Interfaith marriage in Islam
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In traditionalist interpretations of Islam, the permissibility for Muslims to engage in interfaith marriages is outlined by the Quran:[2] it is permissible, albeit discouraged, for a Muslim man to marry Non-Muslim women as long as they are identified as being part of the "People of the Book" (Christians, Jews, and Sabians), while it is not permissible for a Muslim woman to marry a Non-Muslim man.[2][3] Thus, traditional interpretations of Islamic law do recognize the legitimacy of a Muslim man's marriage (nikaah) if he marries a Non-Muslim woman, but only if she is Jewish, Christian, or Sabian.[2][4]
On the other hand, according to the traditional understanding of interfaith marriage in Islam, Muslim women are forbidden from intermarrying with Non-Muslim men based on the interpretations of different Muslim scholars regarding the Islamic law.[2][4][5] Additionally, it is required in Islam that the children of an interfaith marriage be Muslim.[6][7]
The tradition of reformist and progressive Islam, on the other hand, permits marriages between Muslim women and Non-Muslim men;[8] Islamic scholars opining this view include Pakistani-American Muslim feminist Shehnaz Haqqani, Guyanese-American professor Khaleel Mohammed, American activist Daayiee Abdullah, and Sudanese politician Hassan al-Turabi, among others.[2][9]
In some societies outside the traditional dar al-islam, interfaith marriages between Muslims and Non-Muslims are not uncommon, including marriages that, in Sunni Islam, contradict the historic understanding of ijmāʿ (the consensus of fuqāha) as to the bounds of legitimacy.[10]
Permissibility and conditions
In general, while Muslim men are allowed to marry Non-Muslim women,[2] the Quran instructs them to take measures to avoid such acts and instead marry Muslim women.[4] No such allowances are made for Muslim women, for whom interfaith marriage is strictly forbidden according to the traditional interpretation of male Muslim scholars.[2][11] Muslim men who do engage in an interfaith marriage must ensure that the Non-Muslim woman in question can be identified as being among the "People of the Book" and is actively religious; if she renounces her faith and does not convert to Islam, the marriage is automatically invalidated.[4][3] Due to the complications associated with marrying a Non-Muslim woman—particularly the possibility that the couple's children may choose to follow the wife's faith instead of Islam or be irreligious altogether—many Islamic scholars discourage or outright forbid all interfaith marriages.[12]
For Muslim women
Although the Quran contains no explicit prohibition for Muslim women marrying Non-Muslim men, some scholars argue that the fact that it only mentions the allowance for Muslim men means that Muslim women are prohibited from interfaith marriages.[11] Kuwaiti-American professor Khaled Abou el-Fadl writes that he did not find a single Islamic scholar in classical jurisprudence who disagreed with the prohibition of marriage between Muslim women and Non-Muslim men.[13]
Conduct with Christian women
In the case of a Christian–Muslim marriage, which is to be contracted only after permission from the Christian party, the Christian wife is not to be prevented from attending church nor from engaging in her own prayer and worship. This conduct is according to the Ashtiname of Muhammad, which was signed between Muhammad and Saint Catherine's Monastery in 623 CE.[1][14]
