Q. " When
it come to marrying a christian or a jewish girl or boy, the Muslims youths
argue that the Holy Qur'an has allowed such a marriage. Since we are living
in the midst of jews and Christians, we preeminently need to know the
correct and precise Islamic position in this respect. please provide the
guidance and oblige."
(Dr.
Zakaullah, New York)
A. The Holy Qur'an has never allowed the Muslim girls to marry
a non-Muslim boy, no matter whether he is a Christian or a jew or a Hindu
or a Parci. However, The Holy Qur'an has allowed a Muslim boy to marry
a Christian or a jewish gril. But there are two important points which
should always be kept in mind in this respect :
1. It is only the Christian and jewish women that are allowed to
be married by a Muslim. No woman of any other religion or belief is halal
for a Muslim. The woman who are Chiristian or jewonly by their names,
and do not actually beleive in any religion, like a large number of people
in the western countries, cannot be termed as "Ahl-al-Kitab"
(people of the book). They are atheists and it is not allowed in Shariah
to marry an atheistic women.
2. Shariah has allowed the Muslims to marry a Christian or a Jewish
girl only where there is no apprehension that the husband or his children
may come under her influence in religious matters. In the early days of
the Islamic history every Muslim was duly equiped with adequate knowledge
of his religion and hand an unshaken commitment to the Islamic principles.
Therefore, there was no apprehension that he would be misled by any foreign
influence. Rather, he was supposed to convince his wife in religious issues.
Therefore, if a Muslim is fully confident that his marriage with a Christian
or a Jewish girl will never affect the religious life of himself or of
his children, then there is no bar against such a marriage. But if he
is not so confident, then, he must avoid marrying a non-Muslim girl. Even
in the days of the Sahabah (the Companions of the Holy Prophet (Sallaho Alaihai Wasallam))
some people were not advised to marry a Christian or the Jewish gril for
this very reason. (See 158:2/4, Musannif Ibn Abi Shaibah)
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