How can marriage to a woman of unknown lineage be permissible when her parents are not known, and what would be the response if she were among the the suitor's mahārim (unmarriageable kin)?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
It is recommended to marry a woman of known lineage and disliked to marry one of unknown lineage, such as a foundling, even though marriage to her is permissible. The general principle is that women are permissible except for what has been explicitly forbidden in Islamic law due to lineage, affinity, or suckling, as Allah Almighty says after mentioning the forbidden women: "And lawful for you are [all others] besides those." Therefore, marriage to a woman of unknown lineage is permissible.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/175797
Where this answer came from
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 175797
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy