Fatwa ID: 08021

Answered by : Maulana Abdoullah Limvoonheek

Question:

How do you determine that a woman is an Ahle Kitaab and permissible to marry for a Muslim man in Britain?

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

Ahle Kitaab (People of the Book) are those who believe in the heavenly books that were revealed to the previous Ambiya.

Such that Nabi Musa received the Tawrah (Torah), Nabi Dawood received the Zaboor (Psalm), and Nabi Isa received the Injeel (Bible). There were also other divine books and scriptures that were revealed to other Ambiya.

During revelation in the time of Our Nabi, the Jews and Christians distorted their beliefs. Despite this, Allah gave the permission of marrying them.

This applies only to a Muslim man marrying the Ahle Kitaab woman and not a Muslim woman marrying them. But these Ahle Kitaab women must be following the heavenly books and believe in Allah.

Unfortunately, nowadays it will be very difficult to point out if they are strictly adhering to their religion and to the book revealed to them. We also find some who are atheist Jews and Christians. So it is hard to find a true Ahle Kitaab woman. Hence, it will be better not to marry them and to preserve one’s Imaan.

Having said this, if a man is weak in his Imaan, he should abstain completely from marrying such a woman as there is fear of him losing his Imaan or his children not being Muslim. It will be better for her first to embrace Islam and then get married to her to avoid complications afterward.

Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.

Written by Maulana Abdoullah Limvoonheek

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

Reference:

Mariful Quran Surah Maidah Ayah 5 اَلۡيَوۡمَ اُحِلَّ لَـكُمُ الطَّيِّبٰتُ‌ ؕ وَطَعَامُ الَّذِيۡنَ اُوۡتُوۡا الۡكِتٰبَ حِلٌّ لَّـکُمۡ ۖ وَطَعَامُكُمۡ حِلٌّ لَّهُمۡ‌ وَالۡمُحۡصَنٰتُ مِنَ الۡمُؤۡمِنٰتِ وَالۡمُحۡصَنٰتُ مِنَ الَّذِيۡنَ اُوۡتُوا الۡـكِتٰبَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِكُمۡ اِذَاۤ اٰتَيۡتُمۡوۡهُنَّ اُجُوۡرَهُنَّ مُحۡصِنِيۡنَ غَيۡرَ مُسَافِحِيۡنَ وَلَا مُتَّخِذِىۡۤ اَخۡدَانٍ‌ؕ وَمَنۡ يَّكۡفُرۡ بِالۡاِيۡمَانِ فَقَدۡ حَبِطَ عَمَلُهٗ وَهُوَ فِى الۡاٰخِرَةِ مِنَ الۡخٰسِرِيۡنَ