Acquaintance, flirtation, love, family - all couples try to adhere to such a scenario. But prejudice, such as another nationality or religion of one of the spouses, often interferes with marriage. Is it really possible for a Muslim to marry a Christian? Or is it a taboo that has been imposed on us for many centuries? We will try to understand for sure the possibility of concluding an alliance between people of different faiths, and consider as an example what might prevent them from being married together.
Differences and disagreements in religion
Disagreement in religion can become one of the first and most important obstacles to family happiness in marriage with a Muslim, since Islam and Christianity, despite some of their similarities, nevertheless preach sometimes opposite things, for example:
- Christians are supposed to have one spouse. A Muslim can marry 4 wives at the same time.
- Christianity prohibits the beating of a wife for disobedience, Islam advises: hit them for wrongdoing.
- Christianity preaches the equality of man and woman before God. Islam, on the contrary, believes that a woman is a lower being compared with a man.
- Christianity teaches with patience to other faiths, while Islam preaches the fight against the Gentiles. “When you meet those who disbelieve, then - a blow to the neck with a sword” (47.4). “Fight the infidels and the hypocrites. Be cruel to them! ” (9.73).
This is only a small part of the disagreement between the two world religions. But they, in turn, can turn a Muslim’s marriage with a Christian or a Jew into hell if the husband strictly adheres to the Holy Scriptures (Koran). In such a marriage, the spouse will constantly humiliate and beat his wife for the slightest mistake.
Love and marriage are not the same thing
Yes, all ages and religions are submissive to love. Although for a Muslim and a Christian, marriage and love are sometimes incompatible concepts. And if Christianity encourages strong marriages and rejects unreasonable divorces between married and unmarried spouses, then Islam treats divorce more loyally, for example, a husband can give his wife a divorce just like that, for example, for the slightest offense or if he is tired of it. But even if Christians still decide to divorce, this will not be easy, it will be necessary to go through a long series of conversations with a spiritual mentor and prove to the church that divorce is not a whim, but a necessity. A Muslim can say certain words to his wife, after which they are considered divorced.
Of course, you can take a chance, and if you are lucky ... Well, what if you are not lucky, and in the best case, the woman will have to dutifully endure the polygamy of her spouse, and in the worst - to remain in an unfamiliar country without a livelihood.
Family leadership
It is worth noting that the dominant role in the marriage of a Muslim and a Christian is always given to her husband. And it makes no difference whether a wife has a rich dowry or not. Immediately after the wedding, the wife goes under the care of her husband, who decides everything for her. She does not have the right not only to work without her husband’s permission, but even to visit her relatives and friends. By the way, all questions about home improvement, up to the choice of decor, furniture and utensils will also be decided by the husband. And if before the wedding you visited beauty salons and wore fashionable clothes, forget about it. Now you will wear what the husband chooses, and you will look as he pleases.
Religious customs as an occasion to think
Each religion has its own customs, which sometimes have some concessions, but Muslim customs are not accepted to be violated under any pretext, for example:
- It is forbidden to marry and marry Gentiles.
- You can’t make decisions without the consent of the groom’s parents.
- It is forbidden to plan the number of children.
- A woman is forbidden to go anywhere without the permission of her husband or his relatives.
- The wife is forbidden to communicate with strangers.
- A woman is not allowed to expose her head, arms and legs in the presence of other men.
You can list for a very long time. Violation of each of these items may result in unplanned divorce. Therefore, before looking for an answer to the question, is marriage with a Muslim possible for great love, think about it, but do you need it? Do you need a marriage where there are no guarantees, where a woman does not have any rights, but only responsibilities, where a woman is treated as a thing that can easily be replaced with another? If at least one of the points seemed wild and unacceptable to you, then you should think about the appropriateness of such a relationship.
Features of meeting with the parents of the bride and groom
If, despite all the warnings, you thought that a marriage of great love with a Muslim is possible, then do not rush to legitimize your relationship. Believe me, it will not be easy. To begin with, his relatives must allow your man to marry you, and this is very often an impossible task for a number of reasons.
- They already have a Muslim girl from a good family, more often a relative.
- You have different religions, and marrying the “wrong” is a great sin.
- You have different views on family, life, etc. You will have to live in a large family, with parents, brothers and sisters, and a bunch of your husband’s nephews. Does this arrangement not suit you? Here they are, too, they do not want to separate their son from their family for the sake of marriage with the "infidel".
And even if the groom persuades parents to agree to a marriage with a Christian, then in this case you will at least have to change their religion.
Change of religion as a way out
Well, the hardest part is behind, and you were allowed to get married, but that's not all. In order to be legally married according to all the canons of Islam, the bride and groom must be of the same faith. That is, you without fail will have to change your Orthodoxy. By the way, this is not difficult at all. It is enough to repeat this quotation from the Qur'an following the cleric, and you are already a Muslim: "Ashkhadu an la il'yah` illya Ll'ahu wa` ashhadu anna Muh`ammadan ra`sulu Llahi. "
But for those who are interested in answering the question of whether it is possible to live in marriage with a Muslim, while remaining a Christian, a definite answer does not exist. After all, if you follow the traditions, then not one clergyman will hold a ceremony of marriage between people of different faiths. If it is decided not to conduct this ceremony, which is unlikely (the groom’s parents will not allow it), then you can not change your religion.
Wedding ceremonies of Muslims and Christians
Wedding ceremonies of representatives of two world religions are not very different from each other, however, there are some nuances here. For instance:
- In the Christian wedding ceremony, the dominant place is occupied by a wedding in the church, then there is registration in the registry office, and only after that comes the time of the wedding banquet.
- Muslims first have a banquet, where all the numerous relatives of the bride and groom, as well as neighbors, colleagues and even just acquaintances, take part. Then, after the banquet, the cleric conducts the rite "nikah" (wedding). But registration in the registry office may be completely absent.
If you are satisfied with such a “marriage” without a stamp in your passport and guarantees, then go for it.
Registry office or nickname?
Behind all the difficulties and misunderstandings due to religious differences. Parents met and approved your choice. The only thing left is to choose how you will legitimize your relationship: will you have registration in the registry office or will you have nicknames (a Muslim wedding), or maybe both. Many people wonder, is a marriage valid between a Muslim and a Christian? It is impossible to give a definite answer. Yes, it is valid if it was registered in the registry office or if the bride converted to Islam and the ritual “nikah” was performed. If the registration is absent or the nickname was performed without a change of religion, then in this case such a marriage is considered invalid.
Religion is not an obstacle to love
Despite the large number of differences from both a national and religious point of view, it happens that the marriage of a Muslim and a Christian can become not only happy, but also a role model. This is primarily the merit of the spouses. After all, if we discard all prejudices and soberly look at things, it becomes clear that both people worship the same God, although each in his own way.
In the modern world, many people reject traditions altogether, remaining only in the words “Muslims” or “Christians”. In fact, everything is completely different: the younger generation not only does not go to religious institutions (a mosque, a church), but also does not observe traditions, as prescribed by their religions. And only according to their national predisposition do they attribute themselves to one or another faith. Maybe this is for the best ... In this case, there will be no religious differences in this union, and two loving hearts will not only not find reasons for quarrels, but will also be more tolerant of each other, and this, in turn, will be the key to strong family happiness.