Women who are forbidden for marriage because of kinship

 

Please could you tell me the basic guideline on marriage in Islam with regard to relatives? I know that it is permissible for a person to marry paternal cousins, but what is the ruling on marrying one’s father’s paternal cousin? And what is the ruling on my daughter marrying the nephew of my mother-in-law? Please advise me, may Allah reward you with good.

Praise be to Allaah.

Allah, may He be exalted, has mentioned women who are
forbidden in marriage because of kinship. Allah says (interpretation of
the meaning): 

“Forbidden to you (for
marriage) are: your mothers, your daughters, your sisters, your father's
sisters, your mother's sisters, your brother's daughters, your sister's
daughters…”

[al-Nisa’ 4:23]. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

These are seven who are forbidden in marriage, according to
the text and scholarly consensus; none of the scholars differed concerning
this. End quote from al-Sharh al-Mumti‘, 12/53. 

They are: 

1.     
The mother, which includes
grandmothers on both the father’s and mother’s side

2.     
The daughter, which includes
granddaughters

3.     
Sisters, whether full sisters
or half-sisters through the father or mother

4.     
The paternal aunt, which also
includes the paternal aunt of the father or mother

5.     
The maternal aunt, which also
includes the maternal aunt of the father or mother

6.     
The brother’s daughter, which
includes his granddaughters

7.     
The sister’s daughter, which
includes her granddaughters 

Any other women who are relatives, apart from these, are
permissible for marriage. Hence Allah, may He be exalted, says in the
following verse (interpretation of the meaning): “All
others are lawful…” [al-Nisa’ 4:24]. 

Based on that, the daughter of one’s paternal uncle or aunt,
or of one’s maternal uncle or aunt, are permissible in marriage. The Qur’aan
states that in the verse (interpretation of the meaning):

“O Prophet (Muhammad SAW)!
Verily, We have made lawful to you your wives, to whom you have paid their
Mahr (bridal money given by the husband to his wife at the time of
marriage), and those (slaves) whom your right hand possesses - whom Allâh
has given to you, and the daughters of your ‘Amm (paternal uncles) and the
daughters of your ‘Ammaat (paternal aunts) and the daughters of your Khaal
(maternal uncles) and the daughters of your Khaalaat (maternal aunts)…”

[al-Ahzaab 33:50]. 

Based on this, it is permissible for a girl to marry her
father’s paternal cousin, because a person’s paternal uncle is an uncle to
him and to all his offspring. So her father’s paternal uncle is also an
uncle to her, and his son is her cousin, and it is permissible for a girl to
marry her paternal cousin. 

And it is permissible for your daughter to marry the son of
your mother-in-law’s brother, because the brother of your mother-in-law is
her maternal uncle, because he is the maternal uncle of her father, and the
maternal uncle of one’s father is also an uncle to his children. And it is
permissible for a girl to marry her maternal cousin. 

And Allah knows best.