Is Marriage Permissible if Her Father’s Income Is Doubtful?

Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick

Question 

I want to marry a woman of strong character, but her father is a politician whose main income seems to come from questionable sources, like party payouts and properties beyond his official salary.

Is it allowed for me to marry her? Can my family and I accept gifts and furnishings from him?

What about any inheritance my wife might receive from him in the future?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Especially Merciful

The marriage in question is lawful and does not become unlawful because of her father’s earnings.

When it comes to gifts and furnishings received from him, you would have to examine this based on the dominant source rule and apply caution where his wealth is predominantly unlawful.

Any inheritance your wife eventually receives is lawful to her because she receives it through a legitimate Sacred Law transfer.

The Marriage Itself

Regardless of the wrong actions of the father, marrying his daughter, if she is a person of upright religion and character, is absolutely permissible in Islam.

The sin of the parent does not get transferred to the child. Allah (Most High) says, “No burden bearer will bear the burden of another.” [Quran, 35:18]

And He says, “Every soul will not be burdened except with what it earns.” [Quran, 6:164]

She is not held responsible for her father’s earnings.

The main consideration in marrying her is her character and her religious state with Allah.

Still, when considering marriage with someone, you also consider the family.

Her parents will become your parents, and your children will grow up in their home.

Naturally, this is a reason to apply caution and think deeply about the possible future. When you first get married, you assume it to be the coming together of two individuals.

Eventually, you discover that it was, in fact, the formation of two separate families. I would fail in my duty if I didn’t advise you to consider this fact deeply.

Gifts, Furnishings, and Hospitality

When it comes to gifts, furnishings, and other forms of hospitality, the issue becomes a bit more sensitive, and we base our decisions on the dominant-source rule.

Imam Nawawi (Allah have mercy on him) said: “If one is invited by someone whose majority of wealth is unlawful, it is disliked to respond to his invitation, just as it is disliked to engage in transactions with him.

If it is known that the very food served is unlawful, then responding to his invitation is forbidden.” [Nawawi, Rawdat al-Talibin; Nawawi, al-Majmu’ Sharh al-Muhadhdhab; Ibn Hajar, Tuhfat al-Muhtaj]

This dislike is essentially a matter of scrupulousness, or spiritual caution. It is not about nullification.

We would not annul a transaction with such a person because they may possess lawful wealth, and unlawfulness is established only when the specific item or its price is known to be unlawful. [Shafi’i, Kitab al-Umm]

Now, based on your description, you say that your potential future father-in-law’s wealth is predominantly doubtful. But this is a dangerous determination to make without much knowledge.

How much of it is based on evidence, and how much of it is based on assumption? We need to be careful about suspecting one another.

Allah (Most High) says, “O you who believe, avoid much suspicion. Indeed, some suspicion is sin.” [Quran, 49:12]

The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the most lying form of speech.” [Bukhari; Muslim]

So before applying the rule strictly, you must be honest with yourself about whether the picture you have painted of his income is grounded in real evidence or in the kind of assumption the Sacred Law cautions us against.

Eventual Inheritance to Your Wife

When she receives an inheritance, she has no involvement in any unlawful transactions that may have taken place. She is receiving her share legitimately, by a transfer that Allah (Most High) Himself has determined in the Sacred Law.

So when she receives her wealth, she should consider it completely lawful and clean, because she received it in a completely lawful manner.

The principle here is illustrated in the hadith of Barira (Allah be pleased with her), who was given meat as sadaqa.

When some of it was brought to the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace), and he was reminded that he and his household do not consume sadaqa, he said: “It is sadaqa for her but a gift for us.” [Bukhari]

The same wealth gave rise to two different rulings because each person received it through a different lawful path. Inheritance functions in the same way.

The questions that attach to her father’s acquisition do not attach to her reception of it as an heir.

Practical Guidance

Practically, the real consideration is this. Is this woman of such a caliber, of such qualities that are so meaningful to you, that they outweigh the potential negative consequences of proceeding with the marriage, given the in-law issues that may come?

If she is worth it, from your perspective, then that is your answer.

All I need to make sure you do is genuinely consider the reality, not just of the next five years, but of the next twenty-five years. Marriage is long, and the family you marry into becomes part of the life you live. Walk into it with open eyes, marry from your own lawful means, and be gracious without becoming entangled. When the time of inheritance eventually comes, return to a scholar then for the specifics of her father’s estate.

And Allah (Most High) knows best.

[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick