Short answer: yes, marrying a first cousin is allowed in Islam, in all four schools of law. Quran 4:23 lists every relative a Muslim may not marry, and cousins are not on the list. The next verse says the rest are lawful. The Prophet ﷺ himself married his cousin Zaynab bint Jahsh. It is permitted, not a sunnah you are encouraged to seek out, and the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools say marrying outside close family is preferable. The one exception is a cousin who is also your milk sibling.
Quran 4:23: who you may not marry
This is the verse that answers the question. It lists the women a man may never marry, and by the same logic the men a woman may never marry:
حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمْ أُمَّهَٰتُكُمْ وَبَنَاتُكُمْ وَأَخَوَٰتُكُمْ وَعَمَّٰتُكُمْ وَخَٰلَٰتُكُمْ وَبَنَاتُ ٱلْأَخِ وَبَنَاتُ ٱلْأُخْتِ وَأُمَّهَٰتُكُمُ ٱلَّٰتِىٓ أَرْضَعْنَكُمْ وَأَخَوَٰتُكُم مِّنَ ٱلرَّضَٰعَةِ وَأُمَّهَٰتُ نِسَآئِكُمْ وَرَبَٰٓئِبُكُمُ ٱلَّٰتِى فِى حُجُورِكُم مِّن نِّسَآئِكُمُ ٱلَّٰتِى دَخَلْتُم بِهِنَّ فَإِن لَّمْ تَكُونُوا۟ دَخَلْتُم بِهِنَّ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَحَلَٰٓئِلُ أَبْنَآئِكُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِنْ أَصْلَٰبِكُمْ وَأَن تَجْمَعُوا۟ بَيْنَ ٱلْأُخْتَيْنِ إِلَّا مَا قَدْ سَلَفَ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ غَفُورًۭا رَّحِيمًۭا
Hurrimat 'alaikum umma haatukum wa bannaatukum wa akhawaatukum wa 'ammaatukum wa khaalaatukum wa banaatul akhi wa banaatul ukhti wa ummahaatu kumul laateee arda' nakum wa akhawaatukum minarradaa'ati wa ummahaatu nisaaa'ikum wa rabaaa'i bukumul laatee fee hujoorikum min nisaaa'ikumul laatee dakhaltum bihinna Fa il lam takoonoo dakhaltum bihina falaa junaaha 'alaikum wa halaaa'ilu abnaaa'ikumul lazeena min aslaabikum wa an tajma'oo bainal ukhtaini illaa maa qad salaf; innallaaha kaana Ghafoorar Raheema
"Prohibited to you [for marriage] are your mothers, your daughters, your sisters, your father's sisters, your mother's sisters, your brother's daughters, your sister's daughters, your [milk] mothers who nursed you, your sisters through nursing, your wives' mothers, and your step-daughters under your guardianship [born] of your wives unto whom you have gone in. But if you have not gone in unto them, there is no sin upon you. And [also prohibited are] the wives of your sons who are from your [own] loins, and that you take [in marriage] two sisters simultaneously, except for what has already occurred. Indeed, Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful."
Quran 4:23 · translation by Sahih International
| Group | Who is forbidden | Cousins? |
|---|---|---|
| By blood | Mothers, daughters, sisters, paternal aunts, maternal aunts, nieces (a brother's or sister's daughter), and further up and down the line | Not included |
| By nursing | The woman who nursed you, and your milk sisters; scholars extend it to every relative forbidden by blood | Only a milk cousin, see below |
| By marriage | Your wife's mother, your wife's daughter (once the marriage was consummated), your son's wife, and two sisters at the same time | Not included |
Aunts are forbidden, but their children are not. That is the whole basis of the ruling.
Quran 4:24: everyone else is lawful
وَأُحِلَّ لَكُم مَّا وَرَآءَ ذَٰلِكُمْ
Wa uḥilla lakum mā warāʾa dhālikum
"And lawful to you are [all others] beyond these"
Quran 4:24, part of the ayah · translation by Sahih International
Since cousins are not in the list of 4:23, they fall under this verse: lawful to marry, with the usual conditions of a valid nikah, such as consent, witnesses and the mahr.
The verse that names cousins
The Quran mentions cousins by name in a verse addressed to the Prophet ﷺ:
وَبَنَاتِ عَمِّكَ وَبَنَاتِ عَمَّٰتِكَ وَبَنَاتِ خَالِكَ وَبَنَاتِ خَٰلَٰتِكَ ٱلَّٰتِى هَاجَرْنَ
Wa banāti ʿammika wa banāti ʿammātika wa banāti khālika wa banāti khālātika allātī hājarna maʿak
"the daughters of your paternal uncles and the daughters of your paternal aunts and the daughters of your maternal uncles and the daughters of your maternal aunts who emigrated with you"
Quran 33:50, part of the ayah · translation by Sahih International
The verse lists all four kinds of cousin as lawful for him. Scholars note that the condition "who emigrated with you" and some other parts of this verse are specific to the Prophet ﷺ, but the permission to marry cousins is the general rule for everyone, as 4:24 already shows.
Cousin marriages in the life of the Prophet ﷺ
- Zaynab bint Jahsh was the daughter of the Prophet's ﷺ aunt, Umaymah bint Abd al-Muttalib, which made her his first cousin. Allah Himself arranged the marriage (Quran 33:37).
- Ali ibn Abi Talib, the Prophet's ﷺ first cousin, married the Prophet's ﷺ daughter Fatimah. She was the daughter of his cousin.
Most of the Prophet's ﷺ marriages were not to relatives, and most of his Companions married outside their close family too. The examples show that cousin marriage is allowed, not that it is the preferred way.
What the four schools say
Marrying a cousin, on the father's or the mother's side, is permissible, with no dislike in the school's main texts. It is neither a sunnah to seek out nor something to avoid; the usual advice applies: choose for faith and character.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i, Hanbali
- Permissible. Both schools add that it is recommended (mustahabb) to choose a wife who is not a close relative, citing the welfare of the children and of family ties.
- Maliki
- Permissible, as in the Hanafi school.
You may hear a saying, "Marry strangers, so that your children are not weak." Hadith scholars said it has no reliable chain back to the Prophet ﷺ; it is reported as advice of Umar ibn al-Khattab. The Shafi'i and Hanbali preference rests on reasoning about family ties and children, not on a text that forbids anything.
The exception: a cousin who is your milk sibling
The Prophet ﷺ said: "What is forbidden by lineage is forbidden by nursing."1 In many families an aunt or a grandmother nursed several cousins as babies. If your mother nursed your cousin, or your cousin's mother nursed you, within the nursing period, you are milk siblings, and the marriage is forbidden. In the Hanafi school any amount of milk counts; in the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools it takes five full feedings. If you are not sure, ask your family before you agree to a proposal, and ask a scholar about your case.
Before you marry a cousin
- Choose for faith and character. The Prophet ﷺ said a woman is married for her wealth, her lineage, her beauty and her religion, and told people to choose the one with religion.2 Being family is not a reason by itself.
- Make sure both agree freely. Family pressure is common in cousin marriages. The Prophet ﷺ annulled a marriage a woman's father arranged against her will.3
- Speak to a doctor if a condition runs in the family. Doctors advise couples who are related, especially where a hereditary condition is known, to talk to a doctor or a genetic counsellor before marriage. Scholars encourage this as part of looking after future children.
- Check the law where you live. Cousin marriage is legal in the UK and the UAE, but some US states do not allow first-cousin marriage.
- Make istikhara and ask Allah for good. See the dua for istikhara and the dua for marriage.
FAQ
Can you marry your first cousin in Islam?
Yes. Cousins are not among the relatives forbidden in Quran 4:23, and 4:24 says all others are lawful. All four schools allow it.
Is cousin marriage sunnah?
No. It is permitted, not a sunnah to seek out. The Prophet ﷺ married his cousin Zaynab bint Jahsh, but most of his marriages were outside his close family. The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools recommend marrying a non-relative.
Did the Prophet ﷺ marry his cousin?
Yes. Zaynab bint Jahsh was the daughter of his aunt Umaymah bint Abd al-Muttalib, so she was his first cousin (Quran 33:37).
Can I marry my cousin if my mother breastfed her?
No. If she was nursed by your mother within the nursing period, she is your milk sister and you cannot marry her. In the Hanafi school even a small amount counts.
Can I marry two cousins who are sisters?
Not at the same time. Quran 4:23 forbids being married to two sisters together. After a divorce that has finished its iddah, or a death, you may marry her sister.
Sources
- Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, from Aishah and Ibn Abbas.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 5090; Sahih Muslim 1466, from Abu Hurayrah.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 5138, from Khansa bint Khidham.
- Hanafi: al-Marghinani, al-Hidayah, Kitab al-Nikah (Fasl fil-Muharramat). Shafi'i: an-Nawawi, Minhaj at-Talibin, on the qualities recommended in a wife. Hanbali: Ibn Qudamah, al-Mughni. The report "marry strangers" is discussed by al-Iraqi in his takhrij of the Ihya.
- SeekersGuidance, "The ruling of first cousin marriages: a balanced perspective".
- Quran 4:23, 4:24, 33:37 and 33:50, translation by Sahih International.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.