🧭 Preparation & choosing a spouse · #21
May one marry one's own cousin?
Yes, marrying a cousin is permissible because a cousin is not a mahram.
The list of women whom it is forbidden to marry in an-Nisa' 4:23 does not include cousins, and Allah says that all others are made lawful (an-Nisa' 4:24). Al-Ahzab 33:50 also mentions the daughters of paternal and maternal uncles as lawful for the Prophet ﷺ, and he married Zainab bint Jahsh, his cousin. However, some Shafi'i scholars consider it preferable to choose someone who is not a close relative, and medically, cousin marriage raises the risk of recessive genetic diseases such as thalassaemia. Consider genetic screening and a doctor's advice. See Mahram.
The list of women whom it is forbidden to marry in an-Nisa' 4:23 does not include cousins, and Allah says that all others are made lawful (an-Nisa' 4:24). Al-Ahzab 33:50 also mentions the daughters of paternal and maternal uncles as lawful for the Prophet ﷺ, and he married Zainab bint Jahsh, his cousin. However, some Shafi'i scholars consider it preferable to choose someone who is not a close relative, and medically, cousin marriage raises the risk of recessive genetic diseases such as thalassaemia. Consider genetic screening and a doctor's advice. See Mahram.
Sources
Surah an-Nisa' 4:23–24Surah al-Ahzab 33:50