference in belief between the people of the book and Muslims is relatively lesser and lighter as compared with other non-Muslims. They are all monotheistic religions and known as the Abrahamic faiths. The basic difference between Islam and the other two religions is the belief in the last Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace). Therefore, the fear and danger of corruptibility is less as compared to marrying with women from other faiths, thus Islam gave this permission for Muslim men to marry Christian and Jewish girls.

A question may arise here, that if the difference between Muslims and people of the book is considered to be lighter as compared to other faiths, then why is it unlawful for Muslim girls to marry Christian and Jewish men?

The answer to this question is that, women are somewhat weaker and more emotional by nature. Then the husband has been given a caretaking and controlling role over the wife. As such, it is very likely that the Muslim wife may fall prey and become impressed with her husband's faith. The chances of the husband becoming affected by his wife's faith are remote, thus the difference between the two situations is clear.

Moreover, by marrying a Christian or a Jewish man, the status of the Muslim wife would be affected, for the wife normally takes the nationality and status given by her husband's law. A Christian or a Jewish woman marrying a Muslim man would be expected eventually to accept Islam, while the possibility of a Muslim woman changing her faith to that of her husband is very likely. Therefore, only Muslim men were given this permission of marrying with women from the people of the book.(Men and women have been created with different natures)

Secondly, women who are Christians and Jews merely by name, and do not really believe in any religion, like a large number of people in the west, cannot be termed as people of the book (ahl al-Kitab). They are atheist in reality and it will not be permissible for Muslim men to marry them.

Therefore, one must first make sure that the woman is truly a believing Christian or Jew, and then consider contracting marriage with them.

Thirdly, it should be remembered that the meaning of the permission of marrying Christian and Jewish women is simply that, if a marriage contract was performed with them, it would be valid according to Islam and the children born out of this wedlock will be considered legitimate.

However, there are various narrations that establish its undesirability. A Muslim man is advised in the Hadith to select a life partner who fully observes the injunctions of Islam, so that she becomes a means of attaining piety. If that is the case, then marrying Christian and Jewish girls would be disliked.

This is the reason why Sayyiduna Umar ibn al-Khattab (Allah be pleased with him) prevented many such marriages in his lifetime because of what he had seen of the corruption that resulted in Iraq and Syria. (See: Muhammad ibn al-Hasan, Kitab al-Athar).

Finally, this permission is only given when one is confident that he himself or his children will not be affected by this marriage. In the early days, Muslims were duly equipped with adequate Islamic knowledge and an unshaken commitment towards their religion. As such, there was no risk of the husband being affected by his wife's religion. Rather, the wife would see the glory of Islam, thus enter into the fold of Islam.

Therefore, if a Muslim male is confident that marriage with a Christian or Jewish girl will have no affect on his and his children's Islamic identity and commitment, then there is no bar against such marriages. However, if he is not so confident, he must avoid entering into such marriages.

And Allah knows best

Sheikh Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari
Darul Iftaa, Leicester, UK