Interfaith Marriage in Islam: Classical Islamic Resources and Contemporary Debates on Muslim Women’s Interfaith Marriages
In Islamic tradition, both Muslim men and women are prohibited from marrying <i>mushriks</i> and are required to marry only other believers. However, Muslim scholars’ definitions of ‘believers’ and ‘<i>mushriks</i>’ differ for men and women. Whereas <i>kitabī</i>...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/8/726 |
| _version_ | 1827617584718020608 |
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| author | Ayse Elmali-Karakaya |
| author_facet | Ayse Elmali-Karakaya |
| author_sort | Ayse Elmali-Karakaya |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In Islamic tradition, both Muslim men and women are prohibited from marrying <i>mushriks</i> and are required to marry only other believers. However, Muslim scholars’ definitions of ‘believers’ and ‘<i>mushriks</i>’ differ for men and women. Whereas <i>kitabī</i> (Jewish and Christian) women are accepted as believers, not <i>mushriks; kitabī</i> men, who believe in the same religion as <i>kitabī</i> women, are not accepted as believers. Thus, there is a prohibition of Muslim women marrying men of different faiths in Islam. This prohibition is mainly based on the consensus of scholars, which is mostly derived from the cultural and social understanding of marriage and gender roles in the family rather than strictly from religious sources of reference. The aim of this article is to discuss how classical and contemporary Muslim scholars have approached the question of Muslim women’s interfaith marriages in Islam. Classical Muslim scholars did not consider the changing circumstances in their society and reconsider the religious rule regarding Muslim women’s interfaith marriages, as they did for Muslim men’s interfaith marriages. On the other hand, some contemporary Muslim scholars argue that the absence of any explicit prohibition in the Qurʾān indicates that Islam leaves the decision regarding whom to marry up to the Muslim woman and that she should consider her conditions and her prospective husband’s attitude toward her religious faith before making the decision for herself. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T09:50:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9cf6978689df445e94b81120b94f830c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T09:50:12Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-9cf6978689df445e94b81120b94f830c2023-12-02T00:14:19ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442022-08-0113872610.3390/rel13080726Interfaith Marriage in Islam: Classical Islamic Resources and Contemporary Debates on Muslim Women’s Interfaith MarriagesAyse Elmali-Karakaya0Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Theology Faculty, Sakarya University, 54050 Sakarya, TurkeyIn Islamic tradition, both Muslim men and women are prohibited from marrying <i>mushriks</i> and are required to marry only other believers. However, Muslim scholars’ definitions of ‘believers’ and ‘<i>mushriks</i>’ differ for men and women. Whereas <i>kitabī</i> (Jewish and Christian) women are accepted as believers, not <i>mushriks; kitabī</i> men, who believe in the same religion as <i>kitabī</i> women, are not accepted as believers. Thus, there is a prohibition of Muslim women marrying men of different faiths in Islam. This prohibition is mainly based on the consensus of scholars, which is mostly derived from the cultural and social understanding of marriage and gender roles in the family rather than strictly from religious sources of reference. The aim of this article is to discuss how classical and contemporary Muslim scholars have approached the question of Muslim women’s interfaith marriages in Islam. Classical Muslim scholars did not consider the changing circumstances in their society and reconsider the religious rule regarding Muslim women’s interfaith marriages, as they did for Muslim men’s interfaith marriages. On the other hand, some contemporary Muslim scholars argue that the absence of any explicit prohibition in the Qurʾān indicates that Islam leaves the decision regarding whom to marry up to the Muslim woman and that she should consider her conditions and her prospective husband’s attitude toward her religious faith before making the decision for herself.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/8/726interfaith marriageMuslim womenMuslimsIslam |
| spellingShingle | Ayse Elmali-Karakaya Interfaith Marriage in Islam: Classical Islamic Resources and Contemporary Debates on Muslim Women’s Interfaith Marriages Religions interfaith marriage Muslim women Muslims Islam |
| title | Interfaith Marriage in Islam: Classical Islamic Resources and Contemporary Debates on Muslim Women’s Interfaith Marriages |
| title_full | Interfaith Marriage in Islam: Classical Islamic Resources and Contemporary Debates on Muslim Women’s Interfaith Marriages |
| title_fullStr | Interfaith Marriage in Islam: Classical Islamic Resources and Contemporary Debates on Muslim Women’s Interfaith Marriages |
| title_full_unstemmed | Interfaith Marriage in Islam: Classical Islamic Resources and Contemporary Debates on Muslim Women’s Interfaith Marriages |
| title_short | Interfaith Marriage in Islam: Classical Islamic Resources and Contemporary Debates on Muslim Women’s Interfaith Marriages |
| title_sort | interfaith marriage in islam classical islamic resources and contemporary debates on muslim women s interfaith marriages |
| topic | interfaith marriage Muslim women Muslims Islam |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/8/726 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ayseelmalikarakaya interfaithmarriageinislamclassicalislamicresourcesandcontemporarydebatesonmuslimwomensinterfaithmarriages |