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Ce contenu a été traduit automatiquement. Voir l'original en arabe
Pourquoi le mariage entre parents proches n'est-il pas interdit
Si cela augmente les maladies génétiques
Si cela augmente les maladies génétiques
Peace be upon you, dear ones. One of my medical students contacted me to help him dispel a doubt that was troubling him. I answered his question, and he was convinced and reassured, praise be to God. So I wanted to share the question and answer with you so that the benefit may be widespread.
I will skip parts of his message for brevity. After the greeting, he says: "I am a student at the Faculty of Medicine. A question has begun to arise in me as a scientific thought due to my study of genetics and hereditary diseases, but unfortunately, it has taken root in my depths until it has become a doubt that haunts my sleep and follows me everywhere. This doubt, in short, is: How did Islam allow the door of marrying relatives to be opened when science proves beyond doubt that it is a major cause of the exacerbation of genetic diseases (Autosomal recessive disorders) and inflicting harm on generations?"
The student continues: "I am certain that in the religion of God, there is nothing but an answer to it. However, it is my shortcoming in reaching it. The matter, Doctor, is no longer just an academic discussion, but it has begun to spoil the joy of worship and devotion for me greatly. I feel an increasing gap between what I study in medicine and my religious convictions. I know that permission does not mean recommendation, but why didn’t the Sacred Law close this door or explicitly warn against it when the harm is likely and observed?"
Here is the response in several points, the most important of which is the last:
Statistically speaking, studies indicate a limited increase in recessive genetic diseases when marrying first cousins, an increase from 1.7% to 2.8% above the normal rate found in the general population, as stated in a reference paper in the Genetics in Medicine journal.
This means that more than 97% of children born from cousin marriages are free of these diseases. Is it legislatively wise to close a wide door of social benefits because of a limited statistical increase?
Ask yourself: Does Islam expect to forbid every action that may increase the likelihood of a certain disease or harm? If we followed this logic, we would have to forbid marriage for those over forty or childbirth after forty, because the risks of chromosomal diseases such as Down syndrome increase. We would also have to forbid marriage to women with diabetes, high blood pressure, or obesity, as the relative risk of pregnancy and childbirth complications is higher for them.
Moreover, beyond pregnancy, if Sharia forbade everything that could lead to potential harm, even in small percentages, we would have to forbid medical and nursing professions due to the risk of infection, forbid driving cars and flying in planes due to the risk of accidents, and forbid sports due to the risk of injury. Sharia builds its rulings on the predominance of harm and leaves room for permissible actions where people can operate.
If we say that marrying first cousins increases diseases by a certain percentage, while marrying more distant relatives results in a lower percentage, what is the threshold at which Sharia should forbid marriage to consider it fair? Should it stop at 2%, 1%, or half a percent? Marriage, in general, carries the possibility of health issues. Does wisdom dictate forbidding marriage altogether because of these percentages?
Today, with the availability of tests, both relatives and non-relatives can undergo genetic counseling before marriage, which reveals the likelihood of hereditary diseases. Sharia sets general rules that apply to all times and places and does not base rulings on technical developments that did not exist at the time of legislation. Sharia established the "original permissibility" and encouraged people to seek knowledge and take means, including screening tools.
Permitting marriage between relatives takes into account social conditions and needs. Completely closing this door would create legal hardship and conflict with human reality. Many tribes live in geographical or social isolation, and necessity drives them to intermarry.
Moreover, this marriage carries human dimensions. A male cousin may marry his orphaned or widowed female cousin to support her and her children and preserve her dignity, which is a social benefit that outweighs the limited increase in the likelihood of disease. Additionally, completely forbidding this marriage could open the door to corruption and forbidden relationships among those who develop natural emotional attachments. Islam expanded the circle of what is lawful to cut off the desire for what is forbidden. Whoever wants his female cousin may come to the houses through their proper doors.
Sharia did not command marriage between relatives but permitted it. There is a vast difference between permission and recommendation. In fact, some Islamic jurists recommended "taghrib al-nikah" (marrying outsiders) to avoid weakening the lineage. It is narrated in Siyar A'lam al-Nubala that Al-Shafi'i said: "Any household whose women do not marry men other than them, and whose men do not marry women other than them, their children will be weak-minded." It is also narrated that Umar ibn al-Khattab, may God be pleased with him, said to the family of Al-Sa'ib: "You have weakened your lineage; go marry outsiders so that your lineage does not weaken."
The birth of a sick child—whether from cousin marriages or otherwise—is, while regrettable, not outside the decree and wisdom of God. The religious duty is to care for and support this child, which is part of life's trials, as the Quran says:
"Who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed—and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving" (Surah Al-Mulk, 67:2).
We are in a house of trials.
The most important thing is this: whoever builds their certainty in Islam on solid and firm foundations, doubts will not shake their faith, because they refer ambiguities to clear texts. The principle that your certainty should waver at the slightest question means that the "table of your faith" is not stable.
The failure of the educational system lies in not building this firm faith or proper thinking methods, turning sciences in the minds of young people into doubts they cannot control. Therefore, I urge everyone to regularly attend beneficial knowledge courses that build certainty and to know that Islam, built on major certainties, has answers to questions even if we do not know them at the moment.
We ask God to guide us all to what He loves and is pleased with. Peace be upon you and the mercy of God.