In modern society, interethnic marriages are far from uncommon. Unions between representatives of different religious faiths have ceased to be an exception to the rule. Thus, marriage is often concluded between a Muslim and a Christian. But what is said about such unions in religion and is a woman obliged to change her religion in order to become a Muslim’s legal wife?
Features of Muslim and Orthodox marriages
First of all, for Muslims, the family is an institution ordained by God. Marriage has a much larger place in life than many other issues.
As they say in the Islamic religion, absolutely all adults should be married. And marriage is not just a formality, but a sacred agreement between two people. Of course, in addition to the traditional state union, Muslims enter into religious marriage.
In Arabic it is called "an-nikah". This ritual is performed in the mosque by the imam. And it has nothing to do with state registration. According to Sharia, a man can have several wives, whom he must provide at the same level and devote an equal amount of time to each of the wives.
In most modern countries, this tradition has fallen into oblivion, since polygamy is officially prohibited. But some Arab countries still follow this custom. Traditional Muslim marriage is based on the Koran.
In Islam, it is customary for a wife to take care of her husband and the family hearth, to be obedient and submissive. A woman should become a support and support for a man. But at the same time, a man must respect and honor his wife.
In Orthodoxy, marriage is also a sacred sacrament. The Christian marital union of a man and a woman takes place in the church. The priest conducts the ceremony and names the newlyweds husband and wife.
According to traditions, in Christianity a woman is obliged to obey her husband, and he, in turn, must love and respect her. Christianity also says that husband and wife are one flesh. And this fact, as it were, equalizes the spouses in their rights.
But at the same time, Orthodoxy recognizes that a woman is weaker than a man. Christianity also recognizes official civil marriage, but at the same time it says that every believer must sanctify his union in the church.
If we compare Christian and Muslim marriages, it becomes clear that they have similarities in many respects. But Muslim scripture still points out the unequal position of the fair sex in relation to their spouses.
Is it possible for a Muslim to marry a Russian?
Russians are Christians by faith, but the Koran distinguishes them from other adherents of the Christian faith.
According to Allah, Russians are polytheists; they believe in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This means that until a Russian woman believes in Islam, she cannot be taken as a wife.
She will be considered as a wife if she renounces her faith and honors the traditions of Islam, raising her children as true Muslims.
If a girl was raised in a family with strong Christian traditions, it will be difficult for her to abandon her faith. The option of a Muslim man accepting another faith for the sake of his beloved is not even considered; such precedents are one in tens of millions.
Let's look at how the Bible interprets this situation.
Is marriage possible between a Muslim and a Christian?
Situations when representatives of different religious faiths decide to marry are not uncommon today. And we are not necessarily talking about marriage with a foreigner. Both followers of the Christian religion and Muslims live on the territory of the Russian Federation. A Muslim cannot marry a non-believer woman, as well as a Buddhist and Hare Krishna woman.
In Islam according to the Koran
Islam does not prohibit Muslims from marrying representatives of other religious faiths. But only on one condition. They must be chaste women from among the People of the Book. That is, they can be either Christians or Jews.
True, to conclude an alliance, certain conditions must be met:
- a woman must be chaste, that is, before marriage, not have close relationships with other men;
- For a wedding to take place, a religious ceremony must be performed - nikkah;
- spouses must live where the lifestyle complies with Sharia, that is, where the Muslim will have power over his wife and will be able to convert her to his religion;
- a husband must have strong and strong faith.
Muslim girls cannot marry non-believers. This is canonically illegal.
In Orthodoxy
Despite the fact that many consider Christianity a tolerant religion, the church does not welcome marriage with people of other faiths.
And if an Orthodox girl decides to marry a Muslim, she will definitely be condemned. You can also read about this in the Holy Scriptures, where it is said that God warns against the union of people faithful to him with those who do not comply with the will of God.
It is also said that mixed marriages are evil and sin before God.
Therefore, until 1917, it was impossible for Christians to marry people of other faiths. Including with Muslims.
Engagement
Before making a final decision whether to take such an important step and marry the person you like, it is important for a Christian woman to take a good look - haste in such matters is unacceptable. Islam provides for engagement or al-hitba, which perfectly protects the interests of women: during the year of engagement, the young people will get to know each other better, discuss all issues relating to their future lives, and then the girl will be able to make a more informed decision - to marry this person or not .
It is important to get to know the groom’s family better, visit their house, observe how the future husband’s close relatives behave and what kind of relationship he has with him. Be sure to find out what his relatives think, how the family and especially the parents feel about the fact that their son is marrying a non-Muslim woman, what is their attitude towards this marriage.
Intimacy is not allowed before the conclusion of nikah, otherwise such cohabitation will be considered adultery in Islam.
What does an interfaith union look like from the outside?
The attitude towards interfaith marriages in society is quite ambiguous. On the one hand, it is clear that the union is concluded out of love, since young people sometimes have to overcome the condemnation of the older generation (and it undoubtedly exists), adapt to each other, change habits and traditions.
The older generation often has a negative attitude towards such marriages, since grandparents understand that sometimes even the strongest love is broken by everyday problems, especially if this is aggravated by cultural and religious disputes.
But that part of society that is tolerant of such marriages, on the contrary, is sure that since deciding on an alliance with a representative of another faith is not always easy, young people are ready for difficulties, and love will simply pass additional tests and become even stronger.
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Banquet in Muslim style
After the wedding ceremony, the newlyweds and their guests go to a gala dinner. Wedding tables are set abundantly and variedly. To create a special atmosphere of celebration, musicians are invited to the event. People are having fun and dancing.
It is allowed to invite friends and relatives to the wedding banquet, regardless of religion. Before the start of the feast, guests present gifts to the newlyweds. Most gifts given are money, special gold coins and expensive jewelry.
According to Muslim tradition, there should be no alcohol or pork on the table. But sweets, fruits, juices and popular carbonated drinks are welcome. At the end of the festive dinner, the newly made husband and wife leave for home.
Is dating outside of marriage between Muslim/Muslim women and Christian/Christian women allowed?
Any religion, be it Christianity, Islam, Judaism, prohibits close relationships between a man and a woman who are not in an official or spiritual union. Here the rules are the same for everyone - any relationship will be considered vicious, and the priest or imam will call it a sin.
But what should you do if acquaintance has taken place, but marriage is still far away? Can young people communicate without violating church commandments and without contradicting the verses of the Koran?
Islam prohibits a man and a woman from being alone. They can go to the cinema, walk along crowded streets, drink tea in a cafe. But never have a one-on-one date at someone’s home.
The Bible also contains commandments prohibiting a man and a woman from touching each other before marriage.
We are not talking about accidental touching or giving a girl a hand when she gets off public transport. Namely, touching to express feelings. Christianity does not prohibit lovers from dating before marriage, but these dates must also take place within the framework of moral decency and not in private.
But friendship between a man and a woman without the thought of creating a family is also condemned in Orthodoxy. It is believed that if a guy and a girl cannot get married in the future, then there is no need for them to start any kind of friendly relationship.
Both religions say the same thing. Meetings outside of marriage between a man and a girl are possible only if they plan to get married in the future. Moreover, these meetings should take place in public places and not be of an intimate nature, but should occur only with the purpose of getting to know each other better and discussing further wedding issues.
Islam and atheism
If marriage with a Jewish or Christian woman is still considered acceptable, then a relationship between a Muslim and an atheist is extremely undesirable from the point of view of Islam. The fact is that both Christianity and Judaism instruct a woman to be modest, submissive and remain innocent until marriage. An atheist herself is free to choose her own way of life, principles and values. Naturally, most women live as they please, and a person guided only by his own convictions does not fit into any religious canons. Accordingly, a woman who does not profess any religion is not at all required to maintain chastity before marriage, and for an unmarried Muslim woman, the loss of virginity is a shame for the entire family.
Consequences
Mixed marriages between representatives of different religious faiths can sometimes lead to certain not very pleasant consequences:
- the emergence of disagreements and conflicts due to inconsistencies between cultures, perceptions of reality, and approaches to raising children;
- misunderstanding and condemnation from others. Moreover, not only neighbors or acquaintances, but also distant relatives, and sometimes even the closest people can reproach;
- if a husband and wife lived in different countries before marriage, then one of them will have to move and, therefore, go through all the difficulties of immigration;
- A person who moves to another country may also encounter difficulties in solving legal problems, health issues, and so on.
But in any case, such marriages also have positive sides. Interfaith unions teach tolerance, understanding of other traditions and cultures, and also contribute to the normalization of relations between countries and ethnic groups.
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