Fatwa ID: 07566
Answered by: Maulana Sheik Abdel Ahaad Imrit
Question:
Assalam Alaikum. I am a Sunni Muslim female who wishes to marry a Shia Muslim male.
I’d be grateful if I could please be provided with advice/guidance on the process and approach I can take to get families to meet/the Nikkah.
I have consulted a few Sunni maulanas on this matter, and unfortunately, I haven’t received practical advice or guidance on this.
The opinions those maulanas have provided of a marriage between a Sunni and Shia have been quite one-sided and sadly, quite prejudiced.
They asserted that all Twelver Shias believe the Quran has been changed and curse the Sahabas, which I don’t agree with, as not all Shias do this or believe this.
Even amongst Twelver Shias – it would be unfair to say they all believe/do this.
The man in question is a Twelver Shia. I am aware of the criticism of Twelver Shia Islam – i.e. the belief the Quran has been altered, that Aisha r.a. committed adultery, and that some curse the Sahabas. I have asked the man in question about his beliefs on this, a few times, and he has assured me multiple times that he and his family do not curse the Sahaba (although they believe Ali r.a. was nominated as the successor after Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him on the event of Ghadir Khum), they don’t hate Aisha r.a. or say bad things about her and do not believe the Quran has been changed (he also mentioned that he has never heard other Shias in his circle curse any of the Sahaba at gatherings etc).
I asked him what he thinks of the mother of the believers and his response was – growing up he was not taught much about Aisha r.a., however, as Aisha r.a. was the Prophet’s wife and was his wife for a reason, then she should be regarded with respect. He does believe in Imaamate, but does not believe they are akin to the level of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Moreover, the 12 imaams are given a high status and are there to guide the Ummah and are therefore regarded with a lot of respect.
He also attends Majlis’ and believes in the tragedy of Karbala. I personally feel the ideological rift that occurred between the early Muslims, should not prevent Sunnis and Shias from inter-marrying. As we are all Muslim. The man in question believes in one God (Allah), believes in Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as the final prophet, fasts during Ramadhan and pays his zakat. I have observed him for some time, and am assured he is of good character and conduct. He is respectful to all those around him (family and people outside of his family), is kind and treats people in a fair manner. I feel a marriage with such a person of the Shia sect is allowed and would be valid. Therefore, please can you provide advice/guidance on how I can go about this? Would appreciate it.
Jazakallah.
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Wa ʿalaykumu s-salam waRahmatullahi Wabarakatuh,
Denying the caliphate of Abu Bakr or Umar (may Allah be pleased with both of them) is regarded as disbelief. Therefore, it is not permissible to marry such individuals or to pray behind them.
This understanding is derived from the statement that “they believe Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was nominated as the successor after Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).”
Shia individuals who hold these beliefs, or similar ones, are considered disbelievers. While some Shia may not subscribe to these specific beliefs, they may still hold other incorrect views.
However, a person who merely believes that Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is better than Abu Bakr or Umar (may Allah be pleased with both of them), without cursing them, is viewed as an innovator (mubtadi’) and a sinner (fasiq).
As someone who may not fully understand the nuances of what takes a person outside the fold of Islam, you should refrain from making judgments on your own, as this is not a matter that can be resolved in a single day.
Instead, advise him to renew his faith and seek the guidance of the ulama for a period of time to ensure his beliefs align with the proper understanding of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama’ah.
Additionally, just because the ulama may disallow certain actions does not mean their stance is biased or unjust, as you have suggested. Their primary concern is the safety of your imaan, so it’s important to heed their advice.
References:
«البحر الرائق شرح كنز الدقائق ومنحة الخالق وتكملة الطوري» (5/ 47):
«لِأَنَّ الرَّافِضِيَّ كَافِرٌ إنْ كَانَ يَسُبُّ الشَّيْخَيْنِ وَمُبْتَدِعٌ إنْ فَضَّلَ عَلِيًّا عَلَيْهِمَا مِنْ غَيْرِ سَبٍّ كَمَا فِي الْخُلَاصَةِ»
«الفتاوى العالمكيرية = الفتاوى الهندية» (2/ 264):
«مَنْ أَنْكَرَ إمَامَةَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقِ رضي الله عنه، فَهُوَ كَافِرٌ، وَعَلَى قَوْلِ بَعْضِهِمْ هُوَ مُبْتَدِعٌ وَلَيْسَ بِكَافِرٍ وَالصَّحِيحُ أَنَّهُ كَافِرٌ، وَكَذَلِكَ مَنْ أَنْكَرَ خِلَافَةَ عُمَرَ رضي الله عنه فِي أَصَحِّ الْأَقْوَالِ كَذَا فِي الظَّهِيرِيَّةِ.
وَيَجِبُ إكْفَارُهُمْ بِإِكْفَارِ عُثْمَانَ وَعَلِيٍّ وَطَلْحَةَ وَزُبَيْرٍ وَعَائِشَةَ – رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُمْ – وَيَجِبُ إكْفَارُ الزَّيْدِيَّةِ كُلِّهِمْ فِي قَوْلِهِمْ انْتِظَارَ نَبِيٍّ مِنْ الْعَجَمِ يَنْسَخُ دِينَ نَبِيِّنَا وَسَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَذَا فِي الْوَجِيزِ لِلْكَرْدَرِيِّ.
وَيَجِبُ إكْفَارُ الرَّوَافِضِ فِي قَوْلِهِمْ بِرَجْعَةِ الْأَمْوَاتِ إلَى الدُّنْيَا، وَبِتَنَاسُخِ الْأَرْوَاحِ وَبِانْتِقَالِ رُوحِ الْإِلَهِ إلَى الْأَئِمَّةِ وَبِقَوْلِهِمْ فِي خُرُوجِ إمَامٍ بَاطِنٍ وَبِتَعْطِيلِهِمْ الْأَمْرَ وَالنَّهْيَ إلَى أَنْ يَخْرُجَ الْإِمَامُ الْبَاطِنُ وَبِقَوْلِهِمْ إنَّ جِبْرِيلَ عليه السلام غَلِطَ فِي الْوَحْيِ إلَى مُحَمَّدٍ صلى الله عليه وسلم دُونَ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ رضي الله عنه، وَهَؤُلَاءِ الْقَوْمُ خَارِجُونَ عَنْ مِلَّةِ الْإِسْلَامِ وَأَحْكَامُهُمْ أَحْكَامُ الْمُرْتَدِّينَ كَذَا فِي الظَّهِيرِيَّةِ.»
«البحر الرائق شرح كنز الدقائق ومنحة الخالق وتكملة الطوري» (5/ 131):
«وَبِإِنْكَارِهِ إمَامَةَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ رضي الله عنه عَلَى الْأَصَحِّ كَإِنْكَارِهِ خِلَافَةَ عُمَرَ رضي الله عنه عَلَى الْأَصَحِّ»
Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.
Written by Mawlana Sheik Abdel Ahaad Imrit
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
