Sex and Marriage Between First Cousins

Marriages between cousins have been practiced by Muslims since the ancient times of Prophet Muhammad.

It is well established in Islamic law that marriages among cousins are acceptable and good; in fact many Muslim families prefer marriages between cousins, the majority occurring between paternal cousins.

The Quran and Islamic tradition list ‘unmarriageable’ relatives as part of Sharia Law but do not state that a marriage between first cousins is forbidden.

After the mention of ‘women forbidden for marriage’, the Quran goes on to make the following commandment;

“And lawful to you are all others beyond these, provided that you seek them in marriage.”      (Quran 4:24)

Prophet Muhammad himself was married to two of his cousins; one of which was a first cousin, Zaynab Bint Jahsh, the daughter of one of his father’s sisters.

Although many Muslims practice cousin marriages today, there are 3 Hadiths (sayings of Prophet Muhammad), that prefer marriage outside the family.

Supporters of this perspective include 2 of the 4 major schools of Sunni Islamic law (there are four in totality), who consider cousin marriages as ‘Makruh’, meaning ‘disliked’ or an ‘offensive act’.

Some Islamic scholars prefer marriages outside the family for the preservation of the family bond since the repercussions of divorce can weaken family ties.