Is it permissible for a Muslim woman to marry or establish a relationship with a Kitabi (a man of the People of the Book)? And if a Muslim discovers this, should he conceal it for them, and will he be held accountable for it? And is the opposite permissible, as in the marriage of the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace?

Scholars have unanimously agreed on the prohibition of a Muslim woman marrying a non-Muslim, based on the Almighty's saying: "And do not marry polytheistic women until they believe." As for a relationship between a Muslim woman and a foreign man (whether Muslim or non-Muslim), it is forbidden. If this relationship becomes known, then this evil must be removed to the best of one's ability, and the woman should be covered if she repents from the evil, and her matter should be reported to whoever can prevent it if she persists.

The marriage of a Muslim man to a woman of the People of the Book is permissible, provided she is chaste. The claim that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, married a woman of the People of the Book is incorrect; indeed, marriage to women of the People of the Book was forbidden to him. Mariya the Copt embraced Islam before coming to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and she was a bondwoman, not a wife. He had intercourse with her by right of ownership and she bore him Ibrahim.