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you do this, you will sever your ties of kinship,(Reported by Ibn Hibban.) and how could Islâm permit the
breaking of such kinship ties when it places so much importance on them?
15.
As long as a woman is married, her marriage to any other man is prohibited. She may marry another man
only when two conditions are fulfilled:
1.
Her marriage tie is broken either because of the death of her husband or because of divorce;
2.
She has completed the period of waiting (‘iddah) ordained by Allâh. For a pregnant woman this
period ends when she delivers the baby. If she is widowed but not pregnant, the period of ‘iddah is four
months and ten days, while if she is divorced and it is not known whether or not she is pregnant, the ‘iddah
is three menstrual cycles. This ‘iddah relates to the woman who has menstrual periods; for a woman who
does not menstruate, the ‘iddah is three months. Allâh Ta‘ala says: And divorced women shall wait
concerning themselves for three monthly periods. And it is not permissible for them to conceal what Allâh
has created in their wombs, if they believe in Allâh and the Last Day. (2:228) and “As for those who have no
further expectation of menstruation among your women, if you are in doubt, the waiting period is three
months, as well as for those who have no menses. And for those who are pregnant, their period is until they
deliver their burdens”,(65:4) and, For those of you who die and leave behind widows, they shall wait
concerning themselves for four months and ten days....(2:234)
Of these fifteen categories of female relatives to whom marriage is prohibited, fourteen are mentioned in
Surah al-Nisa: And do not marry those women whom your fathers married, except what is past; indeed, it
was an indecency and an abomination, and an evil path. Forbidden to you are your mothers and your
daughters, and your sisters and your father’s sisters and your mother’s sisters, and your brothers‘ daughters
and your sisters‘ daughters, and your foster mothers and your foster sisters, your wives‘ mothers, your
stepdaughters under your guardianship born of your wives to whom you have gone in—and if you have not
gone into them there is no blame on you—and the wives of your sons proceeding from your loins, and that
you should marry two sisters at one time, except what is past; indeed Allâh is Forgiving, Merciful. (4:22-23)
The prohibition against being married to a woman and any of her aunts at the same time is derived from the
hadith cited above.
Mushrik Women
16.
A woman who is mushrik (Mushrik denotes someone who commits shirk, or ascribes partners to Allâh by
his polytheistic beliefs or idolatrous practices. (Trans.)), that is, who worships idols or associates other
deities with Allâh, is also among those who are pprohibited. Allâh Ta‘ala says, And do not marry mushrik
women until they believe, for a believing bondmaid is better than a mushrik woman, even though you may
admire her. And do not marry (your girls) to mushrik men until they believe, for a believing bondsman is
better than a mushrik, even though you may admire him. They (mushrikeen) invite you to the Fire, but Allâh
invites you to the Garden and to forgiveness by His grace....(2:221)
This verse proclaims that a Muslim man may not marry a mushrik woman nor may a Muslim woman marry a
mushrik man, because there is a great, unbridgeable gulf between the two systems of belief. Islâm invites
people to the Garden of Paradise, while shirk (idolatry or polytheism) leads them to the Fire of Hell. While
Muslims believe in God, His messengers, and the Hereafter, mushrikeen associate others with God, reject
His messengers, and deny the Hereafter. Marriage means living under one roof in harmony and love; how
then would it be possible for such conflicting beliefs and practices to co-exist peacefully together in one
abode?
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Marriage to the Women of the People of the Book
Islâm has made marriage to Jewish or Christian women lawful for Muslim men, for they are Ahl al-Kitab, that
is, People of the Book, or people whose tradition is based upon a divinely revealed Scripture. Although they
have distorted and altered it, they do possess a religion of divine origin, and hence Islâm has made some
exceptions in dealing with them. The Qur‘ân says:...And the food of those who were given the Scripture
(before you) is permitted to you and your food is permitted to them. And (lawful to you in marriage are)
chaste women from the Believers and chaste women from those who were given the Scripture before you,
when you give them their due cowers, desiring chastity, not lewdness or secret intrigues....(5:6: (5))
Tolerance of such a degree is a characteristic of Islâm which is hardly to be found among other faiths and
nations. Despite the fact that Islâm takes the People of the Book to task for their unbelief and error, it permits
the Muslim to marry a Christian or Jewish woman who may, as his consort, the mistress of his house, the
mother of his children, the source of his repose, and his companion for life, retain her own faith—all this,
while the Qur‘ân says concerning marriage and its mystique, And among His signs is that He created for you
mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell with them in tranquility, and He has put love and mercy
between you....(30:21)
However, a warning is in order here. In order of preference, a believing, practicing Muslim woman who loves
her religion is preferable to a nominal Muslim woman who has inherited Islâm from her parents. The Prophet
(s.a.w.s.) said, “Get the one who is religious and prosper.” (Compiled by al-Bukhâri.)
It is also obvious that a Muslim woman, regardless of who she is, is better suited to a Muslim man than a
woman of Christian or Jewish faith, regardless of her merits. If a Muslim man has the slightest suspicion that
a non-Muslim wife might affect the beliefs and attitudes of his children, it becomes obligatory on him to
exercise caution.
If the number of Muslims in a country is small—for example, if they are immigrants residing in a non-Muslim
country—their men ought to be prohibited from marrying non-Muslim women because, since Muslim women
are prohibited from marrying non-Muslim men, their marriage to non-Muslim women means that many
Muslim girls will remain unmarried. Since this situation is injurious to the Muslim society, this injury can be
avoiby temporarily suspending this permission.
The Prohibition of a Muslim Woman’s Marrying a Non-Muslim Man
It is haram for a Muslim woman to marry a non-Muslim man, regardless of whether he of the Peopleof the
Book or not. We have already mentioned the saying of Allâh Ta‘ala,...And do not marry (your girls) to
idolaters until they believe....(2:221)
And He said concerning the immigrant Muslim women,...Then if you know them to be Believers, do not send
them back to the unbelievers. They are not halal for them (as wives), nor are they halal for them (as
husbands). (60:10)
No text exists which makes exceptions for the People of the Book, hence, on the basis of the above verses,
there is a consensus among Muslims concerning this prohibition.
Thus, while a Muslim man is permitted to marry a Christian or Jewish woman, a Muslim woman is not
allowed to marry a Christian or Jewish man. There are many sound reasons for this difference. First, the
man is the head of the household, the one who maintains the family, and he is responsible for his wife. And
while Islâm guarantees freedom of belief and practice to the Christian or Jewish wife of a Muslim,
safeguarding her rights according to her own faith, other religions, such as Judaism and Christianity, do not
guarantee the wife of a different faith freedom of belief and practice, nor do they safeguard her rights. Since
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