Taken from: Fatawa Ameenpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Ameenpuri
Is it permissible to marry women from the People of the Book (Jews and Christians)?
Yes, it is permissible to marry chaste women from among the People of the Book (Jews and Christians)—whether they are dhimmi (non-Muslims under Muslim rule) or harbi (non-Muslims at war with Muslims)—as long as they are morally upright and pure (muḥṣanāt).
وَالْمُحْصَنَاتُ مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ إِذَا آتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ مُحْصِنِينَ غَيْرَ مُسَافِحِينَ وَلَا مُتَّخِذِي أَخْدَانٍ
(Surah Al-Ma'idah: 5)
“(Lawful to you in marriage are) the chaste women from those who were given the Book before you, when you have given them their due dowry, being chaste yourselves and not committing fornication or taking them as lovers.”
When the following verse was revealed:
وَلَا تَنْكِحُوا الْمُشْرِكَاتِ حَتَّىٰ يُؤْمِنَّ
(Surah Al-Baqarah: 221)
“Do not marry polytheist women until they believe…”
❖ The Muslims stopped marrying women from the People of the Book, assuming them to be included among the mushrikīn.
But then the verse in Surah Al-Ma’idah was revealed, allowing marriage with chaste Jewish and Christian women.
(Tafsir Ibn Kathir: 3/42; Al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr: 12/105 – Chain Hasan)
❖ Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal said regarding the above verse:
The prohibition of marrying “mushrik women” refers specifically to idolatrous polytheists of the Arabs, not to People of the Book.
(Tafsir Ibn Kathir: 1/584)
❖ The People of the Book are those who received the Torah and the Gospel, as confirmed in the verse:
أَنْ تَقُولُوا إِنَّمَا أُنْزِلَ الْكِتَابُ عَلَىٰ طَائِفَتَيْنِ مِنْ قَبْلِنَا
(Surah Al-Anʿām: 156)
✔ Marriage with Jewish and Christian women is permissible.
✖ Marriage with Magians (Zoroastrians), Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, atheists, or any other non-monotheists is not permissible—unless they embrace Islam.
❖ Sayyiduna Jabir ibn ʿAbdullah (رضي الله عنه) was asked about marrying Jewish or Christian women. He said:
“During the conquests, the Companions in Kufah used to marry women from the People of the Book, while Saʿd ibn Abi Waqqas was present. Later, when they returned to Kufah (after Muslim women became more abundant), they divorced those wives.”
“The women of the People of the Book are lawful for us, but our women are unlawful for them.”
(Musannaf ʿAbd al-Razzaq: 12677 – Chain authentic)
❖ Sayyiduna Ṭalḥah (رضي الله عنه) married a Jewish woman.
(Al-Sunan al-Kubra lil-Bayhaqi: 7/172 – Chain Hasan)
❖ Sayyiduna Ḥudhayfah ibn al-Yamān (رضي الله عنه) married a Jewish woman.
(Ibid. – Chain Hasan)
When ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه) heard of this, he wrote to him saying:
“Separate from her.”
Hudhayfah (رضي الله عنه) replied:
“Do you declare her unlawful (ḥarām)?”
ʿUmar responded:
“No, but I fear that you might start marrying immoral Jewish women.”
(Tafsir al-Ṭabarī: 4/366; Musannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 4/157/2 – Chain authentic)
✔ Hafiz Ibn Kathir graded this narration as authentic.
✔ Imam al-Bayhaqi:
ʿUmar’s statement was based on dislike (karāhah) and precautionary discouragement, not prohibition.
(Al-Sunan al-Kubra: 7/280)
✔ Imam Ibn al-Mundhir:
“None of the early scholars declared such marriages forbidden (ḥarām).”
(Al-Ishrāf: 1/75)
✔ Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr:
“There is no known disagreement on the permissibility of marrying free women from the People of the Book.”
(Al-Istidhkār: 5/496)
✔ Imam Ibn Kathir:
Citing Imam Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, he affirms ijmāʿ (consensus) on permissibility, and explains that ʿUmar’s objection was based on social concern, not legal prohibition.
(Tafsir Ibn Kathir: 1/583)
✔ Al-ʿAyni al-Ḥanafī:
“There is no difference of opinion on the permissibility of marrying women from the People of the Book.”
(Al-Bināyah Sharḥ al-Hidāyah: 5/46)
✔ ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ:
“There is no harm in marrying women from the People of the Book.”
(Musannaf ʿAbd al-Razzaq: 12666 – Chain authentic)
✔ Imam al-Ṭaḥṭāwī (Ḥanafī):
“Allah has made marriage with Jewish and Christian women lawful.”
(Ḥāshiyat al-Ṭaḥṭāwī ʿala Marāqī al-Falāḥ, p. 565)
❖ ʿAbdullah ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما) held that such marriages were impermissible, based on his general understanding of the verse:
وَلَا تَنْكِحُوا الْمُشْرِكَاتِ حَتَّىٰ يُؤْمِنَّ
(Surah Al-Baqarah: 221)
He did not exempt the People of the Book from this command.
However, the rest of the Companions considered the verse of Surah Al-Ma'idah as an exception, which is the correct and stronger view.
❖ Some like Ḥakam ibn ʿUtaybah considered marriage with harbi women of the People of the Book impermissible.
However:
✔ There is no such distinction in the Qur’an, Sunnah, or from the Companions.
✔ This condition has no basis in authentic evidence.
✔ It is permissible in Islam to marry chaste women from among the People of the Book (Jews and Christians), as long as:
① They are truly chaste (muḥṣanāt)
② The intention is lawful marriage, not fornication
③ They are not atheists or deniers of revelation, as many so-called “People of the Book” today have deviated into secularism or disbelief
✖ It is impermissible to marry polytheist women (e.g., Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, etc.) unless they embrace Islam.
❖ Question:
Is it permissible to marry women from the People of the Book (Jews and Christians)?
❖ Answer:
Yes, it is permissible to marry chaste women from among the People of the Book (Jews and Christians)—whether they are dhimmi (non-Muslims under Muslim rule) or harbi (non-Muslims at war with Muslims)—as long as they are morally upright and pure (muḥṣanāt).
✿ Qur'anic Evidence:
وَالْمُحْصَنَاتُ مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ إِذَا آتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ مُحْصِنِينَ غَيْرَ مُسَافِحِينَ وَلَا مُتَّخِذِي أَخْدَانٍ
(Surah Al-Ma'idah: 5)
“(Lawful to you in marriage are) the chaste women from those who were given the Book before you, when you have given them their due dowry, being chaste yourselves and not committing fornication or taking them as lovers.”
✿ Understanding the Context:
When the following verse was revealed:
وَلَا تَنْكِحُوا الْمُشْرِكَاتِ حَتَّىٰ يُؤْمِنَّ
(Surah Al-Baqarah: 221)
“Do not marry polytheist women until they believe…”
❖ The Muslims stopped marrying women from the People of the Book, assuming them to be included among the mushrikīn.
But then the verse in Surah Al-Ma’idah was revealed, allowing marriage with chaste Jewish and Christian women.
(Tafsir Ibn Kathir: 3/42; Al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr: 12/105 – Chain Hasan)
✿ Sayings of the Salaf & Scholars:
❖ Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal said regarding the above verse:
The prohibition of marrying “mushrik women” refers specifically to idolatrous polytheists of the Arabs, not to People of the Book.
(Tafsir Ibn Kathir: 1/584)
❖ The People of the Book are those who received the Torah and the Gospel, as confirmed in the verse:
أَنْ تَقُولُوا إِنَّمَا أُنْزِلَ الْكِتَابُ عَلَىٰ طَائِفَتَيْنِ مِنْ قَبْلِنَا
(Surah Al-Anʿām: 156)
✿ Important Clarifications:
✔ Marriage with Jewish and Christian women is permissible.
✖ Marriage with Magians (Zoroastrians), Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, atheists, or any other non-monotheists is not permissible—unless they embrace Islam.
✿ Practice of the Companions (Sahabah):
❖ Sayyiduna Jabir ibn ʿAbdullah (رضي الله عنه) was asked about marrying Jewish or Christian women. He said:
“During the conquests, the Companions in Kufah used to marry women from the People of the Book, while Saʿd ibn Abi Waqqas was present. Later, when they returned to Kufah (after Muslim women became more abundant), they divorced those wives.”
“The women of the People of the Book are lawful for us, but our women are unlawful for them.”
(Musannaf ʿAbd al-Razzaq: 12677 – Chain authentic)
❖ Sayyiduna Ṭalḥah (رضي الله عنه) married a Jewish woman.
(Al-Sunan al-Kubra lil-Bayhaqi: 7/172 – Chain Hasan)
❖ Sayyiduna Ḥudhayfah ibn al-Yamān (رضي الله عنه) married a Jewish woman.
(Ibid. – Chain Hasan)
When ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه) heard of this, he wrote to him saying:
“Separate from her.”
Hudhayfah (رضي الله عنه) replied:
“Do you declare her unlawful (ḥarām)?”
ʿUmar responded:
“No, but I fear that you might start marrying immoral Jewish women.”
(Tafsir al-Ṭabarī: 4/366; Musannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 4/157/2 – Chain authentic)
✔ Hafiz Ibn Kathir graded this narration as authentic.
✿ Scholarly Views:
✔ Imam al-Bayhaqi:
ʿUmar’s statement was based on dislike (karāhah) and precautionary discouragement, not prohibition.
(Al-Sunan al-Kubra: 7/280)
✔ Imam Ibn al-Mundhir:
“None of the early scholars declared such marriages forbidden (ḥarām).”
(Al-Ishrāf: 1/75)
✔ Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr:
“There is no known disagreement on the permissibility of marrying free women from the People of the Book.”
(Al-Istidhkār: 5/496)
✔ Imam Ibn Kathir:
Citing Imam Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, he affirms ijmāʿ (consensus) on permissibility, and explains that ʿUmar’s objection was based on social concern, not legal prohibition.
(Tafsir Ibn Kathir: 1/583)
✔ Al-ʿAyni al-Ḥanafī:
“There is no difference of opinion on the permissibility of marrying women from the People of the Book.”
(Al-Bināyah Sharḥ al-Hidāyah: 5/46)
✔ ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ:
“There is no harm in marrying women from the People of the Book.”
(Musannaf ʿAbd al-Razzaq: 12666 – Chain authentic)
✔ Imam al-Ṭaḥṭāwī (Ḥanafī):
“Allah has made marriage with Jewish and Christian women lawful.”
(Ḥāshiyat al-Ṭaḥṭāwī ʿala Marāqī al-Falāḥ, p. 565)
✖ Views of Those Who Disagreed:
❖ ʿAbdullah ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما) held that such marriages were impermissible, based on his general understanding of the verse:
وَلَا تَنْكِحُوا الْمُشْرِكَاتِ حَتَّىٰ يُؤْمِنَّ
(Surah Al-Baqarah: 221)
He did not exempt the People of the Book from this command.
However, the rest of the Companions considered the verse of Surah Al-Ma'idah as an exception, which is the correct and stronger view.
✿ On the Distinction of Harbi vs. Dhimmi:
❖ Some like Ḥakam ibn ʿUtaybah considered marriage with harbi women of the People of the Book impermissible.
However:
✔ There is no such distinction in the Qur’an, Sunnah, or from the Companions.
✔ This condition has no basis in authentic evidence.
Final Conclusion:
✔ It is permissible in Islam to marry chaste women from among the People of the Book (Jews and Christians), as long as:
① They are truly chaste (muḥṣanāt)
② The intention is lawful marriage, not fornication
③ They are not atheists or deniers of revelation, as many so-called “People of the Book” today have deviated into secularism or disbelief
✖ It is impermissible to marry polytheist women (e.g., Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, etc.) unless they embrace Islam.
