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Revisiting the Qur’an on Interfaith Marriage
By: Farhad Shafti

The dominating understanding among Muslims is that while Muslim men are allowed to marry people of the book, Muslim women are not allowed to do so. In fact, even in the case of Muslim men some scholars argue that their marriage with women from the people of the book needs to be with the condition that Islam will prevail in the family, and good chances that the wife will eventually convert to Islam. This understanding also includes the view that the allowance of marriage for Muslim men is only limited to marriage with Jewish or Christian women and that marriage with non-Muslim followers of any other faith or ideology is forbidden for both Muslim men and Muslim women.

​In this article I review and assess the interpretations of the verses of the Qur’an that have led to the above conclusions. I discuss why in my view, such interpretations are false and contradictory and will offer a revised understanding based on these verses. My main argument is that no verse of the Qur’an has forbidden marriage between Muslim women and the people of the book, and that in fact no verses of the Qur’an has forbidden interfaith/ideology marriage (i.e. marrying with a person of a different faith or ideology) per se. I argue that the whole misunderstanding is due to generalising the meaning of the words Mushrik (polytheist) and Kafir (infidel) and not appreciating the real criteria of the Qur’an for forbidding marriage. I conclude, based on verses of the Qur’an that a Muslim (man or woman) may marry the follower of any other faith or ideology as long as that person is chaste and does not have enmity with the concept of God or Islam, and, does not explicitly and admittedly believe in more than one god. I also argue that Islam being prevailed in the family is not a condition for marrying with a non-Muslim and that it is not expected that the non-Muslim who marries a Muslim would eventually convert to Islam. I however appreciate that there can be very understandable and reasonable religious or cultural motivations that would make marriage with a non-Muslim a less desirable option for a Muslim.

I will first review and analyse the dominating view on the Qur’an and marriage with non-Muslims. This is mainly a critical discussion of the traditional interpretations of verses 60:10, 2:221 and 5:5. I will then present my understanding of what the Qur’an says about who to marry with and who not to marry with.

​​... (read the full article here)

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