Compatibility

Q 1: I have a neighbor who is from the noble people of Quraysh. I asked him to marry his daughter to me but he refused saying: It is not permissible to marry from the noble people as they can only marry each other.

(Part No. 18; Page No. 186) A: There should be compatibility in religion, not in lineage. This is based on the general meaning of Allah's Saying (Exalted be He): Verily, the most honourable of you with Allâh is that (believer) who has At-Taqwâ [i.e. he is one of the Muttaqûn (the pious)]. It has been reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) married Fatimah bint Qays who was a Qurashy to his freed slave Usamah ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with them). It is also authentically reported that Zayd ibn Harithah, the freed slave of the Prophet (peace be upon him) married Zaynab bint Jahsh who was from the tribe of Banu Asad. Al-Bukhari, Al-Nasa'y and Abu Dawud reported on the authority of `Aishah that Abu Hudhayfah ibn `Utbah ibn Rabi`ah ibn `Abd Shams Al-Qurashy, one of those who witnessed the Battle of Badr with the Prophet (peace be upon him) adopted Salim and married him his niece Hind bint Al-Walid ibn `Utbah ibn Rabi`ah (Part No. 18; Page No. 187) who was a freed slave of a woman from Al-Ansar. Al-Tirmidhy also reported on the authority of Abu Hatim Al-Muzany that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: When someone with a satisfactory standard of Iman (Faith) and honesty comes to you seeking marriage, then give him (your daughter or sister) in marriage. If you refuse, that will lead to the spread of great corruption in the land. They said: What if he was so? He (peace be upon him) said: If someone with a satisfactory standard of Iman and honesty comes to you seeking marriage, then give him (your daughter or sister) in marriage. He (peace be upon him) said it thrice. Al-Tirmidhy graded it as Hadith Hassan Gharib (a good Hadith that is strange to come from this chain of narration). Moreover, Abu Dawud reported on the authority of Abu Hurayrah that the father of Hind (may Allah be pleased with them both) cupped the Prophet (peace be upon him) in his head. Thereupon, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: O Banu Bayadah, marry the father of Hind to your daughters and marry from his daughters. (Related by Al-Hakim who graded it as Hasan [good]) However, it is necessary to take the permission of the virgin (by her silence) and asking the permission of the previously-married woman (by utterance) and consent even if the betrothed is Qurashy and she is not, acting upon the reported Hadiths in this regard. (Part No. 18; Page No. 188) May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.