Who are the women that a man is forbidden to marry?

Sources

• ✓ 4:23 · An-Nisaa

  4:23 · Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall

  حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمْ أُمَّهَٰتُكُمْ وَبَنَاتُكُمْ وَأَخَوَٰتُكُمْ وَعَمَّٰتُكُمْ وَخَٰلَٰتُكُمْ وَبَنَاتُ ٱلْأَخِ وَبَنَاتُ ٱلْأُخْتِ وَأُمَّهَٰتُكُمُ ٱلَّٰتِىٓ أَرْضَعْنَكُمْ وَأَخَوَٰتُكُم مِّنَ ٱلرَّضَٰعَةِ وَأُمَّهَٰتُ نِسَآئِكُمْ وَرَبَٰٓئِبُكُمُ ٱلَّٰتِى فِى حُجُورِكُم مِّن نِّسَآئِكُمُ ٱلَّٰتِى دَخَلْتُم بِهِنَّ فَإِن لَّمْ تَكُونُوا۟ دَخَلْتُم بِهِنَّ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَحَلَٰٓئِلُ أَبْنَآئِكُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِنْ أَصْلَٰبِكُمْ وَأَن تَجْمَعُوا۟ بَيْنَ ٱلْأُخْتَيْنِ إِلَّا مَا قَدْ سَلَفَ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ غَفُورًۭا رَّحِيمًۭا

  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, and your foster-mothers, and your foster-sisters, and your mothers-in-law, and your step-daughters who are under your protection (born) of your women unto whom ye have gone in - but if ye have not gone in unto them, then it is no sin for you (to marry their daughters) - and the wives of your sons who (spring) from your own loins. And (it is forbidden unto you) that ye should have two sisters together, except what hath already happened (of that nature) in the past. Lo! Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.

• ✓ Tafsir Ibn Kathir on 4:23

  Sunni

  Tafsir Ibn Kathir · 4:23

  This noble verse serves to prohibit specific categories of women considered unlawful to marry, based on kinship ties by blood, nursing (rada'a), and affinity through marriage (sihar). Ibn Abi Hatim narrates that Ibn Abbas said: There are seven categories prohibited by blood relations and seven by affinity, and he cited the verse beginning, "Prohibited to you are your mothers, your daughters, your sisters," indicating these familial ties are the foundation for the prohibitions. Ibn Abbas and others elaborate that the prohibited kinship includes mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts (both paternal and maternal), and nieces (daughters of brothers and sisters), all of which are based on blood relations. The scholars agree these relationships are explicitly forbidden for marriage. The majority of scholars, including Abu Hanifa, Malik, and Ahmad ibn Hanbal, extend this prohibition to women born of fornication, reasoning by the general wording "your daughters," since such a woman is considered a daughter in the inclusive linguistic sense. Al-Shafi'i, however, is reported to have held a nuanced view, excluding such women from this prohibition due to their not being considered lawful daughters inheriting from the father according to Islamic law. Regarding nursing, the verse says, "and mothers who nursed you, and your sisters through nursing," indicating that the same prohibitions applicable to birth relations apply to lactation relations. This is supported by authentic hadiths recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim where the Prophet ﷺ said, "What is forbidden by birth is forbidden by nursing." Some jurists try to limit the extent of these nursing prohibitions to a certain number of sucklings—some say four, others six—though the more careful view is to not except any categories arbitrarily since similar prohibitions exist both by blood and marriage affinity in varying degrees. There is scholarly disagreement on how many nursing sessions (رضعات) cause the prohibition; some assert a single feeding suffices based on the general wording of the verse, following Malik and early authorities like Ibn Umar. Others, supported by a hadith in Sahih Muslim, hold that fewer than three nursing sessions do not cause prohibition. related hadith clarify that a single or double feeding (even a taste or two) does not establish a prohibited kinship. Imam Ahmad, Ishaq ibn Rahwayh, Abu Ubaid, Abu Thawr, and others endorsed the stricter view that a minimal amount of nursing establishes kinship prohibition. Concerning "mothers of your wives and your stepdaughters in your possession from your wives with whom you have consummated intercourse," the prohibition on mothers-in-law arises simply by contract of marriage regardless of consummation, but the prohibition regarding stepdaughters specifically applies only if intercourse with the mother has occurred. If the husband divorces the wife before consummation, he is permitted to marry her daughter. Ibn Jarir narrates from Ibn Abbas and others various narrations showing the application of this ruling. Regarding stepdaughters living in the man's household, the majority of scholars hold they are forbidden to him regardless of residing with him or not, drawing analogy from the general prohibition of marrying two sisters simultaneously. This also extends to slave women under the man's possession—he cannot have sexual relations with both the woman and her daughter. "Wives of your sons who are from your loins" refers to prohibiting marriage with daughters-in-law who are the biological wives of one's sons, distinguishing this from the pre-Islamic practice of adoption which was clarified in Surah Al-Ahzab. The verse further forbids marrying multiple women from the same family simultaneously, such as two sisters, exhorting that except for pre-Islamic cases, such unions are invalid and prohibited. The phrase "married women except those whom your right hands possess" pertains to enslaved women captured in war, who may be permissible spouses if certain conditions are met. A hadith narrated by Abu Sa'id al-Khudri explains this context, clarifying an instance where Muslims captured women who were married to non-Muslims and were thereby lawful for the Muslim men after becoming captives. Regarding temporary marriage (nikah al-mut'ah), the verse has been invoked by various scholars. While it was permitted temporarily in early Islam, it was later abrogated as narrated in authentic hadiths. Some scholars like al-Shafi'i report it was permitted twice and then abolished, while others hold different chronology. Finally, the phrase "and there is no blame upon you for that by which you mutually agree after the obligation" is interpreted by some as allowing consensual agreements after the defined obligations—such as increasing the dowry or extending terms during temporary marriage under certain conditions. The description "Indeed, Allah is ever Knowing and Wise" suits the overarching wisdom of these prohibitions and regulations, indicating that Allah’s knowledge and wisdom underlie these detailed injunctions. In all, the verse comprehensively outlines forbidden degrees of marriage due to blood, nursing, and affinity, and establishes the limits of lawful relations, grounded in explicit Quranic revelation, Prophetic traditions, and the consensus of scholars. It regulates social relations to protect family structures and maintain lawful boundaries, reflecting Allah's wisdom in legislation.

• ✓ Sunan al-Tirmidhi 11:48

  Sunni Sahih (per Al-Albani)

  Sunan al-Tirmidhi · Book 11, Hadith 48 · Narrated by Ibn Abbas

  The Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade marrying a woman along with her paternal or maternal aunt, or an aunt along with her niece. Also, the younger sister may not be married before the older, nor the older before the younger. This hadith is authentic and widely acted upon by the scholars; no disagreement is known among them that it is not lawful for a man to combine a woman and her aunt or maternal aunt. If a man marries a woman along with her aunt or maternal aunt, or if an aunt marries her niece, then the marriage of the second one is null and void, and this is the opinion of the majority of scholars.