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:

Is it permissable for a man to be younger than the girl at the time of marrige. Should it be somthing that the girl should consider. When I say younger, i mean by 2 months younger. Please answer my question asap and plese keep it confidential. Muslim Brother

(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:

Can man be younger than woman in marriage?

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.

It is absolutely permissible for a younger man to marry an older woman in Islam. When the Messenger of Allah (saws) married his first wife, Hadrat Khadijah (r.a.), he was 15 years younger than her! The Prophet (saws) was 25 years old, and Hadrat Khadijah (r.a.) was 40.

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