I am having some trouble understanding the issues involved in a non-Muslim man marrying a Muslim lady. Your answers on the website seem to indicate that the possibility exists for this to be so. Yet I have found other sites (such as www.verity.nu) that specifically and quite graphically indicate what should happen if such an event took place.

As your mannerisms and speech I find pleasant and informative, I am writing to you for your further advice on this matter.

Many thanks for any further comments you may have.

Be well,

As I have mentioned in a few of my previous responses to related questions^[1], the issue of marriage between a Muslim woman and non-Muslim man, except in the case of a polytheist man, has not been expressly mentioned in the Shari`ah. Even though Muslims have traditionally considered the silence of the Shari`ah, in this regard, to imply a disliking for such marriage and have, therefore, considered it more prudent to avoid it, yet, the fact remains, that such marriage, due to the silence of the Shari`ah can only be considered as 'disliked', not expressly 'prohibited' by the Shari`ah.

In your letter, you have referred to a site, which, contrary to my opinion, considers the marriage between a Muslim woman and a non-Muslim man (including Jews and Christians) to be expressly prohibited. In my opinion, the stated opinion is not correct and is based on such verses of the Qur'an, which relate specifically to the issue of marriage between a Muslim and a polytheist.

The author of the referred article writes:

The marriage of Christian man to a Muslim woman is an invalid marriage. Allah says in the Quran:

And give not (Muslim women) in marriage to idolaters until they believe [al-Baqara 221]

Therefore, it is not allowed for disbeliever to marry a Muslim woman. Allah also says,

They (Muslim women) are not lawful for them (the disbelivers) nor are they (the disbeliever) lawful for them [al-Mumtahana 10]

As should be clear from the above excerpt of the referred article, the author has based his opinion on the Al-Baqarah 2: 221 and Al-Mumtahinah 60: 10. A close look at both these verse shows that they specifically relate to the polytheists. Neither of these verses discusses the issue of marriage between a Muslim woman and a Christian or a Jewish man (or a man ascribing to any other monotheistic creed).

It is, however, important to note that the mistake of applying the directives of verses, which are specifically related to polytheists is based on the concept that the Jews and the Christians, because of some of their beliefs, are polytheists according to the Qur'an. However, in my opinion, this concept is not correct. A polytheist, according to the usage of the term "Mushrik" in the Qur'an, is a person, who ascribes to a polytheistic belief, knowing that it is a polytheistic belief. In other words, a polytheist is a person, who clearly ascribes to polytheism, i.e. who ascribes partners and equals to the One God. The Christians and the Jews, contrary to this usage of the term in the Qur'an, have never consciously ascribed partners to God. They may have ascribed to certain beliefs, which, in the eyes of the Muslims, amount to polytheistic beliefs, yet, even according to the Qur'an they have never been guilty of knowingly ascribing to polytheism, as such. It is because of this reason that the Qur'an - even though it has referred to some of their beliefs, which according to its concept of Tawheed, amount to polytheism - has not categorized the Jews and the Christians with the polytheists, and has, therefore, mentioned them as a distinctly separate group from the polytheists (as should be clear from Al-Baqarah 2: 105, Aal Imraan 3: 67, Surah Al-Taubah 9: 1 - 33, Al-Bayyinah 98: 1)

As should be clear from the foregoing explanation, the Qur'an does not group the Jews and the Christians with the polytheists. Thus, as a result, the verses of the Qur'an, which prohibit marriage with polytheists, do not apply to marriages with Jews and Christians.

The foregoing explanation should adequately summarize the basis of my difference of opinion with the author of the referred article. In my opinion, the issue of the marriage of a Muslim woman and a non-Muslim man has not been expressly dealt with in the Shari`ah. However, such a marriage, even though it is not expressly prohibited by the Shari`ah is something 'disliked' in view of the restraint practiced by the Muslim community, in this regard, since the time of its inception. While on the basis of the verses that prohibit marriage between Muslims and polytheists, the author of the referred article is of the opinion that marriage between a Muslim woman and a Christian or a Jewish man is also expressly prohibited by Islam.

It is now for the reader to judge for himself as to which of the two opinions is based on sounder reasoning and stronger grounds. He would only be obliged to follow the opinion, which he considers to be more in keeping with the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh).

September 28, 2000