68/18. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 5285 — Marriage and Faith
"Do not marry Al-Mushirkat till they believe..."
Hadith About Marrying Christian or Jewish Women: Ibn Umar's Answer
Sahih Bukhari : 5285
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 5285
حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا لَيْثٌ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، أَنَّ ابْنَ عُمَرَ، كَانَ إِذَا سُئِلَ عَنْ نِكَاحِ النَّصْرَانِيَّةِ، وَالْيَهُودِيَّةِ، قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ حَرَّمَ الْمُشْرِكَاتِ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، وَلاَ أَعْلَمُ مِنَ الإِشْرَاكِ شَيْئًا أَكْبَرَ مِنْ أَنْ تَقُولَ الْمَرْأَةُ رَبُّهَا عِيسَى، وَهْوَ عَبْدٌ مِنْ عِبَادِ اللَّهِ.
Nafi Narrated from:
Whenever Ibn `Umar was asked about marrying a Christian lady or a Jewess, he would say: "Allah has made it unlawful for the believers to marry ladies who ascribe partners in worship to Allah, and I do not know of a greater thing, as regards to ascribing partners in worship, etc. to Allah, than that a lady should say that Jesus is her Lord although he is just one of Allah's slaves."
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 5285In-book reference : Book 68, Hadith 34USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 7, Book 63, Hadith 209
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 5285
This report records how Ibn Umar answered when he was asked about marrying a Christian lady or a Jewish lady. His answer focused on the matter of ascribing partners in worship to Allah. He said that Allah made it unlawful for believers to marry women who ascribe partners in worship to Allah. He then said he did not know of anything greater in that matter than a woman saying that Jesus is her Lord, while Jesus is one of Allah's slaves. This narration is often searched as a hadith about marrying Christian women or Jewish women, but the text here is specifically Ibn Umar's answer. So the explanation should stay with what he said: his concern was faith, worship, and the statement made about Jesus.
What we learn from this hadith
- Ibn Umar connected the question of marriage to belief in Allah.
- He objected to saying that Jesus is Lord while he is Allah's slave.
- The narration shows how Ibn Umar answered a repeated legal question.
- The text should be presented as Ibn Umar's reported statement.
