Prohibited Categories of Partners in Marriage Restrictions in Marriage: Islam prohibits marriage between certain categories of persons for some reasons of:
1. Blood (consanguinity) relation.
2. Fosterage.
3. Marriage affinity.
4. Morality.
5. Religious differences.
Some of the restrictions are permanent while some are temporary. Injunctions on Prohibition The Qur’an (4: 22-24 and 2:221) lists the people who are forbidden for a Muslim in marriage. The injunctions on prohibition are directed at the male, other equivalent relations are also prohibited to the female. For instance ‘a man is not to marry his daughter means a daughter is not to many her father.
Permanent Prohibition The following are permanently prohibited in marriage:
1. Stepmother (affinity).
2. Mother (blood).
3. Grand or great grandmother (blood).
4. Daughter or granddaughter or great granddaughter (blood).
5. sister (blood).
6. aunt or great aunt or grand great aunt (blood).
7. niece (blood). 8. foster mother (fosterage).
9. foster sister (fosterage).mother-in-law (affinity and blood).
10. step daughter (with the mother of whom the man has consummated marriage) 11. Son’s wife (affinity and blood).
Temporary Prohibition
Those who are prohibited by circumstances which can change and be made lawful if the circumstance that prohibits the marriage changes. They are:
1. Two sisters together at the same time (on grounds of morality).
2. Already lawfully married woman (on grounds of morality).
3. An idolatress (on religious grounds).
4. For a woman to marry a non-Muslim-man (on grounds of religion).
5. A fifth wife when four are subsisting (on religious grounds).
6. A woman in ‘iddah (on religious and moral grounds).
7. A woman in ihram performing Hajj (on religious grounds).
Reasons for the Prohibition
1. Disorganization of family set up.
2. Rancour.
3. Immorality.
4. Evil effect of contamination of faith.
5. Obedience to Allah.
6. Shame and indecency involved.
7. Opposition to normal human nature.
8. Religious oppression or persecution of a wife who is married to a non-Muslim.
9. Promiscuity and lack of self-control e.g. for a man to have more than four wives.