SOAS Research Online

Abstract

There is a growing body of literature that recognises the importance of revisiting the question of interfaith marriages in Islamic thought. Hence, this paper attempts to illustrate the Islamic theology of interfaith marriages in general, with particular emphasis on exogamy. In doing so, the theological and sociological factors that have led to the traditional consensus on the prohibition of exogamy are explored. The article, firstly, investigates the contributions of al-Ghazālī (d. 1111) and Ibn Taymiyya (d. 1328) in advancing the discussion beyond its contours in formative Islam. Secondly, it engagingly presents the unstudied views of Muḥammad ‘Abduh (d. 1905) and ‘Abd Allāh al-‘Alāylī (d. 1996) on the question of exogamy. Thirdly, it points out that the Islamic legal maxim sadd al-ḏharā’i‘ (blocking the means) cannot stand alone in justifying the prohibition of exogamy, illustrating thatt he moment a faqīh (Muslim jurist) appeals to sadd al-ḏharā’i‘ is the moment they implicitly acknowledge the original permissibility of the question in point. Finally, it brings to the fore the need to revive the tradition of individual ijtihad.