Why a Muslim Woman Is Not Allowed to
Marry a Non-Muslim Man
Dear Sheikhs, As-Salamu
`alaykum. I would like to know why a woman is not
allowed to marry a non-Muslim man while a Muslim man can marry a Jewish or
Christian lady. What is the wisdom of that? Jazakum Allah khayran.
Name of Mufti Group of
Muftis
Content of
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 sister in Islam, 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.
First of all, it is to be stressed that Islam does not encourage
the interfaith marriages. The general rule of Islam is that Muslims should
marry Muslims. A Muslim male or female should not marry a non-Muslim male or
female. The only exception is given to Muslim men who are allowed to marry the
chaste girls from among the People of the Book.
However, a Muslim woman is better suited to a Muslim man than a
woman of Christian or Jewish faith, regardless of her merits. This is because
marriage is not based on fulfilling one’s sexual desires; rather, it is an
institution. It aims to establish a home on the bases of tranquility, faith and
Islamic morals. To fulfill this task, the whole family must apply Allah’s
course and try to convey His message.
It is obvious that Islam made it impermissible for a Muslim woman
to marry a non-Muslim with aim of keeping her away from things that may
jeopardize her faith. In fact, Islam aims at protecting religion. To achieve
this goal, it prohibits a Muslim from being involved in something that
represents a threat to his religion. A Muslim woman will not feel that her
religion is secure while being with a Jewish or a Christian husband especially
as the majority of the People of the Book do not show due respect to our
Prophet, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
Allah Almighty says: “And the Jews will not be pleased with thee,
nor will the Christians, till thou follow their creed. Say: Lo! The guidance of
Allah (Himself) is Guidance. And if thou should follow their desires after the
knowledge which hath come unto thee, then wouldst thou have from Allah no protecting
friend nor helper.” (Al-Baqarah:
120)
Given the fact that the husband is generally the head of the
household, it's not far-fetched for a non-Muslim husband to prevent his Muslim
wife from performing some Islamic rituals which may seem a nuisance to him, for
example fasting, or even refraining from marital relations during the fast. As
a result, he might force her to change her religion, and if she refuses, the
situation may culminate in divorce.
As for why Islam allows a Muslim man to marry a Christian or
Jewish woman, it's clear that every Muslim believes in Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them) and he holds all the Prophets of Allah in high
esteem. Thus a Muslim finds no harm in his wife’s being a Christian or a Jew,
for the spirit of tolerance Islam holds for other religions is ingrained in him.
In his response to the question you raised, the eminent Muslim
scholar, Sheikh Muhammad Al-Hanooti, member of the
North American Fiqh Council, states:
"If Allah is the one who prohibits a Muslim woman from
marrying a non-Muslim, then we as Muslims are supposed to believe it and to
take it. As a matter of faith, you cannot become a Muslim unless you accept
everything when it is ordained by Allah or carried out by his Messenger. The Qur'an says, "O Ye who believe!
Put not yourselves forward before Allah and His Messenger…" (Al-Hujurat: )
If you ask about the benefits of not marrying a non-Muslim, we can
count you many reasons. A man is the manager of his household. He will
persecute his Muslim wife in many dos and don'ts. She can hardly guarantee that
kind of operation. Moreover, marriage is an institution for elevating our
levels of having a good Islamic life. Pleasing Allah is our number one goal. If
a woman is married to a non-Muslim, maybe the only thing she will accomplish in
her marital life is what is good for livestock."
Shedding more light on the question, we'd like to cite the words of
the eminent Muslim scholar, Sheik Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, in his well-known book, The Lawful and the
Prohibited in Islam:
"It is haram for a Muslim woman to
marry a non-Muslim man, regardless of whether he is of the People of the Book
or not. We have already mentioned the saying of Allah, "...and do not
marry (your girls) to idolaters until they believe..." (Al-Baqarah: 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 lawful for them (as wives), nor are they lawful for them (as husbands)."
(Al-Mumtahanah: 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 Islam 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 this is the case, how can Islam take chances on the
future of its daughters by giving them into the hands of people who neither
honor their religion nor are concerned to protect their rights?
A marriage between a man and woman of different faiths can be
based only on the husband's respect for his wife's beliefs; otherwise a good
relationship can never develop. Now, the Muslim believes that both Judaism and
Christianity originated in divine revelation, although later distortions were
introduced into them. He also believes that God revealed the Tawrah to Moses and the Injeel to
Jesus, and that both Moses and Jesus (peace be on them)
were among the Messengers of Allah who were distinguished by their steadfast
determination. Accordingly, the Christian or Jewish wife of a Muslim lives
under the protection of a man who respects the basic tenets of her faith, her
Scripture, and her Prophets, while in contrast to this the Jew or Christian
recognizes neither the Divine origin of Islam, its Book, or its Prophet (peace
be on him). How then could a Muslim woman live with such a man, while her
religion requires of her the observance of certain worships, duties, and
obligations, as well as certain prohibitions? It would be impossible for the
Muslim woman to retain her respect for her beliefs as well as to practice her
religion properly if she were opposed in this regard by the master of the house
at every step.
It will be realized from this that Islam is consistent with itself
in prohibiting the Muslim man to marry a mushrik (polytheist)
woman, for since Islam is absolutely opposed to shirk (polytheism), it would
obviously be impossible for two such people to live together in harmony and
love."
Allah Almighty knows best.