Questions on marriage

Hello Sis,

Glad to know you want to embrace Islam.

Having an affair outside marriage is a sin but to die as a non believer is the more major sin. So , don't delay to be a Muslim if you are sure that Islam is the truth.

If he is a Muslim , try to get married asap. May be on the same day you convert .

format_quote Originally Posted by Reminder

It is permissible to marry Christians and Jews in Islam.

Permissible for a Muslim man to marry a Christian or Jewish woman (albeit inadvisable); not vice-versa (Muslim woman can't marry a Christian or Jewish man).

والله أعلم

Very good advice from the Akhawaat (sisters) in this thread.

format_quote Originally Posted by Umm Abed

While not advisable, will the same rule apply to non-practising Christian or Jewish women too, i.e. can a muslim man marry such women? Huzaifah ibn Adam.

Yes, sister. It would still be permissible. Allaah Ta`aalaa says in the Qur'aan:

الْيَوْمَ أُحِلَّ لَكُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتُ وَطَعَامُ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ حِلٌّ لَكُمْ وَطَعَامُكُمْ حِلٌّ لَهُمْ وَالْمُحْصَنَاتُ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ وَالْمُحْصَنَاتُ مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ إِذَا آتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ مُحْصِنِينَ غَيْرَ مُسَافِحِينَ وَلَا مُتَّخِذِي أَخْدَانٍ وَمَنْ يَكْفُرْ بِالْإِيمَانِ فَقَدْ حَبِطَ عَمَلُهُ وَهُوَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ

"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, etc., milk products, fats, vegetables and fruits, etc.). The food (slaughtered cattle, eatable animals, etc.) 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 (dowry), desiring chastity (i.e. taking them in legal wedlock) not committing illegal sexual intercourse, nor taking them as girl-friends. And whosoever disbelieves in the Oneness of Allaah and in all the other Articles of Faith [i.e. His (Allah's), Angels, His Holy Books, His Messengers, the Day of Resurrection and Al-Qadar (Divine Preordainments)], then fruitless is his work, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers." [Soorah al-Maa'idah, 5:5]

This is actually a hotly debated topic between the `Ulamaa of Deoband and the `Ulamaa of the Salafis. Certain Deobandi `Ulamaa, like Maulana A.S. Desai (Majlisul Ulama of South Africa), say that it is not permissible to marry the Ahle-Kitaab (People of the Book, Jews and Christians) of today because they are no longer following the dictates of their religion. Furthermore, many of them are only claimants to Christianity; they aren't even really Christians. They're more towards the Agnostic side.

The Salafi `Ulamaa, on the other hand, say, "The Aayah of the Qur'aan says that it is permissible to marry Ahle-Kitaab women, so it is permissible, regardless of what they do. They explain "chaste women of the people of the book" as "women who do not have boyfriends".

There is a Lot of Ikhtilaaf (difference of opinions) on this issue among the `Ulamaa.

Maulana A.S. Desai (Mujsliul Ulama of South Africa) wrote a treatise on this issue, which can be found here:

http://www.themajlis.co.za/books/Mar...taab_Eread.pdf

Mufti Ebrahim Desai's Fatwaa on marriage to Ahle-Kitaab women:

http://islamqa.org/hanafi/askimam/29422

http://islamqa.org/hanafi/askimam/29356

To add to what has been said on this. There's a few things to be considered regarding the people of the book in terms of marrying them and eating their meat.

Some scholars have that said that Muslim women have more right to the Muslim husband, especially in the west where it is already hard for the Muslim woman to find a Muslim husband. The needs of the community comes first, the right of the Muslim women comes first. If there are enough Muslim men in the community for the sisters to find a partner to marry then the others can marry from people of the book.

Regarding marrying people of the book, something to keep in mind...

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]


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.

https://islamqa.info/en/45645

Regarding eating the meat. In general it is allowed to eat meat from them. However, we live in mass production society with multi-religious affiliations. Therefore, we do not know how the meat is being slaughtered in the slaughter houses (strangulation, electric shock, knife, etc); and who it is being slaughtered by (people of the book, atheist, agnostic, etc). So more caution and care should be given in this regard.

If the region where the meat mentioned is found has only People of the Book, namely Jews and Christians, then their meat is halaal, even if it is not known how they slaughtered it, because the basic principle is that meat slaughtered by them is halaal.

If there are other kaafirs in the region, then do not eat it, because that means there is doubt as to whether it is halaal or haraam. Similarly if you know that those who sell these meats slaughter the animals in a way that is different from the shar’i method, such as strangling or electric shock, then do not eat it, whether the one who slaughtered it is a Muslim or a kaafir.

https://islamqa.info/en/127959