Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
What is the ruling on marrying one’s maternal grandfather’s widow — if she is not the real grandmother, but his second wife?
It is haram (forbidden) to marry the widow of one’s maternal grandfather, even if she is not the biological grandmother, but rather his second wife.
وَلَا تَنكِحُوا مَا نَكَحَ آبَاؤُكُم مِّنَ ٱلنِّسَآءِ
“And do not marry those women whom your fathers had married.”
Sūrah al-Nisāʾ: 22
In this verse, the term “آباؤكم” (your fathers) includes not only one’s immediate father but also paternal and maternal grandfathers.
Hence, the wives of one’s grandfathers — whether maternal or paternal, and regardless of whether they are one’s biological grandmothers or not — are considered prohibited for marriage.
☞ A man cannot marry his grandfather’s widow, even if she is not his blood grandmother, as she is included among those women who were previously married to his forefathers, which the Qur’an explicitly forbids.
❖ Question:
What is the ruling on marrying one’s maternal grandfather’s widow — if she is not the real grandmother, but his second wife?
✿ Answer:
It is haram (forbidden) to marry the widow of one’s maternal grandfather, even if she is not the biological grandmother, but rather his second wife.
❀ Qur’anic Evidence:
وَلَا تَنكِحُوا مَا نَكَحَ آبَاؤُكُم مِّنَ ٱلنِّسَآءِ
“And do not marry those women whom your fathers had married.”
Sūrah al-Nisāʾ: 22In this verse, the term “آباؤكم” (your fathers) includes not only one’s immediate father but also paternal and maternal grandfathers.
Hence, the wives of one’s grandfathers — whether maternal or paternal, and regardless of whether they are one’s biological grandmothers or not — are considered prohibited for marriage.
Key Ruling:
☞ A man cannot marry his grandfather’s widow, even if she is not his blood grandmother, as she is included among those women who were previously married to his forefathers, which the Qur’an explicitly forbids.
