Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (14/91)

Shaykh al-Islām was asked:

Concerning the words of Allah Most High, “Do not marry polytheistic women”: scholars have permitted marriage to Christian and Jewish women. Are they polytheists or not?

He replied:

Praise be to Allah.

Marriage to a woman of the People of the Book is permissible on the basis of the verse in Sūrat al-Mā’idah. Allah Most High says:

“The food of those who were given the Scripture is lawful for you, and your food is lawful for them. And [lawful for you are] chaste believing women and chaste women from among those who were given the Scripture before you.”

This is the position of the vast majority of earlier and later scholars, including the four imams and others. It has been reported that Ibn ‘Umar disapproved of marrying a Christian woman, saying: “I know of no greater polytheism than that of a woman who says that her Lord is Jesus, son of Mary.” This is today the position of a group of religious innovators. They have cited as evidence the verse in Sūrat al-Baqarah and His words:

“Do not maintain marriage bonds with disbelieving women.”

The verse in al-Baqarah may be answered in three ways.

(First: the People of the Book are not included among the polytheists. He distinguishes the People of the Book from the polytheists, as shown by His words:

سُئِلَ شَيْخُ الْإِسْلَامِ: عَنْ قَوْله تَعَالَى {وَلَا تَنْكِحُوا الْمُشْرِكَاتِ} وَقَدْ أَبَاحَ الْعُلَمَاءُ التَّزْوِيجَ بالنصرانية وَالْيَهُودِيَّةِ؛ فَهَلْ هُمَا مِنْ الْمُشْرِكِينَ أَمْ لَا؟ . فَأَجَابَ: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، نِكَاحُ الْكِتَابِيَّةِ جَائِزٌ بِالْآيَةِ الَّتِي فِي الْمَائِدَةِ قَالَ تَعَالَى: {وَطَعَامُ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ حِلٌّ لَكُمْ وَطَعَامُكُمْ حِلٌّ لَهُمْ وَالْمُحْصَنَاتُ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ وَالْمُحْصَنَاتُ مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ.} وَهَذَا مَذْهَبُ جَمَاهِيرِ السَّلَفِ وَالْخَلَفِ مِنْ الْأَئِمَّةِ الْأَرْبَعَةِ وَغَيْرِهِمْ وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنْ ابْنِ عُمَرَ: أَنَّهُ كَرِهَ نِكَاحَ النَّصْرَانِيَّةِ وَقَالَ: لَا أَعْلَمُ شِرْكًا أَعْظَمَ مِمَّنْ تَقُولُ: إنَّ رَبَّهَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ. وَهُوَ الْيَوْمُ مَذْهَبُ طَائِفَةٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْبِدَعِ وَقَدْ احْتَجُّوا بِالْآيَةِ الَّتِي فِي سُورَةِ الْبَقَرَةِ وَبِقَوْلِهِ {وَلَا تُمْسِكُوا بِعِصَمِ الْكَوَافِرِ} وَالْجَوَابُ عَنْ آيَةِ الْبَقَرَةِ مِنْ ثَلَاثَةِ أَوْجُهٍ. (أَحَدُهَا أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لَمْ يَدْخُلُوا فِي الْمُشْرِكِينَ فَجَعَلَ أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ غَيْرَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ بِدَلِيلِ قَوْلِهِ: