As both Abrahamic religions, Islam and Judaism have the same God and share a common law then how do rabbis see the marriage of a Jewish woman marrying a Muslim man and vice versa? What about their children? Would they be Jewish as they have a Jewish mother? Please comment and explain.
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For many purposes of Jewish law, Muslims are treated exactly on a par with members of other faiths.
Judaism doesn't recognize intermarriage - in either direction - as valid (Code of Jewish Law, Even Haezer 44:8); indeed, a Jewish man would have to be prepared to give up his life rather than have sexual relations with a non-Jewish woman (Shach, Yoreh De'ah 157:12). The same rules, then, apply regardless of the non-Jewish partner's nationality or religion.
As for any children from such a union, the usual rule applies: if the mother is Jewish then they are too, and if not, they are not.
Alex
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2I see! Then why Abraham(the first Jew according to Judaism) had sexual relations with Hagar who happened to be among the gentiles? Please explain. – Maxood Feb 28 '12 at 16:06
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7@Maxood, That's worth asking as a separate question. But first, I recommend that you take a look at these three questions that deal with the question of how much of the Torah the Patriarchs were required to keep in general, and with respect to marriage in particular (although intermarriage, in particular, is not discussed there). – Isaac Moses Feb 28 '12 at 16:19
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1Abraham was not fully Jewish, nor was his son Ishmael and his son's son Esau. The Jewish people only came into existence later. – LN6595 Aug 11 '16 at 00:01
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This requires making a distinction between Jewish peoplehood & religion and the Jewish faith:
The Jewish faith is a universal one: strict monotheism combined with a basic set of moral & societal rules (the sheva mitzvos b’nei Noach, the seven Noachide Laws). Any human being that follows these guidelines is on the correct path. Islam has no special status here, except to the extent that it (and Unitarian Christianity) also teaches strict monotheism.
The Jewish people have a special role in this scheme; we are bound by a special Covenant with God and have many additional laws to follow. Anyone can choose to join us and take on these obligations, but once accepted these obligations may not be put down. (This is one reason Judaism discourages converts: it’s much easier to be a righteous non-Jew than an observant Jew.)
That said, marriage between a Jew of either sex and a non-Jew is not allowed. Husband & wife must be bound to the same covenant with God: either the general one for all humanity or the particular one for Jews.
In many circumstances, a non-Jew can convert to Judaism, joining the Jewish people, and marry a born Jew. Such conversions are often suspect, though, with the convert’s true commitment (and hence the validity of the conversion) sometimes in question. Many Rabbis will therefore be reluctant to convert someone who is in a pre-existing relationship with a Jew.
In case of a violation of these rules, when a Jew & a non-Jew have children together, Jewish Law considers the children to inherit their mother’s status: if she is a Jew, so are her children, and vice versa.
J. C. Salomon
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Isn't this sexism? You are prefering a woman over a man for carrying religious identity. Why? Where it is written in the Torah that a person whose mother is a jew happens to be a jew? Please explain – Maxood Mar 05 '12 at 14:11
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All the 7 Laws of Noah are completely observant for person to be a practising Muslim in Islam. Thngs like Idolatory, Theft, Murder, Sexual Immorality, Blasphemy, Eating flesh of an alive animal and Establising courts of law are what Islam has emphasized from day 1! FYI: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noachide_Laws FYI: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Shari%27a. So according to you if a Muslim whose mother was a Jew is also a Jew..is it? A person who is an atheist si also a jew just because this person has a Jewish mother...is it? How? – Maxood Mar 05 '12 at 14:19
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4Because Jewishness is a matter of national identity as much as religious observance. Every member of the Jewish nation is obligated to observe the Jewish religion. A Jew who practices the basic rules of morality via Islam or any non-Jewish faith may be a wonderful person but is failing in his duty as a Jew. – J. C. Salomon Mar 05 '12 at 19:36
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4@Maxood, the question of why Judaism follows matrilineality is a valid one, but is too big to be discussed in comments here; ask it as a distinct question. – J. C. Salomon Mar 05 '12 at 19:38
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You are confusing between "Judaism" and "Zionism" when you say that "Jewishness is a matter of national identity". Can you tell me how a Jew who practices the basic rules of morality via Islam fails his duty as a Jew? Do you know that usury or interest on loan is completely forbidden in Islam while Jews allow it for the non-jews to pay them interest so what do you say about that? Where are the jewish moral guidelines now? – Maxood Mar 09 '12 at 10:32
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1@Maxood, the tone of your questions is making me wonder whether you want to understand or provoke. It is difficult to properly express nuances of speech online, so I shall give you the benefit of the doubt & try to answer your questions. – J. C. Salomon Mar 09 '12 at 14:13
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1@Maxood, re Judaism & Zionism: The “national identity” aspect of Judaism is distinct from Zionism. Jews, observant of Judaism or not, share a national identity somewhat similar (but not identical) to the Muslim concept of the Ummah. Zionism is one particular way of expressing this identity by seeking to live in a Jewish state in the land of Ancient Israel. If you want to understand the distinction better, ask for an explanation as its own question. – J. C. Salomon Mar 09 '12 at 14:21
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1@Maxood, re interest: There is nothing immoral about lending money with a reasonable interest rate. However, one of my duties as a Jew is to charitably lend to my fellow Jew forgoing this profit. See, e.g., this question or questions tagged [tag:lending-interest-ribbis]. – J. C. Salomon Mar 09 '12 at 14:45
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This is where the difference in moral guidelines lie! You being a Jew can only recoginze Jews as your brothers. While in Islam, everyone being the children of Adam belong to the same fraternity. You can lend us money on interest but Islam forbids us to lend money to you or anyone on interest! – Maxood Mar 12 '12 at 16:04
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Then please tell me that why the Jews living in Yemen and elsewhere are against Zionism? – Maxood Mar 12 '12 at 16:05
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@Maxood, are you trying to get information about Jewish life and learning or to promote your views about the differences between modern sensibilities and Judaism, between Islam and Judaism, and between Judaism and Zionism? Many of your comments in this thread seem to indicate the latter. If that's so, you may want to try a blog or open-ended discussion forum, rather than this Judaism Q&A site. – Isaac Moses Mar 12 '12 at 16:32
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@Maxood and J. C. Salomon, debating the relative merits of Judaism and Islam is off-topic here. If that thread of conversation, or other off-topic threads, continue in these comments, I'll probably have to lock this post from further comments. – Isaac Moses Mar 12 '12 at 16:35
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@Isaac Moses We are children of Abraham(may peace and blessings be upon him). Our interpretation is different but we share common roots and our core law is mor or less the same. What is really makes things bitter and conflicting when facts are distorted and concoctions take their place because of sectarianism and prejeudice. I am here to learn, search and seek the real facts based on genuine theological evidence. I presume that this forum is not based on one Jewish sect but represents Judaism in its entireity. Hope this forum helps me in my objective! – Maxood Apr 04 '12 at 16:23
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@J. C. Salomon Dear brother! You and others here are always welcome to chat with me at a convnient time that suits us. Lets refer to the sciptures and seek the truth together! – Maxood Apr 04 '12 at 16:25
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@Maxood Welcome to MY. We appreciate your questions, however, site protocol asks you to list each question separately instead of discussing in the comments. – LN6595 Aug 11 '16 at 00:04
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@LN6595 Understandable. I shall be posting the discussions separately. Thank you – Maxood Aug 11 '16 at 13:21
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While it is not forbidden on a biblical level to marry fellow monotheists, it is forbidden derabanan to marry anyone who doesn't convert to Judaism.
JewAnon
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Please source your answers (as already mentioned), otherwise they should rather be comments. Also make sure you add to what has been said before – mbloch Feb 13 '23 at 03:21
כי יש במיכ"א שיקוץ עד היום והלא מרקוליס שאליו יחוגו כל ישמעאל ממזרח וממערב לזרוק אבנים שם
– Reinstate Monica Mar 12 '15 at 21:22Also how is it like to falling in love and then marrying that person beloging to either religionsthis line is primarily opinion based. I will exercise my line item veto to remove it. – mevaqesh Aug 08 '16 at 05:56