Repeated Marriages to First Cousins & its Impact on Children

[Anam 27]

Salaam & hello everyone,

I wanted to ask a question about first cousin marriage. My father is a Yemeni Muslim who married my Syrian Christian mother when they were university students in UK, they divorced some years later & my father married his Yemeni first cousin, I have four step siblings. My paternal grandparents are also first cousins, & my stepmother is the daughter of my paternal grandmother's sister, this sister also married another first cousin. Two of my step siblings have certain disabilities, my father still lives in UK, & the doctors say that these disabilities are due to inbreeding.

I wanted to ask why inbreeding, especially repeated inbreeding is allowed amongst Muslims & in Islam.

In Britain, cousin marriage is common amongst many Muslim families, 55% of British Pakistanis & 75% in Bradford are married to their first cousins.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle7069255.ece

There are problems amongst children in Saudi Arabia due to inbreeding:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpag...56C0A9659C8B63

Also in Pakistan:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programme...ht/4442010.stm

I don't know any Quranic or hadith prohibition of first cousin marriage or even repeated first cousin marriage, Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) married his daughter Fatima to his first cousin Ali, & he married Zainab, ex wife of his adopted son Zeyd, who was also his first cousin. Allah(swt) gave Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) the right to marry his first cousins in the Quran.

Repeated cousin marriages produce many genetic abnormalities, I was just wondering about all this.

I don't want to cause offence, just ask about an issue which has deeply affected my family & my beloved younger siblings.

Thanks & Jazak'Allah khair.

 

[Ummu Sufyaan]

cousin marriages are also allowed in Judaism and if you look at the lineage of the British royal family, you will actually see a large portion of them were intermarried as well.

those articles posted dont really mention anything except that a certain disease is inherited by the offspring if both parents carry the gene which is...strange considering that this applies to every other characteristic a person inherits. they haven't really shown or mentioned how the diseases inherited are specially related to cousin marriages-just how it is related to the passing of genes from parents to offspring.

i dont mean to be insensitive, but i cant see why it should be prohibited over 2 cases? perhaps there was other factors that caused the disabilities? what is the evidence that these disabilities, not only in your siblings but also in other children who are the result of cousin marriages, are linked to cousin marriages. if you dont mind my asking, what is the disabilities of your siblings?

from one of the articles.

The couple had two healthy boys, now 22 and 20, but their third child, a girl, was born with spinal muscular atrophy, a crippling and usually fatal disease that was carried in the genes of both parents.

so?! :$ that's how children usually inherent traits-be it good or bad. from both parents! doh!

 

[Maryan0]

I dont know about the genetics behind it but from my own personal experience I have two cousins who married their first cousins and all their offspring apart from 2 have hearing problems and eye problems.
I've also heard that Islam encourages marrying out of your immediate family to encourage kinship between different families.
I dont mind when people marry first cousins although I think that if you're going to marry cousins it should at least be distant cousins but there is no islamic prohibition for it. But to me first cousins are only like a step away from being siblings and I wouldnt marry them.
Salam

 

[islamirama]

Wa'alaikum as'salaam,

Islam does not prohibit marriage between cousins but it does provide us guidelines and reasoning to think for ourselves. The arab, SE Asian and ango culture (in monarchy days) all or most prefer marrying cousins or in the family. There are number of reasons for this, such as keeping the wealth in the family, keeping one's lineage "pure", keeping family ties strong, and you "know" what you are getting compared to marrying strangers. There are many reasons but these are often the main ones. Today's marriages of cousins has more to do with culture than anything else.

As i said, Islam does not prohibit cousin marriages but at the same time it does tell us to think for ourselves. There was one sahaba family that kept marrying within the family and the Prophet (s) said to him to marry outside, his blood is getting thinner. When you keep marrying into cousins/family, you have the same gene pool you are working with and recirculating. The more you marry repeatedly generation after generation, the smaller your gene pool becomes from which to pass your genes on. Each person has dormant (sleeping) and dominate genes. For the most part, the dominate genes are the good genes. When two people marry and have kids, the dominate gene of each parent is passed onto the kid. When you keep marrying in the family, those dormant genes become dominant down the line thus start showing as disabilities. If someone does not to keep marry in cousins than that's fine but at least be smart about it. They have to marry outside very few generations to bring new blood "genes" into the pool before they start marrying cousins again. So at end of the day, don't blame Islam for allowing it but rather blame culture of ignorantly keep repeating it.

 

[جوري]

Title

Islamic View on Marrying Cousins​

Question

What is Islam's position on marriages between cousins? I ask you this question because of the growing controversy that such marriages are not healthy and are very likely to cause serious birth defects in the offspring. Please answer this question in the light of the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah. I would also like if you could give your own opinion on this subject matter keeping in mind the health risks posed by such marriages. Thank You.​

Date

02/Jan/2003​

Name of Counsellor

Group of Muftis​

Topic

Marriage​

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.

Dear questioner, we would like to thank you for the great confidence you place in us, and we implore Allah Almighty to help us serve His cause and render our work for His Sake.

Answering the question in point, Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, former President of the Islamic Society of North America, states:

"Marriages between first cousins are allowed in Islam. In surat an-Nisa' (4:22-24), Allah mentioned the women who are forbidden for marriage and then He said, "… Lawful to you are all beyond those mentioned, so that you may seek them with your wealth in honest wedlock…" In surat al-Ahzab (33:50), Allah mentioned to the Prophet that he may marry the daughters of his uncles and aunts from the father's side or the mother's side. It is the consensus of the jurists that this permission was not only for the Prophet, but it is also a permission for other believers. Muslims have practiced marriages between first cousins in all countries since the time of the Prophet.

Such marriages are allowed in many other religions and cultures as well. In United States, most of the states allow marriages between the first cousins. There is nothing wrong in this marriage.

However, it is a good practice to have a blood test before marriage. If one suspects some hereditary disease or any other problem then he/she should seek the advice of a medical expert in this field. The chances of health risk in this marriage are very rare. Most of the marriages have been good and children quite healthy."

Excerpted, with slight modifications from: http://pakistanlink.com/religion.html

Elaborating on this issue, we'd like to cite the fatwa issued by Sheikh M. S. Al-Munajjid, a prominent Saudi Muslim lecturer and author. He states:

"There is no objection whatsoever in the Islamic religion for a man to marry any of his relatives except those forbidden for marriage whom Allah mentioned in surat an-Nisaa' (4: 23) Thus, when Allah mentioned for us the relatives to whom marriage is forbidden, we then come to know that there is no objection for the remainder of the family relations.

Among the most prominent evidence of this fact is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) married his daughter Fatimah to `Ali (may Allah be pleased with them) and he is the son of her father's uncle, as well as the marriage of the Prophet himself to Zaynab bint Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with her) and she is his aunt's daughter (i.e. his cousin); and there are many other such examples.

However, a different question may be asked, namely: "Is it better or preferable for a Muslim to marry someone he is not related to rather than a relative?"

The answer to this question varies from case to case, and perhaps it may be preferable to marry people who are non-relations, for example if one aspires to form new social ties or bonds, and regards the existence of a marriage relationship with a different family as constructive in widening the circle of social bonds." (Source: www.islam-qa.com)

Elaborating on the issue whether it is preferable not to marry close cousins, we’d like to cite for you the following fatwa:

“Islam permits marriage between first cousins. If we read the Qur'anic verses which enumerate women to whom a Muslim cannot be married, you will find that this list does not include cousins.

The Islamic view is that while marriage between cousins is permissible, it is preferable to choose a marriage partner from outside one's family. We have to distinguish between what is permitted and what is advocated. Some clans restrict marriages to amongst their kin only – a practice far from what is advocated. It is worth stressing here that when marriage of cousins is repeated over several generations, they are bound to have more effects on children.

By permitting such marriages Islam does not encourage them. It advocates the cementing of social relations through marriages between totally unrelated families.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) once told one of his Companions to choose a wife from a tribe different to his, and then to choose for his son a wife from a third tribe, and to seek for his second son a girl from yet another tribe.

Preferring this course of action, Islam nevertheless permits marriage between cousins because it meets a social need.”

Excerpted, with modifications, from: www.islamicity.com

In conclusion, it is clear that Islam, undoubtedly, permits marrying cousins. As for the issue of preferring to choose a marriage partner from outside one's family, this varies from one case to another. Yet, Islam is generally keen to widen the circle of social bonds. As for the fear of hereditary diseases, it is a good practice to have a blood test before marriage. If one suspects some hereditary disease or any other problem then he/she should seek the advice of a medical expert in this field.

May Allah guide you to the straight path and direct you to that which pleases Him, Ameen.


Read more: http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/...FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503544772#ixzz0lJfzNi5i
​

 

[جوري]

Outside of the above, you should know if you are concerned that the number one cause for genetic disease and MR in children is fragile X which is most prevalent in Jews of Tunisian descent due to the absence of AGG interruptions on a rare Mediterranean haplotype. Am. J. Hum. Genet., 60, 103–112
followed directly by

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) affects one in 3,000 children in Western countries. It is caused by the mother's heavy drinking during the first twelve weeks (trimester) of pregnancy. Some studies have shown that even moderate alcohol use during pregnancy may cause learning disabilities in children. Drug abuse and cigarette smoking during pregnancy have also been linked to mental retardation.
http://www.minddisorders.com/Kau-Nu/Mental-retardation.html

I don't think your articles above discuss that although in my humble opinion they should because a child is more likely to end up with a problem because of his mother's drunkenness than because she married a cousin!

and Allah swt knows best, be that as it may it isn't not an injunction to marry a relative as we have seen above from the hadith it is best to marry from a distant tribe.. and I think this was in fact true of your parents? if I understood your introduction correctly!

all the best

 

[Anam 27]

it is best to marry from a distant tribe.. and I think this was in fact true of your parents? if I understood your introduction correctly!

all the best

Yes, it was true in case of my parents. They came from different nations & religions. But my grandparents bitterly opposed my parents' marriage because my mother refused to convert to Islam & didn't wear hijab or even a headscarf post marriage.

My father married my mother beause they felt they were in love & wanted to marry, not to avoid genetic illnesses.

 

[جوري]

Yes, it was true in case of my parents. They came from different nations & religions. But my grandparents bitterly opposed my parents' marriage because my mother refused to convert to Islam & didn't wear hijab or even a headscarf post marriage.

My father married my mother beause they felt they were in love & wanted to marry, not to avoid genetic illnesses.

I don't think most people consider genetic diseases when they get married. Many genetic diseases are denovo mutations like achondroplasia for instance.. one is either going to marry and take their chances on life or they are going to live it in fear of everything and live and die miserably!

That being said, no one should interfere with the marriage choices of others.. but certainly sound advise is part of Islam.. I would be immensely overcome with grief if I married to someone who had no religious convictions or ones differing from mine and it affected my offspring in such a fashion, as I am responsible before God for how I raised them and I am sure your father lives with that guilt everyday-- Hopefully he has done everything he can for you so that his conscious is clear before God and now you are responsible for your own choices..


all the best

 

[EllyDicious]

Here in ALbania it is strongly prohibited to marry cousins of any range.
That's because of the genetic problems that might lead next.