In traditionalist interpretations ofIslam, the permissibility forMuslims to engage ininterfaith marriages is outlined by theQuran:[2] it is permissible, albeit discouraged, for a Muslim man to marryNon-Muslim women as long as they are identified as being part of the "People of the Book" (Christians,Jews, andSabians), while it is not permissible for aMuslim woman to marry aNon-Muslim man.[2][3] Thus, traditional interpretations ofIslamic law do recognize the legitimacy of a Muslim man's marriage (nikaah) if he marries a Non-Muslim woman, but only if she isJewish,Christian, orSabian.[2][4]
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 differentMuslim scholars regarding theIslamic law.[2][4][5] Additionally, it is required in Islam that the children of an interfaith marriage be Muslim.[6][7]
The tradition ofreformist and progressive Islam, on the other hand, permits marriages between Muslim women and Non-Muslim men;[8]Islamic scholars opining this view include Pakistani-AmericanMuslim feminist Shehnaz Haqqani, Guyanese-American professorKhaleel Mohammed, American activistDaayiee Abdullah, and Sudanese politicianHassan al-Turabi, among others.[2][9]
In some societies outside the traditionaldar al-islam, interfaith marriages between Muslims and Non-Muslims are not uncommon, including marriages that, inSunni Islam, contradict the historic understanding ofijmāʿ (the consensus offuqāha) as to the bounds of legitimacy.[10]
In general, while Muslim men are allowed to marry Non-Muslim women,[2] the Quran instructs them to take measures toavoid such acts and instead marry Muslim women.[4] No such allowances are made forMuslim women, for whom interfaith marriage isstrictly forbidden according to the traditional interpretation ofmale Muslim scholars.[2][11] Muslim men who do engage in an interfaith marriage must ensure that the Non-Muslim woman in question can be identified as being among the "People of the Book" and is actively religious; if she renounces her faith and does notconvert to Islam, the marriage is automatically invalidated.[4][3] Due to the complications associated with marrying a Non-Muslim woman—particularly the possibility that the couple's children may choose to follow the wife's faith instead of Islam or beirreligious altogether—many Islamic scholars discourage or outright forbid all interfaith marriages.[12]
Although the Quran contains no explicit prohibition for Muslim women marrying Non-Muslim men, some scholars argue that the fact that it only mentions the allowance for Muslim men means that Muslim women are prohibited from interfaith marriages.[11] Kuwaiti-American professorKhaled Abou el-Fadl writes that he did not find a single Islamic scholar inclassical jurisprudence who disagreed with the prohibition of marriage between Muslim women and Non-Muslim men.[13]
In the case of a Christian–Muslim marriage, which is to be contracted only after permission from the Christian party, the Christian wife is not to be prevented from attending church nor from engaging in her own prayer and worship. This conduct is according to theAshtiname of Muhammad, which was signed betweenMuhammad andSaint Catherine's Monastery in 623 CE.[1][14]
DespiteSunni Islam prohibiting Muslim women from marrying Non-Muslim men, interfaith marriages between Muslim women and Non-Muslim men take place at substantial rates, contravening the traditional Sunni understanding ofijmāʿ.[5][10][8] The modern tradition ofreformist and progressive Islam has also come to permit marriages between Muslim women and Non-Muslim men,[8] with Islamic scholars opining this view includingMuslim feminist Shehnaz Haqqani,Khaleel Mohammed,Daayiee Abdullah, andHassan al-Turabi, among others.[2][9] In theUnited States, for example, about 10% of Muslim women are married to Non-Muslim men, and about one in ten Muslims are married to Non-Muslims overall, including about one in six Muslims under the age of 40, and about 20% of Muslims who describe themselves as less devoutly religious.[15]
Recent studies on interfaith marriages inMuslim-majority countries have shown that parental attitudes remain more negative toward marriage of a daughter as compared to a son, and that "stronger religious belief was associated with more negative attitudes"; this was less in the case of Muslims who perceivedIslam and Christianity as more similar than distinct.[16]
In mostArab countries, interfaith marriages are allowed as long as the husband is Muslim and the wife is Jewish or Christian.[17] There are, however, some Arab countries that do not enforce such laws: inLebanon, there is no civil personal status law and marriages are performed according to the religion of the spouses; and it has been legal for women inTunisia to marry men of any faith or of no faith since 2017.
Turkey allows marriages between Muslim women and Non-Muslim men throughsecular laws.[18] InMalaysia, a Non-Muslim must convert to Islam in order to marry a Muslim, and any children produced from unions involving a Muslim are automatically registered as Muslims at birth.[19]
TheQuran speaks favourably of thePeople of the Book. For example, Surah 3, verse 199, carries a universal message of goodwill and hope to all those who believe, the People of the Book irrespective of their religious label—Christian,Jew, orMuslim. Muslims can marry with the People of the Book [...].
