Parenting Question of the Week

Who Becomes Mahrams When Two Parents Marry?


Shafi'i Fiqh

Answered by Shaykh Jamir Meah

Question: Assalamu alaykum

My father is getting married again soon.

My step mother to be has 4 children, 1 son and 3 daughters. My family is also 1 boy and 3 girls.

Will anyone become mahram to anyone?

Answer: Wa’alaykum assalam. Jazakum Allah khayr for your question. I’m sorry to hear about the recent passing away of your mother. May Allah have mercy upon her and make easy your grief. I also pray that Allah grants your father a blessed marriage and that it is a source of goodness for you all.

Mahrams through marriage

When two families are combined through the marriage of parents, the following rules of mahrams apply:

– Your step mother will become you and your siblings’ mahram the moment the marriage contract between your father and your step mother is finalised.

– Your father will become mahram to your step mother’s children once the marriage contract is finalised and their marriage is consummated.

– None of the children from either family become mahram to each other through the marriage of one parent to another. This means that all the correct rules and etiquettes need to be observed with each other (from the opposite sex). If you’re living in one house, this may require a little bit of thought and working out how best to setup living arrangements and house rules. However, many people do resolve these matters and live very happily, so insha’Allah you can work around this.

– Any children born to your father and your step mother will be mahram to all the siblings on both sides.

I hope this clarifies the matter for you. May Allah grant you all happiness.

Warmest salams,
[Shaykh] Jamir Meah

Shaykh Jamir Meah grew up in Hampstead, London. In 2007, he traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he spent nine years studying the Islamic sciences on a one-to-one basis under the foremost scholars of the Ribaat, Tarim, with a main specialization and focus on Shafi’i fiqh. In early 2016, he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continues advanced studies in a range of Islamic sciences, as well as teaching. Jamir is a qualified homeopath.