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 permissible in islam for a muslim male to marry a hindu female?

please give me all the details. What religions are a muslim male allowed to marry? What are all the complete rules in islam for marriage.

Please describe the entire process that i must follow in choosing my bride. Must my parents choose my bride? Does islam permit me to talk to females and
have a social relationship with them?

Is it a sin for me to hug o r hold hands or kiss the cheek of a hindu girl that i like and admire?

(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:

Is it permissible to marry hindu woman?

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.

Q-1: Is it permissible in islam for a muslim male to marry a hindu female?
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 221:

Do not marry ‘mushrik’ woman, unless they believe.

In light of the above aayah of the Holy Quran, it is not permitted for a believer to marry a mushrik woman (Hindu, Buddhist, etc.), unless she converts to Islam first.

Q-2: What religions are a muslim male allowed to marry?

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verse 5:

Likewise you are permitted to marry believing chaste women, and chaste women from among the people of the Book (Jews and Christians), provided that you give them their due ‘mahr’ and desire chastity, not lewdness, nor sected intrigues.

A believer is allowed to marry a non-mehram believing woman, or a woman from among the People of the Book (the Jews and Christians).

Q-3: What are all the complete rules in islam for marriage. Please describe the entire process that i must follow in choosing my bride.
A believer may marry any woman who is a believer and not a mehram. Or he can marry a chaste woman from the People of the Book.

Regarding the qualities or virtues of choosing a bride, the Messenger of Allah gave four criteria of why a man would like to marry a particular woman: wealth, her family status, her beauty, and/or her religion.

And he (saws) advised the believers to choose a bride who was religious.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.27 Narrated by Abu Huraira

The Prophet (saws) said, "A woman is married for four things, i.e., her wealth, her family status, her beauty and her religion. So you should marry the religious woman, (otherwise) you will be a loser."

Q-4: Must my parents choose my bride?

It is not a must that the parents must choose the bride. Anyone can recommend a believer to marry any eligible woman, but it is definitely preferred that the parent’s approval and permission is sought.

Q-5: Does islam permit me to talk to females and have a social relationship with them?

Islam absolutely permits a believer to talk to and have a social relationship with females; provided they are his mehram (or those women whom he can never marry).

But Islam absolutely prohibits a believer having a social or any form of relationship with a non-mehram women.

Q-6: Is it a sin for me to hug or hold hands or kiss the cheek of a hindu girl that i like and admire?

Leave alone hug, hold hands, or kiss the cheek of a mushrik or non-mehram woman, Islam does not even allow a believer to talk to a non-mehram woman unnecessarily!

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