Quite often non-Muslims raise the question as to why does Islam not allow Muslim women to marry Christian or Jewish men while it allows Muslim men to marry Christian or Jewish women.

Muhammad Asad, the famous Muslim scholar much before his reversion to Islam witnessed a Greek asking the same to an illiterate Egyptian and the found an interesting reply. Here is the account in the very wording of Muhammad Asad. The Greek speaks to the Egyptian:

You people say that your religion is so equitable. Couldst thou perhaps then tell why it is that Islam allows Muslim men to marry Christian or Jewish girls but does not allow your daughters and sisters to marry a Christian or Jew? Dost thou call this justice, huh?'

'I do, indeed,' replied the portly umda [a village headman] without a moment's hesitation, 'and shall tell thee why our religious law has been thus laid down. We Muslims do not believe that Jesus-may peace and God's blessings be upon him-was God's son, but we do consider him, as we consider Moses and Abraham and all the other Prophets of the Bible, a true Prophet of God, all of them having been sent to mankind in the same way as the Last Prophet, Muhammad-may God bless him and give him peace-was sent: and so, if a Jewish or Christian girl marries a Muslim, she may rest assured that none of the persons who are holy to her will ever be spoken of irreverently among her new family; while, on the other hand, should a Muslim girl marry a non-Muslim, it is certain that he whom she regards as God's Messenger will be abused… and perhaps even by her own children: for do not children usually follow their father's faith? Dost thou think it would be fair to expose her to such a pain and humiliation?'

The Greek had no answer to this except an embarrassed shrug of his shoulders; but to me it seemed that simple, illiterate umda had, with that common sense so peculiar to his race, touched the very kernel of a very important problem.'

(Muhammad Asad, The Road to Mecca, 1985, Dar Al-Andalus, Gibraltar. pp 186-187)

INDEED ALLAH KNOWS THE BEST!

...by Waqar Akbar Cheema