Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Alsaam o Alaikum

dear muslim brother

i would firstly like to take this oppotunity to thank you for providing such a wonderful and interesting website. i love to read questions sent in by others, it help to broaden the mind in islam.

well my question is related to the Prophets(saw) family which still grows, mashallah.

I was having a discussion about this in university one day with a friend of how syed people should only marry within the syed family as this help the Prophets(saw) family to grow, what i mean is a female syed should only marry a male syed to make sure her children are syed. is this term an islamic term, because within this discussion i showed support for this claiming that this was a good idea and helps the female syed`s breed syed children because a child goes on it fast `cast` , so to speak. but my friend claimed that this was wrong and Allah (swt) has given every human the right to choose who they marry, and claimed what i believed was cultural and not religious. But my question is ,is what i believe a cultural thing if yes is it wrong to believe in such things, if they are based on culture rather than religion. and is what i believe wrong and seen as a sin in the eyes of Allah(swt), yes i do realise you can not speak from Allah(swt) himself but according to your knowledge am i commiting a sin?

and who was right in the syed female marrying a none syed? my friend or me?

i would really apprieciate a quick responce thank you very much.

Allah Hafiz 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Syed only marry syed

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Statement: i would firstly like to take this oppotunity to thank you for providing such a wonderful and interesting website. i love to read questions sent in by others, it help to broaden the mind in islam.
May Allah Subhanah reward you with the best of this world and the Hereafter for your kind comments of encouragement for our humble efforts in the propagation of the Truth. If our humble and modest efforts have helped even one brother or sister get closer to Allah and His Deen of Truth, then we would consider ourselves indeed fortunate to have been given this opportunity by the Lord Most Merciful to serve in His Cause. We hope, beg, and pray the Merciful Lord accepts our humble and weak efforts, forgives us our shortcomings, and saves you, us, and all the believers from the torment of the Hell Fire. Ameen.

To answer your question, first we must differentiate the true meaning of the Arabic term ‘Syed’ and the connotation or usage of this term in the sub-continent culture.

The literal meaning of the term ‘Syed’ is a title of honor meaning ‘a leader’, and this term is generally used in the Arabic language even today as a synonym of the English title of honor: ‘Mr.’. Nowhere other than in the sub-continent region and culture is this term ‘Syed’ used to imply the descendants of the Noble Prophet of Allah (saws)! In the rest of the Islamic world, if one wishes to imply that someone is from amongst the descendants of the Last Messenger of Allah (saws), they are known as the Banu Hashim or the Hashemites; an example being the current Hashemite ruling family of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, who indeed have evidence and are universally accepted to be from amongst the direct descendants of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

Your Question: and who was right in the syed female marrying a none syed? my friend or me?
Dear and Beloved Brother, the honest truth is that your friend was closer to the right than you, because in the sight of The All-Wise, All-Just Lord it is not the family, or race, or creed, or caste, or lineage, or wealth, or status, etc. which hold any weight; but rather what holds weight in the Just Court of the Majestic Lord is one’s beliefs, deeds, and ‘taqwa’ (piety)!

Allah says in the Holy Quran: Chapter 49 Surah Hujurat verse 13:
O mankind, We created you from one man and one woman, and then divided you into nations and tribes (only) so that you may recognize one another. Indeed, the most honorable among you in the sight of Allah is he who is the most pious of you. Surely Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

One may belong to the best of families, or have the perfect lineage, or race, or creed, etc.; but if that person does not believe, or is not the foremost in doing righteous deeds, or is devoid of piety…such a person has absolutely no honor in the sight of Allah Subhanah! Examples of such evil souls being Azar, the father of the father of the Prophets, and the father of the noble man whom Allah Himself declares to have chosen as his ‘Bestest Friend’, Prophet Ibraheem Khaleel-Allah (a.s.), or the son of the Noble Prophet Nuh (a.s.), or the wife of Prophet Lut (a.s.), or even the accursed Abu Lahab, the paternal uncle of none other than Prophet Mohamed (saws) himself! These unfortunate people had impeccable and the best lineage, but it was their beliefs, deeds, and piety that determined their failure or success in the sight of Allah Subhanah, the All-Just Lord of the Worlds.

Allah has permitted the believers to marry any amongst the non-mehram chaste believing woman and has laid absolutely no restriction that only some tribes marry amongst their tribes; and when Allah has put no such restriction, we as believers, should not impose such restrictions and burdens upon ourselves!

Besides, if one studies the Seerah of the Prophet (saws), one will realize that the Prophet (saws) married his own aunt’s daughter, a member of the Banu Hashim, Hadrat Zainab to his freed slave Hadrat Zaid ibn Haritha who was not from their family or tribe! Also two of the Prophet’s own daughters were married to Hadrat Uthman (r.a.) who also did not belong to the Banu Hashim!

Dear and Beloved Brother, honor and success in the deen of Truth called Islam is not based on personalities, or families, or priests, of descendants of a particular tribe, but rather honor is bestowed by the Lord according to the level of one’s belief, deeds, and piety. Many amongst the children of the Prophets have been the evilest and vilest of all mankind, and many amongst the children of the most evil and the most vile have been honored to be appointed the Prophets of Allah!

If the ‘syeds’ wish to marry amongst themselves, there is no harm; and if the ‘syeds’ wish to marry amongst the believers there is absolutely no restriction in Islam that forbids them to do so!

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan