Question:
What is the ruling on marrying women from the People of the Book (Ahl al-Kitāb)?
Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
Answer:
It is permissible to marry chaste women from the People of the Book (Ahl al-Kitāb). This is established by the Qur’an, Sunnah, and consensus (ijmāʿ) of the Ummah. Here, Ahl al-Kitāb refers specifically to Jews and Christians.
Qur’ānic Evidence:
❀ Allah Almighty says:
وَٱلْمُحْصَنَٰتُ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا ٱلْكِتَٰبَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ إِذَآ أَتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ مُحْصِنِينَ غَيْرَ مُسَافِحِينَ وَلَا مُتَّخِذِىٓ أَخْدَانٍ
(Sūrah al-Māʾidah: 5)
“And chaste women from among those who were given the Scripture before you are lawful for you, when you give them their bridal dues, desiring chastity, not fornication, nor taking them as mistresses.”
This proves that Ahl al-Kitāb women are not excluded from marriage even if they remain upon Judaism or Christianity.
Evidence from the Companions:
- ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما: When the verse “Do not marry polytheist women until they believe” (al-Baqarah: 221) was revealed, Muslims refrained from marrying Ahl al-Kitāb women. When the verse “And chaste women from those who were given the Scripture before you” (al-Māʾidah: 5) was revealed, they began marrying them.
(Tafsīr Ibn Abī Ḥātim, Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr 3/42; al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr, 12/105 – chain ḥasan) - Jābir ibn ʿAbdullāh رضي الله عنه: He mentioned that during conquests in Kūfah, Companions married Jewish and Christian women due to the scarcity of Muslim women. Upon return, they divorced them, saying: “Their women are lawful for us, but our women are unlawful for them.”
(Muṣannaf ʿAbd al-Razzāq, 12677 – authentic chain) - ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib رضي الله عنه: He reported that Ṭalḥah ibn ʿUbaydillāh رضي الله عنه married a Jewish woman.
(al-Sunan al-Kubrā by al-Bayhaqī, 7/172 – ḥasan chain) - Ḥudhayfah ibn al-Yamān رضي الله عنه married a Jewish woman. ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رضي الله عنه advised him to separate, not because it was unlawful, but out of concern that Muslims might be tempted to marry immoral women among them.
(Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī, 4/366; Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah, 4/157 – authentic chain; graded ṣaḥīḥ by Ibn Kathīr)
Scholars’ Statements:
❀ Imām al-Bayhaqī رحمه الله (458 AH):
هذا من عمر رضى الله عنه على طريق التنزيه والكراهة
“ʿUmar’s action was out of recommendation for precaution and dislike, not prohibition.”
(al-Sunan al-Kubrā, 7/280)
❀ Ibn Kathīr رحمه الله (774 AH):
He clarified that many Companions married Christian women and considered it permissible, based on Sūrah al-Māʾidah: 5. He explained that the verse in Sūrah al-Baqarah prohibiting marriage to polytheists does not include the People of the Book.
(Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr, 3/42)
❀ Ibn al-Mulaqqin رحمه الله (804 AH):
إن الإجماع وقع على إباحة نكاح الكتابيات... فوجب استعمال النص فى نساء أهل الكتاب مع ما استمر عليه عمل الصحابة
“There is consensus on the permissibility of marrying women from the People of the Book, and the text must be applied to them, as this was the continuous practice of the Companions and the Ummah after them.”
(al-Tawḍīḥ, 25/342)
Important Note:
Today, many Jews and Christians have abandoned belief in God altogether and turned to atheism. Such women are not considered Ahl al-Kitāb, and marriage with them is not permissible.
Conclusion:It is permissible to marry chaste women from among Jews and Christians. This ruling is supported by Qur’an, Sunnah, consensus of scholars, and practice of the Companions. However, caution is advised, especially in cases where their religious integrity is doubtful.
