Muslim Women Can Marry Peaceful Non-Muslim Men

Was published in Arabic in March 5, 2016

Translated by Ahmed Fathy

Introduction:

 A Muslim woman can get married to any peaceful man, regardless of his faith or lack of it, because Islam is the religion of peace. Literally, a 'Muslim' by definition is any peaceful person in demeanor and in dealing with others. The International Quranic Center (IQC), headed by us, performs this type of mixed marriages (mariages mixtes) and writing their contracts, based on the guidance of the Quran and its true sharia of Islam: Quranism. So far, we have written several marriage contracts between Muslim women and Christian men. The IQC is still opening its gates for contracting this type of mixed marriages, and thus, it helps in creating amity and cordial relations among peaceful human beings from different religious affiliations and denominations. There is a project to promote this type of marriages in the USA, adopted by the IQC along with the American company Ibn Rush Media Company, which has produced a video about this issue that concerns several American Muslims women. In this article, we give further details about this topic, to prove how and why a Muslim woman can marry a non-Muslim man (i.e., of any religious affiliation or denomination or even an atheist) as long as his behavior is peaceful.

Firstly:

1- There are two types of discourses in the Quran: that of legislation and that of faith tenets and beliefs. The discourse of faith is addressed from God to humankind and people's adherence and application of that discourse will be judged by God alone, the Omniscient, in the Last Day, with no interference from humans or angels. This faith discourse has nothing to do in the issue of applying the second type of Quranic discourse, the legislative one, pertaining to how Islamic sharia is applied by humans dealing with one another.

2- God tells us in the Quran the fact that most human beings are disbelievers, in God and in the Quran, even if Muhammad was so keen on guiding them to faith, and even most believers, the Quran asserts, mix their belief with polytheism; see 12:103-106. This Quranic fact we perceive today around us in the types of religiousness of the vast majority of people who consider themselves as believers: they either seem to be overtly on-the-surface believers in terms of overt demeanor of performing acts of worship, with no effect whatsoever in demeanor as they commit sins and violence and evil deeds, or those who mix their belief in God with polytheistic notions of deifying mortals and building/tombs/things made of stone or any other material. This is especially true and apply to those who combining sanctifying, worshipping, and glorifying God and the prophets, messengers, the so-called saints, imams, theological scholars, priests, monks, rabbis, and clergymen in general. This state of affairs among human beings has been going on before and after the revelation of the Quran. The Muhammadans in their earthly, man-made, fabricated creeds, that they deem wrongly as Islam, worship and deify thousands of mortals, starting with Muhammad the prophet and his so-called companions and contemporaries, made saints after their death, as well as imams, theologians, and Sufi saints, and they worship, in a sort of pilgrimage, at their countless tombs and mausoleums, sanctifying dead bodies that turned into dust.

3- This fact of faith mixed with polytheistic notions and practices does NOT apply to the concept of marriage; one cannot question in an inquisition-like manner the faiths of others to decide to get married to them or not. Judging faiths and beliefs of others is by God alone, not for humans to do with one another. The Quranic fact that most believers are polytheists does NOT imply that a Quranist woman cannot choose a husband from the vast majority of human beings. Let us not forget that even the minority of 'real' believers differs in opinions and views concerning faith tenets; thus, faith-based marriages has little chance of being ever really applied; no two believers are identical in views concerning faith matters. Hence, applying the identical-faith notion for men and women who desire to get married will be grave injustice to them and will destroy the concept of marriage itself.

4- The divine Quranic discourse pertaining to faiths will be judged solely by God in the Last Day; as one's fate for eternity in Hell or Paradise will be decided by God alone as per one's good/evil deeds, (dis)obedience, and faith/belief/devotion deemed acceptable by God. Human beings cannot possibly use this divine criterion to consider if they will marry, know, or deal with one another. Let us be reminded of the fact that God deems one to be either polytheist/disbeliever or real believer only after one's death: i.e. after one's lifetime ends, with its chances and turns, choices, good deeds, good demeanor, disobedience, sinning, bad deeds, repentance, obedience, bad behavior, etc. Once one dies, one's book of deeds, both good and bad, and one's fate is irrevocably decided as per those deeds and faith/belief. This is God's business, not ours to decide. No one can judge others in that matter; all of us will see the final word of it in the Day of Judgment, when God will judge our differences.

5- As for this transient worldly life, most believers in any creed think they are on the right and others are on the wrong. This cannot apply in how we deal with one another as human beings, because one cannot be a defendant and a judge at the same time; hence, humans should not judge one another in faith or lack of it. All of us will be judged in the Last Day; see 22:19. We cannot judge one another in faith matters in this life, and until the Last Day comes, let us live with our fellow human beings in peace, security, safety, and justice.

6- Accordingly, we can judge only demeanors and behaviors of others toward ourselves and toward others. A believer in terms of demeanor is the one who sticks to peaceful behavior, regardless of one's faith or lack of it and regardless of one's views of God, divinity, denominations, creeds…etc. a disbeliever in terms of demeanor is the one who commits aggressive behavior, violence, violations, injustice, and transgressions against innocent peaceful people, especially those who murder and kill those who never waged war on them at all. Hence, in general, criminals are disbelievers; in the field of dealing of one another as human beings, we can and must judge one another's behaviors and demeanors. We must stop criminals whose crimes are self-evident with proofs and those who commit aggression and violence and murders are disbelievers because of their atrocities. Such criminals are disbelievers that one cannot marry or allow them to get married, as far as Quranism is concerned.

Secondly:

1- This last point is discerned from this Quranic verse: "O you who believe! When believing women come to you emigrating, test them. God is Aware of their faith. And if you find them to be faithful, do not send them back to the unbelievers. They are not lawful for them, nor are they lawful for them. But give them what they have spent. You are not at fault if you marry them, provided you give them their compensation. And do not hold on to ties with unbelieving women, but demand what you have spent, and let them demand what they have spent. This is the rule of God; He rules among you. God is Knowing and Wise." (60:10). This verse was revealed in Yathreb to legislate a suitable required law; the female believers who left their polytheistic disbelieving husbands, who waged war on early Muslims, to immigrate to Yathreb, the city-state of Islam at the lifetime of Muhammad, cannot go on being married to them, and thus, divorce was a must; such a couple can no longer live together under one roof in cases of wars.

2- In the Quranic Chapter 60, this issue is tackled; when in cases of emergency that cause a husband and a wife to be separate each to join two warring camps: the peaceful believers who defend themselves against aggression and the aggressive disbelievers who fight them unjustly. Hence, this female believer who immigrated to Yathreb had to be tested in terms of security and demeanor, NOT of faith, to make sure she was not a spy for the warring enemies. We find in 60:10 the following "…When believing women come to you emigrating, test them. God is Aware of their faith…" and this means that they were NOT tested in faith or belief, as this is the domain of God to judge, but they were tested in terms of peaceful behavior, required to be known by human beings. The same notion applies to the cases of marriage; only peaceful men and women, in terms of behavior, are allowed to be married; they are believers in terms of demeanor. Differences in faith or denomination must not interfere in the marriage. "If any of you lack the means to marry free believing women, he may marry one of the believing maids under your control. God is well aware of your faith. You are from one another…" (4:24). This asserts that faiths and beliefs are judged by God solely, and not by human beings. We are allowed only to test belief in terms of behavior: i.e. peaceful demeanor checked and verified to exist or not before marriage takes place.

3- Another verse shows that an aggressive (fe)male disbeliever cannot get married to a peaceful (fe)male believer unless s/he repents and stops aggression, thus turning into a peaceful believer: "Do not marry idolatresses, unless they have believed. A believing maid is better than an idolatress, even if you like her. And do not marry idolaters, unless they have believed. A believing servant is better than an idolater, even if you like him. These call to the Fire, but God calls to the Garden and to forgiveness, by His leave. He makes clear His communications to the people, that they may be mindful." (2:221). Let us examine the phrase '…until they have believed…' more closely; since one can never judge others' hearts and faiths, this phrase means we are allowed to judge overt peaceful behavior. Thus, this phrase means that peaceful believers can marry from among those who stopped aggression and turned to peace in terms of demeanor, regardless of belief/faith/denomination.

Thirdly:

1- The same applies to 'people of the book', the Quranic terms to designate Jews and Christians, (fe)male Muslims can marry (fe)male Jews and Christians and eat food prepared by any non-Muslims. Of course, the wife, Muslim or not, will receive dowry and marriage papers and contract, as per Quranic sharia. "Today all good things are made lawful for you. And the food of the People of the Book is lawful for you, and your food is lawful for them. So are chaste believing women, and chaste women from the people who were given the Scripture before you, provided you give them their dowries, and take them in marriage, not in adultery, nor as mistresses. But whoever rejects faith, his work will be in vain, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers." (5:5).

2- Sunnites managed to stop the application of the above divine legislation in the Quran by claiming falsely in their books that this verse applies to Jews and Christians within lifetime of Muhammad, when Islam was a nascent creed. This is a grave error; the Quranic legislations are applicable in all eras, unless the Quranic text shows clearly that the legislation is confined to a certain period. Moreover, as far as marriage are concerned, Quranic legislations tackle details of it sufficiently showing specific limited cases/types of marriages that are NOT lawful but were spread in Arabia; see 4:22-23. Thus, one cannot prohibit marriages outside those prohibited ones in 4:22-23; even legislations in these verses cannot be applied retroactively to cases done previously before the revelation of the Quran: "...except what is already past…" (4:22). The Quran NEVER mentions that marrying from among 'People of the Book' is temporary legislation limited to the lifetime of Muhammad. This is a false Sunnite claim.

3- 'Moderate' Sunnites claim that 2:221 shows that only male Muslims can marry Jewish and Christian women, and not female Muslims allowed marrying Jewish and Christian men. This Sunnite view contradicts the essence of 2:221 and asserts the superiority Sunnites assume to themselves in comparison to Jewish people and Christians in general, based on prejudices dominant in the Abbasid Era and the following eras. It is considered injustice to allow Muslim men to marry Jewish and Christian women and to prevent Muslim women from marrying Jewish and Christian men. As we are allowed to eat food prepared by non-Muslims and they can eat food prepared by Muslims, intermarriages between persons of different faiths are possible for BOTH genders. Hence, the Sunnite view of preventing Muslim women from marrying Jewish and Christian men contradicts the higher value of Islam: justice, ordained by God in, for instance 16:60. Islamic justice entails eliminating this self-assumed sense of superiority of Sunnites that allow male Sunnites to marry Jewish and Christian women, and not voice verse in terms of gender.

Fourthly:

1- In 5:5, the very first word is ''Today…''; let us examine it more closely. The Quranic Chapter five is among the last chapters revealed in Yathreb and the Quranic text in general, after wars mentioned in the Quran, and overlooked in history books/accounts, between early Muslims and aggressors among 'People of the Book', and early Muslims were prevented from being their allies in cases of war in the city-state of Yathreb: "O you who believe! Do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies; some of them are allies of one another. Whoever of you allies himself with them is one of them. God does not guide the wrongdoing people." (5:51). Hypocrites in Yathreb at the time used to make allegiance with aggressive Jews and Christians, and because this legislation is limited to this instance, we find the following verse talking about hypocrites: "You will see those in whose hearts is sickness racing towards them. They say, "We fear the wheel of fate may turn against us." But perhaps God will bring about victory, or some event of His making; thereupon they will regret what they concealed within themselves." (5:52). By the way, Jews and Christians of the 7^th century Arabia had nothing to do with modern days Jews and Christians in terms of beliefs; as those of the 7^th century Arabia were tribes whose faiths/beliefs were akin to Arab polytheistic tribes. To prove this, Jews of modern days do not deify Ozeir/Ezra mentioned in the following verse: "The Jews said, "Ezra is the son of God," and the Christians said, "The Messiah is the son of God." These are their statements, out of their mouths. They emulate the statements of those who blasphemed before. May God assail them! How deceived they are! They have taken their rabbis and their priests as lords instead of God, as well as the Messiah son of Mary, although they were commanded to worship none but The One God. There is no God except He. Glory be to Him; High above what they associate with Him." (9:30-31). Hence, political allegiance and similarity in polytheistic faiths/beliefs led the 7^th century Jews and Christians of Arabia to make pacts with aggressive tribes against early Muslims of Yathreb. They claimed that Eternal Paradise is theirs alone and hated the fact that early Muslims would not follow their ancient creeds: "And they say, "None will enter Heaven unless he is a Jew or a Christian." These are their wishes. Say, "Produce your proof, if you are truthful."" (2:111). "The Jews and the Christians will not approve of you, unless you follow their creed. Say, "God's guidance is the guidance." Should you follow their desires, after the knowledge that has come to you, you will have in God neither guardian nor helper." (2:120). They wished that early Muslims would return to their earlier polytheistic creeds: "Many of the People of the Book wish to turn you back into unbelievers after you have believed, out of envy on their part, after the Truth has become clear to them. But pardon and overlook, until God brings His command. God has power over all things." (2:109). Despite similarities in faiths and beliefs, the 7^th century Jews and Christians of Arabia used to dispute in faith matters (as done now by Sunnites and Shiites): "The Jews say, "The Christians are not based on anything;" and the Christians say, "The Jews are not based on anything." Yet they both read the Scripture. Similarly, the ignorant said the same thing. God will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection regarding their differences." (2:113).

3- Such aggressive Jews and Christians of the 7^th century Arabia were NOT all the Jews and Christians at the time and at other later eras; the Quran tells us that 'People of the Book' are divided by God into three categories: "Then We passed the Book to those of Our servants whom We chose. Some of them wronged their souls, and some followed a middle course, and some were in the foremost in good deeds by God's leave; that is the greatest blessing." (35:32). Hence, some, and not all, of them were sinners and aggressors.

4- Taken the above points into consideration, we understand how God makes intermarriages and food-eating interchangeable between Muslims and 'People of the Book' who are peaceful in behavior and demeanor in dealing with others. We refer readers to our article published here on our website titled ''Islam Is the Religion of Peace'' for further details.

5- Hence, as God mentions the word ''Today…" in 5:5, this implies that wars between 7^th century Arabia early Muslims and ''Jews and Christians'' prevented intermarriages previously, and when aggressions stopped, intermarriages were allowed again once more.

6- Historically, in is noteworthy that when caliph Omar Ibn Al-Khattab ordered the expulsion of Jews and Christians out of Arabian peninsula especially Yemen and Najran regions, they feigned conversion to Islam, causing troubles for Arabs in the Battle of Jamal and the Battle of Saffein. Some Jews and Christians who pretended to be Muslims formulated the early tenets of Shiite creed (formed and called for, for the first time in Arabia, by a Christian who feigned conversion to Islam named Abdullah Ibn Saba) and the early tenets of the Sunnite creed (formed and called for, for the first time in Arabia, by a Jew who feigned conversion to Islam named Kaab Al-Ahbar, the teacher of Abou Hurayra, as well as Wahb Ibn Munabah and his brother, and a man named Ibn Salam, previously).

7- The term 'chaste' believing women means the peaceful chaste ones, as believers are prohibited in the Quran from marrying female fornicators who intend to go on with taking up lovers and do not desire to repent, and women who are unbelievers in terms of behavior; i.e., those who are terrorist and wage wars and commit aggression against peaceful innocent people. The same applies to aggressive terrorist men, and men who are fornicators, who cannot be allowed to marry peaceful women. Repentance is the only condition to allow them to marry. These rules apply to Muslims and non-Muslims alike in cases of intermarriages.

Fifthly:

1- Reading the Quranic Chapter 9, among the last chapters revealed in Yathreb, we get to know the components of the Yathreb society, mentioned by God the Omnipotent Who knows people's hearts. Some Yathreb dwellers were good faithful believers in terms of faith and behavior and good deeds, others were hypocrites whose conniving plots and conspiracies are exposed in the Quran and by their deeds, some were shrewd hypocrites whom were never known by Muhammad, and finally there are those who mixed good deeds with bad ones, and God will judge them either by torment or by allowing them to repent. Hypocrites who die without repentance are condemned to Hell in its lowest depth; God asserts in the Quran that they were inveterate liars in many verses in Quranic Chapters 2, 3, 4, 5, 33, 58, and 63. Some believers are described in the Quran as they have illness in their doubting hearts, some used to commit the sin of usury, threatened by divine punishment in the afterlife. Believers are prohibited many times in the Quran from wine, gambling, and worship of buildings and tombs made holy. This implies that some believers used to pay no heed to the divine commands. The Quran threatens disobedient ones that they are deemed unbelievers if they do not repent. They were non-violent and peaceful who did not take up arms, by the way. That is why marrying them was allowed and permissible and legal. No Quranic verse prevents a Muslim woman from marrying a hypocrite man or a Muslim man from marrying a hypocrite woman.

20 This asserts that overtly peaceful men and women can marry regardless of differences in faith, as long as they adhere to peaceful demeanor. Faiths, and lack of them, will be judged alone by God in the Last Day.

3- In accordance to Quranic legislations, all house of worship of any creeds and denominations are to be protected and defended, and that is why jihad of self-defense was allowed; see 22:40.

4- Intermarriages, or mixed marriages, make the offspring of such marriages brought up within moralistic and ethical higher values like tolerance, truthfulness, integrity, courage, generosity, mercy, and respecting privacy of others. Diversity of faiths will make children of mixed marriages tolerant and open-minded as well as inquisitive to know more and gain knowledge, and such children must enjoy their absolute freedom in choosing their own beliefs and faiths.

Lastly:

1- Eventually. As per Islamic justice, a Muslim woman can marry a Jewish, Christian, or atheist man or a man of any other creed as long as this man is peaceful in terms of behavior and demeanor. The vice-versa is true about Muslim men marrying a woman of any denomination or an atheist woman. Foot-eating is allowed among all people regardless of faith or lack of it.

2- We never grow tired of reminding readers that all peaceful, non-violent persons are 'believers' or 'Muslims' in terms of behavior and demeanor, regardless of faiths, beliefs, or lack of them. Hence, intermarriages of people of different faiths are perfectly legal as far as Quranism is concerned.

3- In addition, any male or female terrorist, murderer, blood shedder, oppressor, unjust ones, transgressors, criminals, violators, aggressors, corruptors, and tyrants who terrorize and oppress their citizens are disbelieving polytheists, regardless of their creeds formally proclaimed. This is especially true for those who justify their atrocities and crimes using faulty erroneous religious interpretations ascribed to God Almighty and His religion. This is called Taghut, in Quranic terminology, which means the worst type of unjust persons who spread corruption and injustice against people and grave injustice against God. This used to apply to clergymen of Middle-ages Catholicism in Europe and the rulers and despots allied to them and to caliphs and clergymen of Middle-Ages caliphate empires in the history of the Muhammadans. This applies to Middle-Eastern tyrant rulers in our modern times. This applies as well to terrorist group members like Bin laden and his likes. All such people should be banned from marrying peaceful persons, and peaceful persons should be banned from marrying such aggressors.