Home
Discover Islam
Quran Recitations
Lectures
Fatwa
Articles
Fiqh
E-Books
Women
Boys & Girls 
Enter Question
View By Subject
Fatwa Of The Week
Selected Fatwa
Fatwa CenterPermission to marry cousins
Question
I would like to ask a question which is very important for me and my friend because one of our friends told us that...? So Shaykh I would like to ask you if we allowed to married a daughter cousin (بنت الخالة ) or (بنت الخال ) means from the mother side or not? Please if yes tell me why? Or if no tell me why? If there is any related story from a Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, to this question, I will be waiting you answer.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
Yes, it is permissible for a man to marry the daughter of his maternal uncle or maternal aunt because they are not considered as Mahaarim (non-marriageable relatives) if there are no marriage impediments, like suckling, or the like. The evidence is the saying of Allaah after mentioning the women whom we are not allowed to marry: (interpretation of the meaning): {All others are lawful…}[4:24]. Imaam Ibn Katheer
said interpreting the above verse: 'Women other than the non-marriageable ones that are mentioned in the verse are lawful to you.' 'Ataa' and others
said the same thing. The verse mentioning the non-marriageable women did not include the daughter of one's maternal uncle or aunt. The other evidence is the saying of Allaah addressing His Prophet Mohammad 
: (interpretation of meaning): {O Prophet (Muhammad )! Verily, We have made lawful to you your wives, to whom you have paid their dowry (bridal money given by the husband to his wife at the time of marriage), and those (captives or slaves) whom your right hand possesses-whom Allaah has given to you, and the daughters of your paternal uncles and the daughters of your paternal aunts and the daughters of your maternal uncles and the daughters of your maternal aunts…..}[33: 50]. It is known that what had been made permissible for the Prophet is also permissible for his nation, except where there is a text whereby what is mentioned is exclusively for the Prophet and there is no specification here. In addition to this, some companions 
married the daughter of their maternal aunt or uncle. Al-Daaraqutni reported that Ibn 'Umar 
married the daughter of his maternal uncle 'Uthmaan Ibn Math'oon . It is also reported that 'Abdullaah Ibn Zam'ah married Zaynab Bint Abu Salamah 
who was the daughter of his maternal aunt, the mother of the believers, Um Salamah who was the wife of the Prophet .
Allaah knows best.
Search Fatwa
Fatwa Subject
