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A Tamil Hindu Woman who Converted to Islam had Married Her Mother’s Brother – is the Contract still Valid?

Answered as per Shafi'i Fiqh by Shafiifiqh.com

Question:

assalamu alaikum fadeelat-us shaikh,

The hindhus (tamil ladies) has a tradition of marrying mothers own brother [maternal uncle]. My question is if a tamil lady marries her mother’s brother prior to accepting Islam is such acceptable? In the sharia it is haram to marry mothers own brother. My question is: is the nikah (marriage contract) valid of that couple or must we have to seperate them. Please respond shaikh quickly with dhalail kitab name,page no. jazakallah

Translation of question into arabic:

الهندية وعند الهنود عادة أن تزوجت المراة خالها اي أخا امها، السؤال لما زوجت خالها قبلُ واسلمت، وفي الشريعة حرام أن تزوج خالا، هل هذا النكاح صحيح او يلازم علينا أن نفارقهما.

Answer:

الحمد لله رب العالمين ، وصلى الله على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين، وبالله التوفيق

The Qur’an mentioned regarding those women who are prohibited for marriage:

قال الله تعالى: حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمْ أُمَّهَاتُكُمْ وَبَنَاتُكُمْ وَأَخَوَاتُكُمْ وَعَمَّاتُكُمْ وَخَالَاتُكُمْ وَبَنَاتُ الْأَخِ وَبَنَاتُ الْأُخْتِ وَأُمَّهَاتُكُمُ اللَّاتِي أَرْضَعْنَكُمْ وَأَخَوَاتُكُمْ مِنَ الرَّضَاعَةِ وَأُمَّهَاتُ نِسَائِكُمْ وَرَبَائِبُكُمُ اللَّاتِي فِي حُجُورِكُمْ مِنْ نِسَائِكُمُ اللَّاتِي دَخَلْتُمْ بِهِنَّ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُونُوا دَخَلْتُمْ بِهِنَّ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَحَلَائِلُ أَبْنَائِكُمُ الَّذِينَ مِنْ أَصْلَابِكُمْ وَأَنْ تَجْمَعُوا بَيْنَ الْأُخْتَيْنِ إِلَّا مَا قَدْ سَلَفَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا (23)

Allah  says, “Forbidden unto you are your mothers, and your daughters, and your sisters, and your father’s sisters, and your mother’s sisters, and your brother’s daughters and your sister’s daughters,…” (al-Nisa: 23)

والمحرمات بالنص أربع عشرة سبع بالنسب وهن الأم وإن علت والبنت وإن سفلت والأخت والخالة والعمة وبنت الأخ وبنت الأخت (متن أبي شجاع)

The prohibited women for marriage are 14, seven of them because of consanguinity, they are mother and above, daughter and below, sister, maternal aunt, paternal aunt, daughter of brother, daughter of sister… (Matn Abī Shujāʿ)

وحيث أدمنا لا تضر مقارنة العقد لمفسد هو زائل عند الإسلام وكانت بحيث تحل له الآن، وإن بقي المفسد فلا نكاح … (المنهاج للنووي)

In a case that we approved the marriage to be continued, the marriage’s contract that exists with a factor that nullifies a marriage at a time of marriage and ceases to exist at time a person embraces Islam, will not harm the nikah, therefore in such a states case, she is permissible for him. However, if a factor that nullifies a marriage exists at the time a person embraces Islam, then the nikah is annulled…(al-Minhaj of Imam an-Nawawi)

( لا نكاح محرم ) بنسب أو رضاع أو مصاهرة فلا يقر عليه لأنه لا يجوز ابتداؤه وحكى ابن المنذر فيه الإجماع (مغني المحتاج)

The marriage with one’s own mahram (unmarriageable kin), either because of nasab, breast-feeding, or marriage will not established. The reason is this type of marriage is not permissible from the very beginning [and Ibn al-Mundhir narrated Ijma‘ (consensus) on this point]… (al-Mughni, Khatib Ash-Shirbini)

هذا الرجل تزوج محرمه وهي بنت اخته. إذا اسلمت لم يزل مفسد العقد أي المحرمية باق ، لهذا فالنكاح باطل ويجب التفريق بينهما.

In reference to the question, this person had married his sister’s daughter who is his mahram (unmarriageable kin). At the time of her embracing Islam, a factor that nullifies the marriage exists, in this case, she being a mahram to her husband who is her mother’s brother. As a result, the marriage is null and void, and it is obligatory that they separate.

We ask Allah to bless the sister and make her heart steadfast upon Islam.

والله تعالى أعلم

Allah the exalted knows best.

Answered by:

Sidi Abdullah Muhammad al-Marbuqi al-Shafi‘i.

Approved by:

Shaykh Haidar Hasan Salim al-Waqidi

This answer was collected from Shafiifiqh.com which was a repository of Islamic answers as per the Shafi’i madhhab. The website no longer functions. At its peak, many ‘ulama were involved with the site including Shaykh Mawlana Taha Karaan, Shaykh Abdul-Fattah ibn Abdullah, and Shaykh AbdurRagman Khan.

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