Marriage - A Form of Ibadah

The matter of appropriateness, however, is something else. One must
bear in mind that while one’s partner’s beliefs and ideology may
possibly affect one’s own beliefs, they will almost certainly become
one’s children’s beliefs. This in the long run will mean that if one is
happy in marrying and loving a person who will ultimately enter All\h’s
wrath, one is also happy if his children enter All\h’s wrath.
‘And incline not towards those who do wrong,
lest the Fire (of Hell) touches you'
H[d 113
During the rule of `Umar t, the condition of Muslims was one of
extreme piety and purity. The general inclination was towards D|n.
Despite this, `Umar t, forbade Muslims from marrying Christian or
Jewish women. He stated, ‘I am not declaring what All\h has made
*al\l as *ar\m for undoubtedly All\h I has granted permission to
marry women of Ahl al-Kit\b; but I fear that the believing
women would be neglected because of this.’ a{-^abar|, al-Qur{ub|
Again it must be emphasised that if one does intend marriage to a
Christian or Jewish woman then it must first be ascertained that she is
indeed one, and not just an atheist with the name. This means that the
woman must truly be a believer of Christianity or Judaism (by any
denomination based on their scriptures), though even this is not
recommended, and according to some authorities is not even allowed
due to the above.
OBJECTIVES OF NIK¬*
In the light of the Qur'\n and Sunnah, the purposes behind Nik\# are:
• Protection of dignity, chastity and children, this is the fundamental
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