Marriage between relatives in Islam

slaveofAllah88

Slave of Allah (swt)
Hello, I just had a question why is marriage between couzins allowed in Islam?

its just not right to marry betweens cuzins, it had severe genetic factors, that can cause alot of problems for the kids
And in alot of developed countried legally you cant marry your cuzins, Im just confuse why is it allowed in Islam??
 

ShyHijabi

Junior Member
Salaam,

Actually there isn't much increase in congenital anomalies in sanganious marriages. (cousins) In medical school (my genetics course)this was gone over extensively. The problem only arises when the family carries a recessive and damaging gene. The recessive genes that are damaging are usually thalasemmias and such, which frankly run the same risk if you marry within your own race.

Marriage between cousins is not new nor strictly Islamic, it was more of the norm until recently in every society. (even Western ones) There are a lot of social taboos in the West concerning sanganious marriages but that is due to educational ignorance and societal norms. (which change like the wind)

Wasalaam

~Sarah
 

nyerekareem

abdur-rahman
Hello, I just had a question why is marriage between couzins allowed in Islam?

its just not right to marry betweens cuzins, it had severe genetic factors, that can cause alot of problems for the kids
And in alot of developed countried legally you cant marry your cuzins, Im just confuse why is it allowed in Islam??

:salam2:

Islamic View on Marrying Cousins
Question
What is Islam's position on marriages between cousins? I ask you this question because of the growing controversy that such marriages are not healthy and are very likely to cause serious birth defects in the offspring. Please answer this question in the light of the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah. I would also like if you could give your own opinion on this subject matter keeping in mind the health risks posed by such marriages. Thank You.
Date
02/Jan/2003
Name of Counsellor
Group of Muftis
Topic
Marriage



Answer


Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Dear questioner, we would like to thank you for the great confidence you place in us, and we implore Allah Almighty to help us serve His cause and render our work for His Sake.

Answering the question in point, Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, former President of the Islamic Society of North America, states:

"Marriages between first cousins are allowed in Islam. In surat an-Nisa' (4:22-24), Allah mentioned the women who are forbidden for marriage and then He said, "… Lawful to you are all beyond those mentioned, so that you may seek them with your wealth in honest wedlock…" In surat al-Ahzab (33:50), Allah mentioned to the Prophet that he may marry the daughters of his uncles and aunts from the father's side or the mother's side. It is the consensus of the jurists that this permission was not only for the Prophet, but it is also a permission for other believers. Muslims have practiced marriages between first cousins in all countries since the time of the Prophet.

Such marriages are allowed in many other religions and cultures as well. In United States, most of the states allow marriages between the first cousins. There is nothing wrong in this marriage.

However, it is a good practice to have a blood test before marriage. If one suspects some hereditary disease or any other problem then he/she should seek the advice of a medical expert in this field. The chances of health risk in this marriage are very rare. Most of the marriages have been good and children quite healthy."

Excerpted, with slight modifications from: http://pakistanlink.com/religion.html

Elaborating on this issue, we'd like to cite the fatwa issued by Sheikh M. S. Al-Munajjid, a prominent Saudi Muslim lecturer and author. He states:

"There is no objection whatsoever in the Islamic religion for a man to marry any of his relatives except those forbidden for marriage whom Allah mentioned in surat an-Nisaa' (4: 23) Thus, when Allah mentioned for us the relatives to whom marriage is forbidden, we then come to know that there is no objection for the remainder of the family relations.

Among the most prominent evidence of this fact is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) married his daughter Fatimah to `Ali (may Allah be pleased with them) and he is the son of her father's uncle, as well as the marriage of the Prophet himself to Zaynab bint Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with her) and she is his aunt's daughter (i.e. his cousin); and there are many other such examples.

However, a different question may be asked, namely: "Is it better or preferable for a Muslim to marry someone he is not related to rather than a relative?"

The answer to this question varies from case to case, and perhaps it may be preferable to marry people who are non-relations, for example if one aspires to form new social ties or bonds, and regards the existence of a marriage relationship with a different family as constructive in widening the circle of social bonds." (Source: www.islam-qa.com)

Elaborating on the issue whether it is preferable not to marry close cousins, we’d like to cite for you the following fatwa:

“Islam permits marriage between first cousins. If we 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.

The Islamic view is that while marriage between cousins is permissible, it is 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. It is worth stressing here that when marriage of cousins is repeated over several generations, they are bound to have more effects on children.

By permitting such marriages Islam does not encourage them. It advocates the cementing of social relations through marriages between totally unrelated families.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) once told one of his Companions 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.”

Excerpted, with modifications, from: www.islamicity.com

In conclusion, it is clear that Islam, undoubtedly, permits marrying cousins. As for the issue of preferring to choose a marriage partner from outside one's family, this varies from one case to another. Yet, Islam is generally keen to widen the circle of social bonds. As for the fear of hereditary diseases, it is a good practice to have a blood test before marriage. If one suspects some hereditary disease or any other problem then he/she should seek the advice of a medical expert in this field.

May Allah guide you to the straight path and direct you to that which pleases Him, Ameen.



Allah Almighty knows best.

i would also like to add that we shouldn't think that because of some man-made law, it is a law better than ALLAH SWT laws. i have no problem arguing about the laws of man, but i will not try to make the thing that ALLAH SWT made halal into something haram or made anything haram into halal.
:wasalam:
 

nyerekareem

abdur-rahman
Salaam,

Actually there isn't much increase in congenital anomalies in sanganious marriages. (cousins) In medical school (my genetics course)this was gone over extensively. The problem only arises when the family carries a recessive and damaging gene. The recessive genes that are damaging are usually thalasemmias and such, which frankly run the same risk if you marry within your own race.

Marriage between cousins is not new nor strictly Islamic, it was more of the norm until recently in every society. (even Western ones) There are a lot of social taboos in the West concerning sanganious marriages but that is due to educational ignorance and societal norms. (which change like the wind)

Wasalaam

~Sarah
:salam2:

before i posted earlier, i was gonna mention your name, because about a year ago we had an earlier discussion about this. at the time i was of the opinion that it was wrong to have such marriages take place. my argument was the heredity effects. they do happen, but not in the frequency that many have been taught to believe. but after more research, i realized that with simple blood testing among the two, can help confirm if there would be any trouble. the problem would arise if it was marriage only between that group of people for generations, without any sort of outsider ever entering the mix.
:wasalam:
 

ShyHijabi

Junior Member
:salam2:

before i posted earlier, i was gonna mention your name, because about a year ago we had an earlier discussion about this. at the time i was of the opinion that it was wrong to have such marriages take place. my argument was the heredity effects. they do happen, but not in the frequency that many have been taught to believe. but after more research, i realized that with simple blood testing among the two, can help confirm if there would be any trouble. the problem would arise if it was marriage only between that group of people for generations, without any sort of outsider ever entering the mix.
:wasalam:

Salaam,

Wow, your memory is better than mine! :lol: I too used to think that cousin marriage would result in severely disabled and deformed children. You can imagine my embarrassment when my Genetics teacher (in a sanganious marriage as well) corrected me and showed statistical research to back her statements. :shymuslima1: She is from India and said that blood tests are becoming the norm when marrying two people whether or not they are related due to the commoness of the thalasemmia genes. I hope that this has lessened the decimination of deliterous, recessive genes.

Thank for posting the very helpful links and information, may Allah swt reward you for your efforts.

Wasalaam

~Sarah
 

saif

Junior Member
Dear brother shaheer,
:salam2:

As you name name suggests, you are from Pakistan, I would suggest to have a look at this discussion in Urdu, which, in my opinion provides the best aswer to your question. I am short of time to provide a summary for the non-urdu speakers. If you agree with the speaker's (Javed Ahmad Ghamidi) view point, please provide a summary for others benefit.

:salam2:
 

AleahKoto

Allah will decide
US Allowed it...

For many years the US allowed it. In fact, in the 1900's (and earlier) most people only lived around close family, and there was no other person to marry. For instance, my grandmother married her cousin, she was from Tennessee, and lived in a region where only a few families lived within miles of each other. Most of her brothers and sisters married cousins or second cousins.

The so called "cultured people" decided this was taboo, and started the rumor that most of the hillbillies where "inbreds". Even the cultured did not realize that in the "blue blood" groups of aristocracy for 1,000's of years, it was almost mandatory to marry a cousin or a sister/brother......

Hmmm maybe that is why all of us are so "nuts" lol

To make a long story short, all are very intelligent, had excellent careers, and there was no abnormalities in any births, nor in any successive births in the generations that followed.

It also answers the age old question, who did Cain marry? Most likely his own bloodline....but most do not like to hear that.
 

slaveofAllah88

Slave of Allah (swt)
For many years the US allowed it. In fact, in the 1900's (and earlier) most people only lived around close family, and there was no other person to marry. For instance, my grandmother married her cousin, she was from Tennessee, and lived in a region where only a few families lived within miles of each other. Most of her brothers and sisters married cousins or second cousins.

The so called "cultured people" decided this was taboo, and started the rumor that most of the hillbillies where "inbreds". Even the cultured did not realize that in the "blue blood" groups of aristocracy for 1,000's of years, it was almost mandatory to marry a cousin or a sister/brother......

Hmmm maybe that is why all of us are so "nuts" lol

To make a long story short, all are very intelligent, had excellent careers, and there was no abnormalities in any births, nor in any successive births in the generations that followed.

It also answers the age old question, who did Cain marry? Most likely his own bloodline....but most do not like to hear that.
Thank you everyone for those insight answers and nouzubillah I was never ever proclaiming man made laws r better than Allah (swt), it was just a question... and i guess everyone is right
I just took a genetic class and these kind of questions pop into your mind especialy that i have an example ...
like in my dad's family we have asthma problem but due to the fact my dad married outside the family my bros have it I dont ... which wud have unlikely to have happened if my mom was my dad's cuzin or something cuz all of my aunts (i think didn't ask everyone) have asthma problems as well.
But generally speaking :) its gud to know Islam does recommend marrying outside family
thank you
 

Optimist

قل هو الله أحد
assalamu aleekoom wa rahmatu allahi wa barakatoho

Dear sister Sarah. I'd be interested in ore details about this. Have you got the papers that your teacher mentioned ?
 

shichemlydia

Junior Member
answer....

salam alikoum,
i am sure that allah swt is the all knowing, and if it was dangerous to marry between cousins, allah would forbid that, as he forbid the sexual relationships outside marriages, because they help in spreading the aids virous, do not worry allah swt said in the quran "ما فرطنا في الكتاب من شئ
which means that allah swt mentioned everything in his book.
if you need the example, here it is, two of my uncles are married to their cousins, their sons and daughters are healthy (physically and montally), and they are in good shape.
wa salam alikoum
 

soeurette

Junior Member
Royalty still practice marrying with in their families,Lady Diana and Prince Charles were distant cousins, The Queen and Prince Philip are distant cousins, comments have been made that the marriage pool for royals is slowly dwindling because there has been so much inter-marriage so this practice isn't so out of practice amongst the blue bloods as people would like to think, its just not openly promoted.
And like so many have stated before me genetic testing can usually rule out any worries about passing on most of the common recessive genetic problems.
But on a personal note I think we should encourage marriage outside of families, people are always so boastful oh Islam is a multi-ethnic faith look at how diverse our communities are, but you ask them who they want their kids to marry and they usually have to be someone from their country.
 

cmelbouzaidi

Junior Member
:salam2:

Very informative thread. Jazak Allahu Khair, the islam q and a answer explains a lot... My grandparents in Ireland were first cousins and had to get special permission from the Catholic Church to get married :) However, I assure you that there was no medical testing carried out but we appear to be relatively normal (relatively speaking lol) :) :)

:wasalam:
 
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