Abstract
There are two main fatwā institutions in Malaysia which discuss the problems faced by the Muslim community. These institutions are the state fatwā institutions, which exist in every state and the national fatwā council, which issues a ruling on the national level. The existence of these institutions with independent legislative jurisdiction has led to disagreements and conflicts in Malaysian fatāwā issues. One of the conflicting issues is the ruling on the permissibility of the interfaith marriage between Muslims and the People of the Book. It is very significant to examine this issue in light of the principle of consideration of the consequences (iʿtibār al-maʾālāt) in order to investigate whether the permissibility of this marriage in the context of Malaysia will bring maṣlaḥah, or the common good to the society. Therefore, this paper explores the opinions of Muslim scholars related to this issue in light of their consequences which will determine the appropriate ruling in the context of Malaysia. Analytical and comparative methodologies are employed to elaborate on the perspectives of scholars and the fatāwā pertaining to this issue. This study demonstrates that even though the general ruling for marrying the women from the People of the Book is permissible, the permission will bring great harm to the Islamic familial system. Thus, the researcher concurs with the fatwā that prohibits marrying the women from the People of the Book based on the principle of consideration of the consequences.
Published Version
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