Chapter on What Allah {swt}, the Almighty, Has Made Permissible and Prohibited in Marriage

"A woman who openly commits adultery should not be married, nor should a man who openly commits adultery be given in marriage, unless repentance is known from both of them."

"They are women known for adultery and men known for adultery, who have been publicly infamous for committing adultery and are recognized for it. Today, people in such a situation, whether the prescribed punishment for…

Hadith.4418 - Imam (as) said: "Beware of marrying women who have been divorced three times in a single sitting, for they are still considered to have spouses."

"He should leave her until she experiences a menstrual period and becomes pure. Then he should go to her husband along with two men and ask him, 'Have you divorced so-and-so?' If he says yes, he should leave her for…

Hadith.4420 - And in another narration, Imam (as) said: "Indeed, your triple divorce does not become permissible for others, but their divorce becomes permissible for you because you do not consider the triple divorce as…

Hadith.4421 - And Imam (as) said: "Whoever follows the religion of a people is bound by their rulings."

I asked Imam (as) about a believing man marrying a Jewish or Christian woman. Imam (as) replied: "If he has access to a Muslim woman, what need does he have for a Jewish or Christian woman?" I said: "He may have…

I asked Imam (as) about a Muslim man marrying a Magian (Zoroastrian) woman. Imam (as) replied: "No, but if he has a Magian bondwoman, then there is no harm in having relations with her while practicing withdrawal, and he…

"It is not appropriate for a Muslim man among you to marry a Nasibi woman, nor to give his daughter in marriage to a Nasibi man, nor to leave her with him."

Hadith.4425 - The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: "Two groups from my nation have no share in Islam: those who harbor enmity against my household and declare war against them, and those who…

"Marry among those who are doubtful (in faith), but do not give them your daughters in marriage, for the woman adopts the manners of her husband and he compels her to follow his religion."

"Where are you regarding the simple and innocent women, those who know nothing?" I said: "But people say that humanity is divided into two types: believer and disbeliever." Imam (as) replied: "Then where are those about…

I wrote to Abu Al-Hasan Imam Ali ibn Musa Ar-Ridha (as) saying: "I have a relative who has proposed to my daughter, but he has bad character." Imam (as) replied: "Do not marry her to him if he has bad character."

I heard Abu Jafar Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as) say: "I do not like for a Muslim man to marry a woman who would be a co-wife to his mother, with someone other than his father."

Hadith.4430 - Muhammad ibn Ismail ibn Bazi reported that he asked Imam Ali ibn Musa Ar-Ridha (as), about a woman who had been afflicted with drinking wine and became intoxicated, then married herself to a man while in…

I asked Abu Jafar Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as), about the midwife, whether it is permissible for the child she delivered to marry her. Imam (as) replied: "No, nor her daughter. She is like one of his mothers."

"If she only received (the child) and then left, then midwives are more common than that. But if she received and raised (the child), then she becomes prohibited for him."

I asked Abu Abdullah (as) about a person in the state of ihram getting married. Imam (as) said: "No, and one in the state of ihram cannot perform the marriage of someone who is not in ihram."

Hadith.4434 - And in another narration: "If he marries or gets married while in the state of ihram, his marriage is invalid."

"If he looks at her with lustful intent and sees from her what is unlawful for others to see, she becomes unlawful for his son. And if the son does the same, she becomes unlawful for the father."

I heard Abu Abdullah (as) say: "A woman cannot be married alongside her paternal aunt, nor alongside her maternal aunt, nor alongside her sister through breastfeeding." Imam (as) also said: "Indeed, Imam Ali ibn Abi…

"A woman cannot be married alongside her maternal aunt, but the maternal aunt can be married alongside the daughter of her sister."

"The daughter of a brother and the daughter of a sister cannot be married alongside their paternal or maternal aunt except with their permission. However, the paternal and maternal aunt can be married alongside the…

Hadith.4439 - And Abdullah ibn Sinan asked Abu Abdullah (as) about a man who intends to marry a woman, can he look at her hair? Imam (as) said: "Yes, because he desires to acquire her for the highest price."

"A girl should not be consummated with until she reaches nine or ten years of age."

Hadith.4441 - And it is narrated: "Whoever has intercourse with a woman before she reaches nine years of age, and she suffers harm, he is liable (for compensation)."

I asked Abu Abdullah (as) about a man who freed his female slave and made her emancipation her dowry, then divorced her before consummating the marriage. Imam (as) said: "Her emancipation has taken effect, and her master…

"He makes her work to pay off half of her value. If she refuses, then she serves him one day and herself one day." Imam (as) further said: "If she has a child and he has wealth, he pays on her behalf half of her value,…

I asked him about a man who said to his female slave, "I have freed you and made your emancipation your dowry." Imam (as) replied: "She is freed, and she has the choice, if she wishes, she may marry him, and if she…

I asked him about a woman who gives birth, does it become permissible for her to marry before she purifies (from postnatal bleeding)? Imam (as) replied: "Yes, it is permissible. However, her husband must not consummate…

"He (the rightful owner) takes her back and also takes the value of her child."

Hadith.4447 - In a narration by Jamil ibn Darraj: Abu Abdillah (as) was asked about a man who married a woman and then divorced her before consummating the marriage. Is it permissible for him to marry her daughter? Imam…

Hadith.4448 - Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) said: "Stepdaughters are prohibited for you, whether they were raised in your household or not."

"She is entitled to a gift (mut'ah) and inheritance, but there is no dowry for her." Imam (as) also said: "If he divorced her after marrying her based on her terms, the amount of her terms cannot exceed five hundred…

I said to Abu Abdullah (as) about a man who married a woman based on her terms but then died before she made her decision (regarding the terms). Imam (as) said: "She is not entitled to a dowry (sadaq), but she inherits…

I asked Imam (as) about a man who married a woman but did not consummate the marriage and then committed adultery. Imam (as) said: "He shall be lashed with the prescribed punishment (hadd), his head shall be shaved, he…

"I read in the book of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as): 'If a man marries a woman and commits adultery before consummating the marriage, she does not remain lawful for him because he is an adulterer. They shall be separated,…

Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) said regarding a woman who commits adultery before her husband consummates the marriage: "They shall be separated, and she is not entitled to a dowry because the offense originated from her."

I asked Abu al-Hasan Imam Musa ibn Jafar Al-Kadhim (as) about a man who married a woman but did not consummate the marriage, and then she committed adultery. Imam (as) said: "They shall be separated, she shall receive…

I asked Abu Abdullah (as) about a man who commits a forbidden act with his wife's sister. Does this make his wife forbidden to him? Imam (as) said: "Indeed, the forbidden does not invalidate the lawful, and the lawful…

"No unlawful act has ever rendered lawful acts unlawful. His wife remains lawful to him." And Imam (as) further said: "There is no harm if a man commits fornication with a woman and then marries her afterward. He…

I asked Imam (as) about a man who committed fornication with a woman and then later wanted to marry her. Imam (as) said: "If she repents, she becomes lawful for him." I asked: "And how can her repentance be known?" Imam…

I asked Abu Ja'far Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as) about a man who married a woman in Iraq, then traveled to Syria and married another woman, only to later discover that she was the sister of his wife in Iraq. Imam…

"He has disobeyed his command. The intermediary is responsible for half the dowry to the woman's family. There is no waiting period ('iddah) for her, and there is no inheritance between them." Someone present then asked:…

"He should keep whichever one he wishes and release the other." And regarding a man who married five women in a single contract. Imam (as) said: "He should release whichever ones he wishes."

"The latter wife must return to her family until the divorced wife completes her waiting period. After that, the latter wife must observe a new waiting period. If he had consummated the marriage with her, she is entitled…

"If he divorces the woman with whom he had not consummated the marriage, then there is no harm in him marrying another woman on that same day. However, if he divorces one of the three wives with whom he had consummated…

I asked Abu Abdullah (as) about a man who had three wives and then married two more women in a single contract. He consummated the marriage with one of them and then died. Imam (as) said: "If he consummated the marriage…

"As for the free woman, her marriage is valid, and if he specified a dowry for her, it belongs to her. However, as for the two bondwomen, their marriage in the same contract with the free woman is invalid. He must…

"If a bondwoman is raped and her virginity is taken, the perpetrator must pay one-tenth of her value. However, if she is a free woman, he must pay the dowry."

Hadith.4466 - Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad Al-Sadiq (as) said regarding a man who confessed that he had forcibly taken another man's bondwoman, and the bondwoman had given birth to a child by the usurper: "The bondwoman and…

I asked Imam (as) about two men who married two women, but each man was mistakenly given the wife of the other. Imam (as) said: "Each woman must observe the waiting period (iddah) from the other man, and then they may…

I asked Abu Ja'far Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as) about a man who had three unmarried daughters. He married one of them to a man but did not specify which daughter to the husband or the witnesses. The husband had…

"Each woman is entitled to the dowry due to consummation. If their guardian deliberately caused this mix-up, he must pay the dowry. Neither man may approach his wife until her waiting period ('iddah) ends. Once the…

I wrote to Imam (as) regarding a man who proposed marriage to his uncle's daughter. The uncle instructed one of his brothers to marry his daughter to the man. However, during the marriage contract, the man mistakenly…

"Marriage through employment is not permissible in Islam today, such as when someone says, 'I will work for you for such and such a year in exchange for marrying your sister or daughter.' Such an arrangement is forbidden…

"It is permissible." It was then asked: "If he remained with her as long as Allah (swt) willed and then divorced her, is she required to observe a waiting period (iddah)?" Imam (as) replied: "Yes, did he not experience…

"They shall be separated if the woman so desires, and his head shall be struck as a punishment. However, if she accepts him and decides to stay with him after learning the truth, she will no longer have the right to…

I asked Abu Al-Hasan (as): "Can I marry my maternal brother to my paternal sister?" Abu Al-Hasan (as) replied: 'Marry her to him, or marry him to her.'"

"She has opposed the Sunnah and has been given a right she is not entitled to." Then Imam (as) ruled: "The dowry is obligatory upon him, and the consummation and divorce are in his hands, as this is the Sunnah."

Hadith.4476 - Commander of the Faithful (as) ruled concerning two sisters: A man married one of them and then divorced her while she was pregnant. He then proposed to and married her sister before the divorced sister…

Hadith.4477 - Commander of the Faithful (as) ruled: "A free woman may be married before a bondwoman, but a bondwoman may not be married before a free woman." If a man marries a free woman along with a bondwoman, he must…

Hadith.4478 - Imam Abu Abdullah (as) was asked about a man who married a Dhimmi woman (non-Muslim under Muslim protection) while already married to a Muslim woman. Imam (as) said: "They should be separated, and he should…

Hadith.4479 - Imam Abu Ja'far Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as) said: "An Arab man should not marry a Muhajira woman (a woman who migrated for the sake of faith) and then take her out of the land of migration to the…

Hadith.4480 - Muhammad ibn Muslim reported: I asked Imam Abu Ja'far Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as) about a man who already has a wife and then marries another woman. I asked: "Is it permissible for him to give…

I asked Abu Abdillah (as) about a man who has four wives and spends the night with three of them during their respective nights, and he has relations with them. However, when he spends the night with the fourth one on…

I asked him about a man who has two wives, one of whom is more beloved to him than the other. Imam (as) said: "He may spend three nights with her and one night with the other. However, if he wishes to marry four wives,…

Hadith.4483 - Abu Ja'far Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as) said: "Marry a bondwoman alongside another bondwoman, but do not marry a bondwoman alongside a free woman. However, you may marry a free woman alongside a…

Durais had married the daughter of Humran, and he made a condition for her that he would neither marry another wife nor take a concubine over her, neither during her lifetime nor after her death. In return, she made a…

I asked Abu Abdillah (as) about a man who marries a child born of fornication. He (as) said: "There is no harm in it. It is only disliked due to the fear of disgrace. Indeed, the child belongs to the father, and the…

I asked Abu Al-Hasan (as): What do you say about a man who claimed that he proposed to a woman, and jokingly, she married herself to him while also joking? Then the woman was asked about this, and she said: "Yes." Imam…

Hadith.4487 - Hammad ibn Isa asked Abu Abdillah (as) about how many wives can a slave marry? He (as) said: My father (as) said that Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) said: "He may not marry more than two wives."

Abu Abdillah (as) was asked about a man who instructed another man to marry a woman for him in Medina, specifying her by name, while the one giving the instruction was in Iraq. The one instructed went and married her to…

I asked Abu Abdillah (as) about a man who marries a woman, and she has a daughter from another man. Can he marry his son to her daughter? Imam (as) said: "If the daughter is from a husband she had before he married her,…

I asked Abu Abdillah (as) about a man who married a woman with the condition of giving her a well-known orchard that had abundant produce. Then, after remaining for years without consummating the marriage, he divorced…

I asked him about a man who married a woman on the basis of giving her his slave and the slave's wife, and he delivered them to her. Then the slave's wife died while in the possession of the woman, and afterward, he…

Abu Abdillah (as) was asked about a man who married a young bondwoman who was a virgin and had not yet reached maturity. When he consummated the marriage, he deflowered her and caused her to lose her virginity…

Hadith.4494 - Muhammad ibn Muslim asked Abu Jafar Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as) about withdrawal (coitus interruptus). Imam (as) said: "The semen belongs to the man; he may direct it wherever he wishes."