Interfaith Marriage (Frequently Asked Questions)

We have received many questions about interfaith marriages. Research indicates that there is a higher divorce rate among interfaith couples compared to marriages between Muslims. Regardless of gender, Muslims are strongly encouraged to marry within their faith and only resort to an interfaith marriage after all options to find a compatible Muslim spouse have been exhausted. Below are some common questions and answers that we have addressed before:

1) What are the links at your website that deal with interfaith marriages?

- The links at our website on the subject are:

Marriage to non-Muslims

Clarification on marriage

Additional interfaith exchanges

2) Does the shari'ah explicitly state that marriage between a Muslim woman and a non-Muslim man is not allowed?

- We have to differentiate between "shari'ah" and "fiqh". The first is an abstract, the latter is based on decisions reached by human judges, as it literally means "understanding." The traditional understanding, based on exegetical warpings of the verses prohibiting marriage to "polytheists", is that marriage between a Muslim woman and a non-Muslim man is not allowed. These interpretations do not take into consideration that times and mores have changed, and that wives nowadays have influence and rights that would have been unthinkable only a century ago.

3) Will an interfaith marriage be valid and will the children of that marriage (e.g., a Muslim woman to a Christian man) be considered illegitimate?

- In our interpretation, as long as both parties do not coerce each other in matters of faith, there is love and respect, and there is no compulsion in religiosity, then the marriage is valid and the children are legitimate. What sin have the children committed? We do highly recommend a prenuptial agreement in which the parties agree that there will be no religious coercion, how any children will be raised, if there will be pets, alcohol, and pork in the home, etc.

4) Are there any other Imams who subscribe to your views on interfaith marriages?

- The majority of Muslims believe that the Qur'an's guidelines are immutable, so they take the traditional position of Muslim men being allowed to marry women from the "People of the Book" but not vice versa. There are a few scholars / Imams who subscribe to our views on interfaith marriage. Since a traditional nikah ceremony is usually done only when both the bride and groom are Muslim, Dr. Mohammed's position is that a civil ceremony in the State or country of residence meets all legal requirements (including Islamic).

5) Who are some of the jurists that opine that the marriage is permissible given that the woman will not change her religion and the children will be raised as Muslims?

- The jurists who allow permission will all be moderates, and Dr. Mohammed is one of them. The matter is rather new so you would have to do independent research on others. The position of all jurists who subscribe to the "maqasid al shari'ah" approach is that such a marriage is allowable, and among them is the famous contemporary Shaykh Abdallah bin Baya. Regardless, our view is that a correct position is not determined by the plurality of subscribers, but by the cogency of the argument.

6) Does Dr. Mohammed perform interfaith marriages, and is he licensed to officiate at marriages that are within the Islamic faith as well as interfaith?

- Dr. Mohammed is licensed to officiate marriages within the US only. Due to his teaching schedule and frequent lecture commitments, which involves travel on many occasions, Dr. Mohammed might be available to perform marriages on a case by case basis depending on his availability. He lives in San Diego, California and should he agree to perform any marriages, the requesting parties will have to cover the costs such as his fees, travel, lodging, meals, etc.

7) Does Dr. Mohammed perform marriages via the phone, i.e., remotely?

- Given the negative aspects of telephone marriages, and the fact that they may sometimes involve transnational parties, and we cannot verify that such marriages are without coercion, ulterior motives, etc., Dr. Mohammed does not perform such marriages nor does he endorse them.

Posted October 28, 2006