Mahram
Encyclopedia
In Islam
ic sharia
legal terminology, a mahram (Arabic محرم, also transliterated mahrim or maharem) is an unmarriageable kin with whom sexual intercourse
would be considered incest
uous, a punishable taboo
. Current usage of the term covers a wider range of people and mostly deals with the dress code practice of hijab
.
The plural form of the word in the Arabic language
is maharim with long second vowel (Arabic محارم, also transliterated maharem). Sometimes the word is capitalized but there is not a general consensus that the word should be capitalized like Muslim. (The Arabic alphabet
has no upper-case vs. lower-case distinction.)
Being mahram is a symmetric condition. If A is mahram to B, B is definitely mahram to A.
. A partial list of what is considered a mahram can be found in Surah 24, Ayah 31, of the Quran.
A woman's male mahrams fall into four categories (three categories in the strict-sense definition that does not count one's spouse). Note that mahrams for a man can be derived in a similar manner.
For a man, mahram women include his mother, grandmother, daughter, granddaughter, sister, aunt, grandaunt, niece, grandniece, his father's wife, his wife's daughter (step-daughter), his mother-in-law, his rada mother and any other rada relatives that correpsond to the above mentioned blood relatives. As the Prophet said, "What is forbidden by reason of kinship is forbidden by reason of suckling." (Al-Bukhari)
These are considered maharim because Allah mentioned them in the Qur'an:
"And marry not women whom your fathers married, except what has already passed; indeed it was shameful and most hateful, and an evil way. Forbidden 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 foster mother who gave you suck, your foster milk suckling sisters, your wives' mothers, your step-daughters under your guardianship, born of your wives to whom you have go in - but there is no sin on you if you have not gone in them (to marry their daughters), ... the wives of your sons who (spring) from your own loins, and two sisters in wedlock at the same time, except for what has already passed; verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (An-Nisa 4:22-23)
All of the man's female relatives mentioned in these two verses are considered his maharim, because it is unlawful (haram) for him to marry them, except the wife's sister mentioned last, who is not a mahram because he can marry her if he divorces her sister, or if his wife dies. As noted in the introduction, the notion of mahram is reciprocal. All other relatives are considered non-maharim and they fall under the category of strangers.
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
legal terminology, a mahram (Arabic محرم, also transliterated mahrim or maharem) is an unmarriageable kin with whom sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
would be considered incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
uous, a punishable taboo
Taboo
A taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and or forbidden based on moral judgment, religious beliefs and or scientific consensus. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society...
. Current usage of the term covers a wider range of people and mostly deals with the dress code practice of hijab
Sartorial hijab
This list of types of sartorial hijab indexes styles of clothing found in predominantly Muslim societies commonly associated with the word hijab...
.
The plural form of the word in the Arabic language
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
is maharim with long second vowel (Arabic محارم, also transliterated maharem). Sometimes the word is capitalized but there is not a general consensus that the word should be capitalized like Muslim. (The Arabic alphabet
Arabic alphabet
The Arabic alphabet or Arabic abjad is the Arabic script as it is codified for writing the Arabic language. It is written from right to left, in a cursive style, and includes 28 letters. Because letters usually stand for consonants, it is classified as an abjad.-Consonants:The Arabic alphabet has...
has no upper-case vs. lower-case distinction.)
Being mahram is a symmetric condition. If A is mahram to B, B is definitely mahram to A.
Who is mahram?
Anyone who a Muslim is not allowed to marry is mahram, if they are of the opposite sex and have reached pubertyPuberty
Puberty is the process of physical changes by which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of reproduction, as initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads; the ovaries in a girl, the testes in a boy...
. A partial list of what is considered a mahram can be found in Surah 24, Ayah 31, of the Quran.
A woman's male mahrams fall into four categories (three categories in the strict-sense definition that does not count one's spouse). Note that mahrams for a man can be derived in a similar manner.
- Permanent or blood mahrams with whom one is mahram by a blood relationship:
- father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, great-grandfather, great-grandmother and so on;
- brother, sister;
- son, grandson, great-grandson, daughter, grand-daughter, great-grand-daughter;
- uncle, aunt, great-uncle, great-aunt, and so on;
- nephew, niece, grandnephew, grandniece, great-grandnephew, great-grandniece and so on;
- In-law mahrams with whom one becomes mahram by marrying someone:
- father-in-law, mother-in-law;
- son-in-law, daughter-in-law,
- stepfather (mother's husband) if their marriage is consummated, stepmother (father's wife) if their marriage is consummated;
- stepson (husband's son) if their marriage is consummated, stepdaughter (wife's daughter) if their marriage is consummated;
- RadaRada (fiqh)Radāʿ or ridāʿa is a technical term from Islamic jurisprudence meaning "the suckling which produces the legal impediment to marriage of foster-kinship". The term derives from the infinitive noun of the Arabic word radiʿa or radaʿa...
or "milk-suckling mahrams" with whom one becomes mahram because of being nursed by the same woman. When a woman acts as a wetnurse, that is she breast feeds an infant that is not her own child for a certain amount of time under certain conditions, she becomes the child's rada mother and everything concerning blood mahrams applies here, like rada father/mother, rada sister/brother, rada aunt/uncle and so on. In English these can be referred to as milk brother, milk-mother, and so on.
For a man, mahram women include his mother, grandmother, daughter, granddaughter, sister, aunt, grandaunt, niece, grandniece, his father's wife, his wife's daughter (step-daughter), his mother-in-law, his rada mother and any other rada relatives that correpsond to the above mentioned blood relatives. As the Prophet said, "What is forbidden by reason of kinship is forbidden by reason of suckling." (Al-Bukhari)
These are considered maharim because Allah mentioned them in the Qur'an:
"And marry not women whom your fathers married, except what has already passed; indeed it was shameful and most hateful, and an evil way. Forbidden 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 foster mother who gave you suck, your foster milk suckling sisters, your wives' mothers, your step-daughters under your guardianship, born of your wives to whom you have go in - but there is no sin on you if you have not gone in them (to marry their daughters), ... the wives of your sons who (spring) from your own loins, and two sisters in wedlock at the same time, except for what has already passed; verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (An-Nisa 4:22-23)
All of the man's female relatives mentioned in these two verses are considered his maharim, because it is unlawful (haram) for him to marry them, except the wife's sister mentioned last, who is not a mahram because he can marry her if he divorces her sister, or if his wife dies. As noted in the introduction, the notion of mahram is reciprocal. All other relatives are considered non-maharim and they fall under the category of strangers.
Some rules regarding mahrams and ghayr mahrams (non-mahrams)
- Theoretically, a Muslim woman's mahrams form the group of allowable escorts when she travels.
- An adopted brother (adopted sister) of a woman (man) is ghayr mahram to her (him) and they can marry each other. The term "adopted" means those children who are adopted by one's parents for the purpose of providing shelter and upbringing and who do not fall under the relationships outlined under the section "Who is mahram?" above.
- Except for the spouse, being mahram is a permanent condition. That means, for example, a man will remain mahram to his ex-mother-in-law after divorcing her daughter. One is ghayr mahram to one's ex-spouse.
- One must not stay with a ghayr mahram in seclusion where none of their mahrams is present (see also proxemicsProxemicsProxemics is the study of measurable distances between people as they interact. The term was introduced by anthropologist Edward T. Hall in 1966...
). - If wives of a man each become a rada mother of a child, all children and all rada mothers will be mahram to each other.
See also
- Ḥ-R-M
- IncestIncestIncest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
- Islamic marital jurisprudenceIslamic marital jurisprudenceIn Islamic law , marriage is a legal bond and social contract between a man and a woman. Islam commends marriage, with the age of marriage being whenever the individuals feel ready, financially and emotionally...
- Cousin marriageCousin marriageCousin marriage is marriage between two cousins. In various jurisdictions and cultures, such marriages range from being considered ideal and actively encouraged, to being uncommon but still legal, to being seen as incest and legally prohibited....