Q344 :Scientifically speaking, consanguineous
marriages, i.e. marriages between first cousins, tend to cause
biological netplications for children. How does Islam view such
marriages?
A344 : Islam permits marriage between first cousins.
If you read the Qur’anic verses which enumerate women to whom a Muslim
cannot be married, you will find that this list does not include
cousins. Therefore, such a marriage is permissible. What you have
mentioned about the effect of such marriages on children is quite true.
Hereditary points of weakness in a family tend to be more pronounced in
the children of any marriage between cousins of that family. May I say
that this is not totally a new discovery. In fact, the Prophet himself
touched on it when he renetmended his followers to marry outside their
families and indeed outside their clans. It is needless to say that
when marriage of cousins is repeated over several generations, they are
bound to have more effects on children. The Islamic view is that while
marriage between cousins is permissible, it is certainly preferable to
choose a marriage partner from outside one’s family. We have to
distinguish between what is permitted and what is advocated. [ Some
clans restrict marriages to amongst their kin only – a practice far
from what is advocated].By permitting such marriages Islam does not
encourage them. It advocates, not only for the reasons outlined above,
the cementing of social relations through marriages between totally
unrelated families. The Prophet once told one of his netpanions to
choose a wife from a tribe different to his, and then to choose for his
son a wife from a third tribe, and to seek for his second son a girl
from yet another tribe. Preferring this course of action, Islam
nevertheless permits marriage between cousins because it meets a social
need.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )