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Why is it impermissible for a Muslim woman to marry a Jew or Christian, while it is permissible for a Muslim man?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Allah, the Exalted, is All-Wise and does nothing in vain, and His proof is established against His creation. Islam is the final religion that abrogated all others. Islam prohibited the marriage of a Muslim woman to a non-Muslim for several reasons: among them is that the husband has authority over his wife, which could lead to him coercing her to abandon her religion or influencing her children; and because the People of the Book do not believe in the prophethood of Muhammad, peace be upon him, whereas a Muslim believes in all prophets. Although the marriage of a Muslim man to a woman from the People of the Book is permissible, it is considered undesirable. Islam permitted it in appreciation of the origin of their religion and in honor of their messengers. This prohibition is not unusual, as some other religions prohibit marriage between their different sects.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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