Short answer
Yes. Islam allows marriage between Muslims of any race, colour or nationality, and the Prophet ﷺ himself encouraged such marriages. Kafa'ah (suitability) in the Hanafi school is about religion, family standing and means, and it is a right the woman and her family can waive, not a ban. Rejecting a good spouse only for race is wrong.
Marriage across races and nations is permissible. Kafa'ah in the Hanafi school covers religious practice, lineage, financial ability and occupation; it is a right of the woman and her wali, and when both agree the marriage is valid. Race or colour in itself is not one of its measures.
Other madhhabs
- Maliki
- Kafa'ah is in religion and freedom from serious defects only. Lineage and wealth are not counted.
Explanation
Allah says He made people into nations and tribes so that they would know one another, and that the most noble of them before Him is the most righteous (49:13). The variety of languages and colours is one of His signs (30:22). The Prophet ﷺ told people that Allah has removed the arrogance of the age of ignorance and its pride in ancestors.
He also arranged marriages that crossed the social lines of his time. He married Zaynab bint Jahsh, a noblewoman of Quraysh, to Zayd ibn Harithah, a freed slave. When Fatimah bint Qays, a woman of Quraysh, asked about two men who had proposed, he told her to marry Usama ibn Zayd, the son of that freed slave. She disliked the idea at first, then said Allah put great good in the marriage and she was envied for it.
What about kafa'ah? In the Hanafi school a husband should be suitable (kufu) for his wife in religious practice, family standing, means and occupation. The classical books included lineage because of the social reality of their time, to protect the bride and her family from shame and the marriage from breaking down, not because one race is better than another. Kafa'ah belongs to the woman and her wali, so when they agree there is no issue. See marrying without a wali.
When families object only because of race, caste or nationality, they are going against the hadith, "if someone whose religion and character you are pleased with proposes, marry him". Talk honestly about real differences of language, food and family expectations, and involve elders who can help. See parents' permission.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Hujuraat 49:13
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَٰكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍۢ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَٰكُمْ شُعُوبًۭا وَقَبَآئِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَتْقَىٰكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌۭ ﴿١٣﴾
O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.
Worth before Allah is by taqwa, not by race or tribe.
Quran, Surah Ar-Room 30:22
وَمِنْ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ خَلْقُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱخْتِلَٰفُ أَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَأَلْوَٰنِكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَءَايَٰتٍۢ لِّلْعَٰلِمِينَ ﴿٢٢﴾
And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your languages and your colors. Indeed in that are signs for those of knowledge.
Differences of colour are signs of Allah, not grounds for rank.
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 1084
Grading to be checked... إذا خطب إليكم من ترضون دينه وخلقه فزوجوه ...
"If someone whose religion and character you are pleased with proposes to you, marry him."
Religion and character are the main measures of a suitor.
Sunan Abi Dawud 5116
Grading to be checked... إن الله قد أذهب عنكم عبية الجاهلية ...
"Allah has removed from you the arrogance of the age of ignorance."
Pride in race and ancestry is condemned.
Sahih Muslim 1480
Sahih... فصعلوك لا مال له انكحي أسامة بن زيد ...
"(As for Mu'awiyah,) he is poor, with no wealth. Marry Usama ibn Zayd."
The Prophet advised a noble Qurayshi woman to marry the son of a freed slave.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Nikah, Fasl fi al-Kafa'ah. What kafa'ah covers in the Hanafi school.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Nikah, Bab al-Kafa'ah. Kafa'ah is the right of the woman and her wali, and can be waived by them.
- Mukhtasar Khalil with al-Sharh al-Kabir, Bab al-Nikah, on kafa'ah. The Maliki view that kafa'ah is in religion and soundness only.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.