Interfaith marriage in Islam

Islamic Law has different regulations on interfaith marriage, depending on which of the two spouses is Muslim. It permits a Muslim man to marry up to four non-Muslim women from the People of the Book (that is, Christians and Jews ) however some say this practice is no longer valid. In addition to this it is seen as "makrooh" (disliked) by Muslim scholars for Muslim men to marry outside the religion because the rightly guided Caliph, Umar , banned interfaith marriages for Muslim men.

( Learn how and when to remove this message ) Interfaith marriages are recognized between Muslims and non-Muslim People of the Book (usually enumerated as Jews , Christians , and Sabians ). In some societies outside the traditional dar al-islam , interfaith marriages between Muslims and non-Muslims are not uncommon, including marriages that contradict ijma (the consensus of fuqāha ) as to the bounds of legitimacy. In the United States, for example, about one in ten Muslim women are married to non-Muslims, including about one in six Muslim women under 40 and about 20% of Muslim women who describe themselves as less devoutly religious. In Lebanon, a Muslim man can only marry a Christian woman if she converts to Islam. More recently, studies have also been undertaken about attitudes towards interfaith marriages in Muslim majority countries. The Oxford Dictionary of Islam .

Islamic views on interfaith marriages An icon depicting the treaty signing between Muhammad and Saint Catherine's Monastery allowing interfaith marriage between Muslims and Christians, as discussed in the Ashtiname of Muhammad . Interfaith marriages are recognized between Muslims and Non-Muslim " People of the Book " (usually enumerated as Jews , Christians , and Sabians ). According to the traditional interpretation of Islamic law ( sharīʿa ), a Muslim man is allowed to marry a Christian or Jewish woman but this ruling doesn't apply to women who belong to other Non-Muslim religious groups , whereas a Muslim woman is not allowed to marry a Non-Muslim man of any Non-Muslim religious group. In the case of a Muslim-Christian marriage, which is to be contracted only after permission from the Christian party, the Christian spouse is not to be prevented from attending church for prayer and worship, according to the Ashtiname of Muhammad , a treaty between Muslims and Christians recorded between Muhammad and Saint Catherine's Monastery . In some societies outside the traditional dar al-islam , interfaith marriages between Muslims and Non-Muslims are not uncommon, including marriages that contradict the historic Sunni understanding of ijmāʿ (the consensus of fuqāha ) as to the bounds of legitimacy. The tradition of reformist and progressive Islam , however, permits marriage between Muslim women and Non-Muslim men; Islamic scholars opining this view include Khaleel Mohammed , Daayiee Abdullah , and Hassan Al-Turabi , among others. Postmodernism and Islam: Predicament and Promise . The Quran speaks favourably of the people of the Book. Muslims can marry with the people of the Book, John L. The Oxford Dictionary of Islam .

Interfaith marriage between Muslims and Christians is discussed in the Ashtiname of Muhammad , a treaty that was recorded between Muhammad and the abbots of Saint Catherine's Monastery , which is depicted in this icon . In traditionalist interpretations of Islam , the permissibility for Muslims to engage in interfaith marriages is outlined by the Quran : it is permissible, albeit discouraged, for a Muslim man to marry Non-Muslim women as long as they are identified as being part of the " People of the Book " ( Christians , Jews , and Sabians ), while it is not permissible for a Muslim woman to marry a Non-Muslim man . Thus, traditional interpretations of Islamic law do recognize the legitimacy of a Muslim man's marriage ( nikaah ) if he marries a Non-Muslim woman, but only if she is Jewish , Christian , or Sabian . On the other hand, according to the traditional understanding of interfaith marriage in Islam, Muslim women are forbidden from intermarrying with Non-Muslim men based on the interpretations of different Muslim scholars regarding the Islamic law . Additionally, it is required in Islam that the children of an interfaith marriage be Muslim. The tradition of reformist and progressive Islam , on the other hand, permits marriages between Muslim women and Non-Muslim men; Islamic scholars opining this view include Pakistani-American Muslim feminist Shehnaz Haqqani, Guyanese-American professor Khaleel Mohammed , American activist Daayiee Abdullah , and Sudanese politician Hassan al-Turabi , among others. In some societies outside the traditional dar al-islam , interfaith marriages between Muslims and Non-Muslims are not uncommon, including marriages that, in Sunni Islam , contradict the historic understanding of ijmāʿ (the consensus of fuqāha ) as to the bounds of legitimacy. Postmodernism and Islam: Predicament and Promise (1st ed.). The Quran speaks favourably of the People of the Book . Muslims can marry with the People of the Book [...]. Journal of Qur'anic Studies . 25 (1). The Oxford Dictionary of Islam . In Hood, Ralph W.; Cheruvallil-Contractor, Sariya (eds.). The Development of Religious Identity in Young People" . Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research .