Why are Muslim women prohibited from marrying non-Muslims while Muslim men are allowed to?

Sources

• ✓ 2:221

  2:221 · Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall

  وَلَا تَنكِحُوا۟ ٱلْمُشْرِكَٰتِ حَتَّىٰ يُؤْمِنَّ ۚ وَلَأَمَةٌۭ مُّؤْمِنَةٌ خَيْرٌۭ مِّن مُّشْرِكَةٍۢ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَتْكُمْ ۗ وَلَا تُنكِحُوا۟ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ حَتَّىٰ يُؤْمِنُوا۟ ۚ وَلَعَبْدٌۭ مُّؤْمِنٌ خَيْرٌۭ مِّن مُّشْرِكٍۢ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَكُمْ ۗ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى ٱلنَّارِ ۖ وَٱللَّهُ يَدْعُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱلْجَنَّةِ وَٱلْمَغْفِرَةِ بِإِذْنِهِۦ ۖ وَيُبَيِّنُ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ

  Wed not idolatresses till they believe; for lo! a believing bondwoman is better than an idolatress though she please you; and give not your daughters in marriage to idolaters till they believe, for lo! a believing slave is better than an idolater though he please you. These invite unto the Fire, and Allah inviteth unto the Garden, and unto forgiveness by His grace, and expoundeth His revelations to mankind that haply they may remember.

• ✓ 5:5

  5:5 · Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall

  ٱلْيَوْمَ أُحِلَّ لَكُمُ ٱلطَّيِّبَٰتُ ۖ وَطَعَامُ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ حِلٌّۭ لَّكُمْ وَطَعَامُكُمْ حِلٌّۭ لَّهُمْ ۖ وَٱلْمُحْصَنَٰتُ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتِ وَٱلْمُحْصَنَٰتُ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ إِذَآ ءَاتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ مُحْصِنِينَ غَيْرَ مُسَٰفِحِينَ وَلَا مُتَّخِذِىٓ أَخْدَانٍۢ ۗ وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِٱلْإِيمَٰنِ فَقَدْ حَبِطَ عَمَلُهُۥ وَهُوَ فِى ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ مِنَ ٱلْخَٰسِرِينَ

  This day are (all) good things made lawful for you. The food of those who have received the Scripture is lawful for you, and your food is lawful for them. And so are the virtuous women of the believers and the virtuous women of those who received the Scripture before you (lawful for you) when ye give them their marriage portions and live with them in honour, not in fornication, nor taking them as secret concubines. Whoso denieth the faith, his work is vain and he will be among the losers in the Hereafter.

• ✓ Tafsir Ibn Kathir on 2:221

  Sunni

  Tafsir Ibn Kathir · 2:221

  This verse serves as a prohibition from Allah, the Almighty, forbidding the believers from marrying polytheistic women who worship idols. Although the wording is general, encompassing all polytheistic women—whether from those with scriptures or idol worshippers—it is specifically restricted by another verse that permits marrying chaste women from among the People of the Book, provided they are given their dowries honorably and live chastely, never committing adultery or taking lovers (Qur'an 5:5). Ali ibn Abi Talhah narrated from Ibn Abbas that the prohibition against marrying polytheistic women does not extend to women of the People of the Book. Many early scholars including Mujahid, Ikrimah, Sa'id ibn Jubayr, Mak'hul, al-Hasan, al-Dahhak, Zayd ibn Aslam, and al-Rabi' ibn Anas agreed with this view. Others said the term "polytheists" here refers strictly to idol-worshipping pagans and does not encompass all People of the Book absolutely, which is a meaning close to the first interpretation, and Allah knows best. Ibn Jarir related a narration from Abdullah ibn Abbas describing how the Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade marrying any women except believing emigrant women, forbidding all who had any religion other than Islam. The Almighty says: "Whoever denies faith, his deeds are worthless" (5:5). It is recorded that Talhah ibn Ubayd Allah married a Jewish woman, and Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman married a Christian woman, which made Umar ibn al-Khattab very angry, so much so he considered taking action against them. They reassured him, and Umar said that if their divorce was lawful, then so was their marriage, but he intended to keep these women away from them as he feared something worse might happen. This tradition is unusual and considered strange, a sign of Umar's sternness in these matters. Ibn Jarir notes the consensus among the scholars allowing marriage to chaste women from the People of the Book. Umar disliked it to prevent people from turning away from Muslim women or for other reasons, as narrated from various chains of transmission. In one narration, Umar wrote to Hudhayfah advising him to free the Jewish woman, fearing the influence of immoral behavior from among them. Another narration from Ibn Jarir quotes Umar ibn al-Khattab as saying, "A Muslim man may marry a Christian woman, but a Christian man may not marry a Muslim woman." This narration has a stronger chain of transmission. In addition, Jabir ibn Abdullah reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "We marry the women of the People of the Book, but they do not marry our women." Although this narration has some weakness in its chain, Ibn Jarir affirms it aligns with the consensus of the Ummah on the permissibility of marrying chaste women of the People of the Book. Ibn Abi Hatim related from Ibn Umar that he disliked marrying from the People of the Book, interpreting the verse's prohibition as applying to idol-worshipping women in particular. Al-Bukhari reported Ibn Umar saying: "I do not know a greater form of shirk than saying 'Jesus is Lord.'" Abu Bakr al-Khallal narrates that Ahmad ibn Hanbal was asked about this verse, and he stated: "Polytheistic women are the Arab idolaters worshipping statues." Regarding the verse's statement: "A believing slave woman is better than a polytheistic woman, even if she pleases you," As-Suddi related that it was revealed concerning Abdullah ibn Rawahah, who had a black slave girl. When he became angry, he struck her, then feared for her and went to the Prophet ﷺ describing her. The Prophet ﷺ assured him she was a believer. Abdullah then said, "By He who sent you with the truth, I will free her and marry her." He did so, but some Muslims criticized him for marrying a slave. The people had hoped they would marry idolaters for worldly gain, but Allah revealed this verse to warn against this. 'Abdullah ibn Humayd narrated a hadith from the Prophet ﷺ advising not to marry women for their beauty, wealth, or status, but rather for their religion, as a believing, humble slave woman is better. The hadith's chain is somewhat weak. In the Sahih collections, Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: "A woman is married for four reasons: her wealth, lineage, beauty, or religion. So seek the one of religion, may your hands be blessed." A similar hadith from Jabir and a statement from Ibn Umar that the best enjoyment of this world is a righteous wife further affirm this principle. The verse continues: "Nor marry polytheistic men to believing women," meaning men who do not believe should not marry believing women, supported by the Qur'an verse: "They are not lawful for them, nor are they lawful for them" (60:10). The following verse clarifies that a believing slave man is better than a polytheist, even if the latter is notable, and warns that consorting with such people inclines one to love worldly life and choose it over the Hereafter. Allah alone calls to Paradise and forgiveness by His command, explaining His signs so people may take heed. This is the full core of Ibn Kathir's commentary on this verse according to the classical narrations and explanations he records.

• ✓ Tafsir Ibn Kathir on 5:5

  Sunni

  Tafsir Ibn Kathir · 5:5

  This verse begins by affirming what Allah has forbidden for His believing servants in terms of impure and harmful foods, followed by what He has permitted from pure and wholesome things. The words "Today, [all] good things have been made lawful for you" serve as an announcement of this permissibility. Then the verse mentions the ruling concerning the slaughtered animals of the People of the Book—that is, the Jews and Christians—stating, "and the food of those who were given the Scripture is lawful for you." Ibn Abbas, Abu Umamah, Mujahid, Sa'id ibn Jubayr, and others explain this specifically to mean their slaughtered animals. Scholars agree unanimously that the slaughtered meat of the People of the Book is lawful for Muslims because they believe in the prohibition of slaughtering for anyone other than Allah, and they invoke the name of Allah when they slaughter. Even if they harbor beliefs different from orthodox Islam, they refrain from explicitly accusing their slaughter of unlawfulness. This is supported by an authentic hadith narrated from Abdullah ibn Mughaffal, who recounted an incident from the Battle of Khaybar involving a portion of fatty meat that he did not wish to share that day; the Prophet ﷺ smiled at him in response. Jurists have used this hadith to permit that Muslims consume food acquired from war booty before its formal division, applying it also to lawful food from the People of the Book. However, some scholars, notably the Malikis, restrict this permissibility regarding parts they believe Jews forbid for themselves, such as certain fats, arguing that this sentence "and the food of those who were given the Scripture is lawful for you" does not include such forbidden parts since they don't consider these as part of their food. The majority, nevertheless, cite the hadith as evidence supporting the wider permissibility. A stronger proof comes from another authentic report that the Jews of Khaybar gifted the Prophet ﷺ a roasted sheep and named a particular cut their favorite, which the Prophet ﷺ ate but later found was poisoned, leading to illness and the death of a companion. The Prophet's acceptance of this meat confirms his approval to eat from their slaughter without specification or inquiry whether any part was personally forbidden by them. There are also statements from scholars, such as Mak’hul, who interpret that early verses prohibiting eating meat without mentioning Allah's name were later abrogated by this very verse, which explicitly permits the food of the People of the Book. This interpretation takes into account that the People of the Book mention Allah’s name upon slaughter and serve as an exception to the general prohibition. It is clarified as well that the permission to eat food of the People of the Book does not extend to idolaters or those who do not remember Allah's name over their slaughtered animals, nor does it permit eating carrion, which is forbidden for all believers. Turning to the phrase "and [to you] the food of your own people is lawful," this is understood in two ways: either as a statement about reciprocity—that just as you eat their slaughter, it is lawful to feed them from your slaughter—or as a factual description of lawful food. Most likely, it is encouragement for mutual kindness and exchange, exemplified by the Prophet ﷺ's own conduct of clothing and burying an adversary who had been kind to him. Next, the verse permits marriage to chaste women from among the believers, and then extends this permissibility to chaste women from those who were given the Scripture before you. "Chaste" or "protected" here is generally understood to mean free, honorable women who are not involved in licentiousness. There is some discussion among commentators on whether this applies to all chaste women of the People of the Book, whether free or slave, but the general conclusion leans towards free, virtuous women. The scholars also debate whether this permission pertains to all People of the Book or specifically the Israelites. Imam Shafi'i holds the latter view. Some say it includes all dhimmis (non-Muslim subjects under Muslim protection) but excludes those at war with Muslims, citing the Quranic injunction to fight those who do not believe until they pay the jizyah in a state of submission. Abdullah ibn Umar did not permit marriage to Christian women, fearing that their professing Jesus as Lord constituted a fundamental shirk (polytheism), opposing the Divine command not to marry idolaters until they believe. Yet, some Companions married Christian women without objection, relying strictly on the apparent wording of this verse. The verse continues: "and chaste women from those who were given the Scripture before you, when you have given them their due dowries..." This indicates that Muslim men should give them their dowries generously, as they are free, chaste women, just as Muslim women receive dowries. Finally, the verse requires that both spouses be chaste—"chaste men besides chaste women"—implying that the men also must avoid fornication and not take lovers or act licentiously. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal states that marriage to an unrepentant fornicator is not valid, and similarly a fornicator cannot contract a marriage with a chaste woman until repentance. Umar ibn al-Khattab desired to prevent anyone who committed a major sin in Islam from marrying chaste women, but was reminded that shirk is even worse and repentance is accepted. This section concludes by indicating that further detailed discussion of such issues will follow later in the tafsir, especially concerning the verses about fornication and marriage in Surat An-Nur. Allah knows best.

• ✓ Al-Kafi 3:177

  Shia

  Al-Kafi · Book 3, Hadith 177

  There is no contraction nor expansion [in provision or power] except that Allah has will, decree, and trial in it. — OR — I said to Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him): Tell me about the child—until what age do women wash him? He said: Until three years old. — OR — When the people take their stations in Mina, a caller calls: If you knew for whose sake you have entered Ihram, you would be certain of the reward after forgiveness. — OR — A Muslim man does not marry a Jewish or Christian woman while having a Muslim wife. — OR — I said to him: How did the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) flog? He said: He used to strike with sandals, and the punishment increased whenever a drinker was presented. People kept increasing it until it reached eighty lashes. Ali (peace be upon him) pointed this out to Umar, who agreed on it.