General Principle
It is
not recommended for a man upon the Sunnah to marry a woman who is upon bidah, desires or misguidance,
even if her deviation is minor,
unless there is:
- strong likelihood that she will accept advice, and
- no fear that he or his future children will be influenced by her misguidance.
Otherwise, it becomes
prohibited due to the harm involved.
Evidence from Qur'an
Allah says:
﴿وَلَا تَنكِحُوا الْمُشْرِكَاتِ حَتَّىٰ يُؤْمِنَّ﴾
And do not marry polytheistic women until they believe.
Reference: Quran: 2/221
Some scholars mention that the meaning of this verse includes warning against marrying anyone whose religious state may harm the spouse or the future children, not only the case of shirk.
Allah also says:
﴿وَلَا تَرْكَنُوا إِلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا فَتَمَسَّكُمُ النَّارُ﴾
Do not incline toward those who have wronged, lest the Fire touch you.
Reference: Quran: 11/113
Inclination includes
close companionship, and marriage is the closest companionship of all.
Statements of Scholars
Shaykh Ibn Baz رحمه الله said:
It is not befitting for a Sunni man to marry a woman of innovation, because marriage brings closeness and influence. The children may be raised upon her falsehood.
Reference: Fatāwā Ibn Bāz: 20/394
Shaykh al-Albani رحمه الله warned strongly about marrying an innovator, even with the hope of changing her, saying:
How many people thought they would change the spouse but instead were themselves changed.
Reference: Silsilah al-Hudā wa al-Nūr (tapes)
In short
- If the woman is likely to accept correction, and her bidah is light (not major deviance), and the man is firm, then it may be permissible.
- But in most real cases, the harm outweighs the benefit, and it becomes prohibited or strongly disliked.
✦ Was Ibn Muljam Originally a Man of Qur'an and Sunnah Who Was Corrupted by His Wife?
No. This story is not found in reliable sources. It is not correct to say he was a Sunni who married a deviant woman who then influenced him.
Who was Ibn Muljam?
Abd al-Rahman ibn Muljam
was one of the early Khawarij before the assassination of Ali رضي الله عنه.
He was
not a man upon Sunnah who then deviated.
What is authentically known?
- He was one of the Qurra (reciters), known for memorization,
- but this does not mean he was upon Sunnah.
Many Khawarij were known for excessive recitation.
They will recite the Qur'an but it will not go past their throats.
Reference: Sahih Muslim: 1066
This includes Ibn Muljam.
Did he marry a Khawarij woman who influenced him?
There is a weak and
not reliably sourced story that he married a woman named
Quttām bint al-Akhdar, whose father had been killed in the Battle of Nahrawān, and that:
- she vowed to seek revenge on Ali رضي الله عنه,
- she conditioned marriage on him assassinating Ali.
However:
The chains of this story are not authentic, and the details vary significantly.
Scholars such as:
- Ibn Kathir in al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah
- Ibn Hajar in al-Isābah
mention versions of the story without authentic isnad, often as akhbar (historical reports), not verified narrations.
Did he marry a Khawarij woman who influenced him?
- Ibn Muljam was already a Khariji, not a Sunni.
- He plotted with other Khawarij in Mecca to assassinate Ali, Muawiyah, and Amr ibn al-Aas.
- His deviation was from the beginning, not due to a wife.
Thus, the idea that
a Sunni married a deviant woman who turned him into a Khariji is
not historically correct.
