Marriage: Interfaith marriages –
Permissible though not advisable

Q354 :You have said in the past that a Muslim may
marry a Christian or a Jewish woman. However, we read in the Qur’an the
following instructions: “Do not marry unbelieving women until they have
believed: a slave woman who believes is better than an unbelieving
woman” (2;221). Please netment.

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A354 : It is not I who say that; it is the Islamic
ruling. I have on several occasions pointed out that for a Muslim to
marry a Christian woman is permissible. However, I repeated on every
occasion that although such an interfaith marriage is permissible, it
is inadvisable. The apparent contradiction between the ruling and the
verse you quoted is due partly to the translation you have quoted. It
is a little inaccurate. There is no contradiction, because the Qur’anic
verse speaks of “women who associate partners with Allah.” It is more
accurately translated as “Do not marry polytheist women until they have
believed. A slave woman who believes is better than a polytheist woman
even though you may find her desirable.” All Muslim scholars are
unanimous in their view that to marry a woman who follows any faith
other than Islam, Christianity or Judaism, is forbidden. The concession
in the case of Christian and Jewish woman is made on account that there
remains a netmon area between Islam and these two religions which
allows the children to be brought up as believers.

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Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )