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Forbidden Marriages

In the chapter on Lactation we presented the verse of the Quran identifying relatives not to be married by men or women:

"Prohibited to you (tor marriage) are: your mothers, daughters, sisters, fathers' sisters, mothers' sisters, brother's daughters, sister's daughters, foster-mothers who gave you suck, toster-sisters (daughters of mothers who gave you suck), your wives' mothers, your step-daughters under your guardianship born to your wives to whom you have gone in (consummated marriage), no prohibition if you have not gone in, (those who have been wives of your sons proceeding from your loins (biologic sons), and two sisters in wedlock at one and the same time except for what is past, for God is Oftforgiving. " (4:23)

Juridicially mother is so defined as to include all women contributing to you by the way of birth, ie mother's mother, mother's grandmother, and great grandmother as well as father's mother, her mother, and grand-mothers. Daughter signifies a female ascended to you ie daughter's daughters and grand daughters etc. Sister is a woman sharing one or both parents (step sister included). A paternal aunt is the woman who shares with father or grand father one or both parenthood roots, and similarly a maternal aunt is that who shares with mother one or both roots. The same scale applies to milk-fosterage relations. Forbidden to marry is the woman who suckled as she is considered mother, her mother for she is grandmother, her mother in law for she is also grandmother, her sisters for they are aunts, her husband's sisters for they are paternal aunts, her grand daughters for they are nieces, all of course as well as her daughters or step daughters for they .are considered sisters.

Other categories of women are also forbidden but only for as long as the cause for objection lasts. This applies mainly to a woman during the 'waiting period' (idda) following a previous marriage. Another case is bigamy if both wives are related in such a way that if one were a man the other would be on the forbidden list given above.