Marriage between Sunni and Shiite Muslims

I have heard people saying that a Sunni and Shiite cannot marry. What is the Islamic ruling on this? Can a Sunni Man Marry a Shiite Lady?

Name of Mufti Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi

Content of Reply 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 showing keenness on knowing the teachings of Islam, and we appreciate the great confidence you have in us. May Allah help us serve His cause and render our work for His Sake.

In Islam, the marriage of a man and a woman is not just a financial and physical arrangement of living together, but a sacred contract, a gift of Allah, to lead a happy, enjoyable life and continue the lineage. The main goal of marriage in Islam is the realization of tranquility and compassion between the spouses. Being a solemn contract, the Shari`ah lays down rules and arrangements for marriage to guarantee its stability.

As regards your question, we'd like to cite for you the following fatwa issued by the eminent Muslim scholar, Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, in this regard:

"Matrimonial life should be based on mutual understanding between the spouses rather than spent in heated arguments and continuous debates. Life should not be a battle between the spouses: one of them supports Abu Bakr and the other defends `Ali. I don't say this kind of marriage is Haram, but I don't prefer it. There should be a kind of harmony between the spouses, and this is not found if the Shiite is fanatic. One of them would say, "may Allah be pleased with Abu Bakr" and the other would say, "May Allah's curse be inflicted on him". This is not a good example of matrimonial life.

I am not totally against this marriage, because I permit the Muslim to get married to a Christian lady, and if it is allowed for a Muslim to marry a Christian lady, then, in fortiori, it is allowed to marry a Shiite lady. Still, though marriage is valid in principle, it's not the ideal one.

So, I suggest – if a Muslim really wants to get married to a Shiite lady – to marry a moderate Shiite woman who prays in the Masjid with Sunnis and attend the Khutbah and doesn't support conflict with the Sunnis. If she is as such, then it's permissible to get married to her."

It goes without saying that the above fatwa is also applicable in case the man is a Shiite and the woman is a Sunni.

Allah Almighty knows best.