My lover is a family relative… Is this permissible?
Cousin Marriages
Hi. My lover is a family relative. That is, my mother and his grandmother are sisters, and in marriage his father is my brother-in-law. Is this relationship permissible according to Islamic laws?
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Salaams,
According to your mother's side, his grandmother being her sister, and presumably your aunt, that would make him a cousin through that chain. With his father being a brother in law, that sounds like a sibling of yours married the son of your aunt, which would be another cousin in my understanding.
Islamically, marriage between cousins is permissable, so the the basic answer is that he is your cousin also permissable for you to marry from what I understand.
-Amy
IslamicAnswers.com Editor
Dear Amy, His grandmother is her mother's sister, so his grandmother is her maternal aunt, hence his mother is her maternal cousin ( as she says his father is her brother-in-law), so he is actually her nephew & she is his maternal aunt, Can a aunt marry her nephew?? I don't think so!!
Salaams,
Yes you're right that his mother is her cousin. So the son of a cousin is still a cousin, not a nephew. A nephew is the offspring of sister or brother, not a cousin.
-Amy
IslamicAnswers.com Editor
I think what's going on is that she's referring to his father incorrectly. If a man marries her cousin (lovers mother) that would make the man a cousin in law, not brother in law.
A brother in law is one who marries ones sister, not cousin.
-Amy
IslamicAnswers.com Editor
Thanks for the clarification,you are indeed right.
Sheih Muhammad Salih Al-Munajjid said:
"The daughters of your paternal uncles and aunts are permissible for you to marry, and so are their daughters, no matter how far the line of descent extends. And the daughters of your maternal uncles and aunts are also permissible for you to marry, and so are their daughters. Perhaps you are confused because it is customary for such girls to call you uncle, but this is just a custom, and it does not mean that it is haraam to marry them."
AsSalaamu Alaikum,
I think this is why the marriage is permissible in this case. As It is the same thing in the case of Ali (r.a) and Fatimah (r.a), except that the sister here will replace Ali (r.a) and the brother will replace Fatimah (r.a).
Abdullah and Abu Talib were sons of AbdulMutalib.
Abdullah...to Muhammed (s.a.w.s)...to Fatimah (r.a)
Abu Talib to... Ali (r.a)
So fatimahs's grandfather (Abdullah) and her (husband's) Ali's father are brothers.
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What wouldn't have been permissible is if Ali (r.a) was also the son of Abdullah. So if the sister here is also a daughter of the brother's grandmother, then the marriage will not be permissible.
Allah knows best.