gathering together of a woman with her paternal aunt or her maternal aunt (Bu. 67:27, 28). Fiqh expands the conception further and includes the wife’s brother’s and sister’s daughter in the same category. The rule is in fact laid down in the Hidāyah that it is prohibited to have as wives at one time two women so related to each other that, if one of them were a man, their marriage would be prohibited.

Marriage relations between Muslims and non-Muslims

The only other ground on which marriage is prohibited in the Holy Qur’ān is shirk or associating gods with God: “And marry not the idolatresses (al-mushrikāt) until they believe, and certainly a believing maid is better than an idolatress even though she pleases you; nor give (believing women) in marriage to idolaters until they believe, and certainly a believing slave is better than an idolater even though he pleases you” (2:221). Along with this, it is necessary to read another verse which allows marriage with women who profess one of the revealed religions: “This day (all) good things are made lawful for you. And the food of those who have been given the Book is lawful for you and your food is lawful for them. And so are the chaste from among the believing women and the chaste from among those who have been given the Book before you when you have given them their dowries, taking (them) in marriage, not fornicating nor taking them paramours in secret” (5:5). Thus it will be seen that while there is a clear prohibition to marry idolaters or idolatresses, there is an express permission to marry women who profess a revealed religion (Ahl al-kitāb). And, as the Holy Qur’ān states that revelation was granted to all nations of the world,19 and that it was only the Arab idolaters who had not been warned,20 the conclusion is evident that it was only with Arab idolaters that marriage relations were prohibited, and that it was lawful for a Muslim to marry a woman belonging to any other nation of the world that follows a revealed religion. The Christians, the Jews, the Parsīs, the Buddhists and the Hindūs all fall within this category; and it would be seen that, though the Christian doctrine of calling Jesus Christ a God or son of God is denounced as shirk, still the Christians are treated as followers of a revealed