MARRIAGE 
          WITH KUFFARS  
        
          Marriages 
          between Muslims and atheists are not permissible at all. In such cases, 
          the man or woman should accept Islam before entering into a shar'ai 
          legal "nikah."   
        And 
          do not marry Al-Mushrikats {idolatress, etc.} till they believe (worship 
          Allah alone). And indeed a slave woman is better than a (free) Mushrikah 
          {idolatress, etc.}, even though she pleases you. And give not (your 
          daughters) in marriage to Al-Mushrikun** till they believe in Allah 
          alone and verily a believing slave is better than a (free) Mushrik, 
          even though he pleases you. Those Al-Mushrikun invite you to the Fire 
          {Al naar}, but Allah invites you to the Paradise and Forgiveness by 
          His Leave, and makes His Ayaat {proofs, evidences, lessons, verses, 
          signs, etc.} clear to mankind that they may remember. [Quran  2:221] 
          [[6]]   
        "...... 
          (Lawful unto you in marriage) are (not only) chaste women who are believers, 
          but chaste women among the People of the Book revealed before your time, 
          when you give them their due dowries, and desire chastity, not lewdness, 
          nor sectret intrigues. If anyone rejects faith, fruitless is his work, 
          and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who have lost 
          (all the spritual good)." [Quran 5:5] <<< See the following 
          two notes >>>   
        # 
          A note[7] following the above passage further describes that a Muslim 
          man can marry a woman from their ranks on same terms as he would marry 
          a Muslim woman, i.e. he must give her an economic and moral status, 
          and must not actuate merely by motives of lust and physical desires. 
          A Muslim woman cannot marry a non-Muslim primarily because her religious 
          affiliation and duties will be affected by the authority of her husband. 
          A non-Muslim woman marrying a Muslim man are expected to eventually 
          accept Islam. Any man or woman, from any race or faith, upon ACCEPTING 
          Islam can freely marry any Muslim, man or woman, provided the objective 
          is purity and chasteness and not lewdness.   
        
  | 
        ## 
          In the above verse, "People of Books" refers to the "followers" 
          of the religions who received God's message in the form of teachings 
          by Prophet Moses (AS) and Prophet Jesus (AS) before Islam. However, 
          the term "people of Books" by no mean refers to the present 
          Torah or Pentateuch or The Bible which were written by various authors 
          decades and centuries after their respective Prophets. The term "Books" 
          therefore does NOT affirm in any manner the validity of the present 
          Bible (canonized in 325 AC) or Torah (written over an uncertain period 
          est. 1500-1350 BCE??) as God's message as their followers vehemently 
          argue and would like Muslims to take the term "Book" for their 
          Bible or Torah. The following note by Abdullah Yousuf Ali is worth mentioning 
          here:   
        Note 
          #390: ...The Original Gospel (see Surah 3:48 below) was not the various 
          stories written afterwards by disciples***, but the real message taught 
          directly by Jesus (AS). *** St Paul, author of almost half of the New 
          Testament and the one annuling Mosaic law, and Luke, to whom "Gospel 
          According to Luke" is attributed, were not even among the original 
          12 disciples.   
        "And 
          Allah will teach him (Jesus (AS)) The Book and Wisdom, The Law and the 
          Gospel." [Surah 3:48] [This clearly indicate to THE Gospel given 
          to Jesus (AS) and not to the Council of Nicaea which decided, in 325AC, 
          by vote, what The Bible canon should be comprised of .]   
          
        "There 
          is among them a section who distort the book with tongues; (As they 
          read) you would think it is part of the Book, But it is no part of Book; 
          and they say, "That is from Allah," But it is they who tell 
          a lie against Allah, and (well) they know it!" [Surah 3:78]  
           
        Note: 
          Much has been already said on this topic on s.r.i.  
        

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