Wa alaykum assalamu warahmatullah wabarakatuh

 

In the Name of Allah, the All Merciful, the Mercy-Giving

 

All praise is due to Allah. Peace and blessings be upon His Messenger Muhammad.

 

First, there is a number of prophetic narrations that indicates the undesirability of this practice, but they are not authentic ones. On the contrary, the Quran gives plain permission to the Messenger of Allah to marry his female relatives as we read “O Prophet! For you, We have, indeed, made lawful your wives to whom you have given their [full dowry] compensation; and those whom your hands may rightfully attain to from whatever [spoils] God has turned over to you. Moreover, of those [women] who have emigrated with you, [you may marry of] the daughters of your paternal uncles, and the daughters of your paternal aunts, and the daughters of your maternal uncles, and the daughters of your maternal aunts.” [Al-Ahzab 33:50]

 

Moreover, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) married Zaynab bint Jahsh, daughter of his paternal aunt, and married his daughter, Fatimah, to his cousin `Ali ibn Abu Talib.

 

Second, marriage between consanguineous couples does not necessarily create abnormal babies. This is not a medical fact; though this may happen in some cases- perhaps with a relatively higher percentage, particularly in the first generation, than in cases of non-relative couples. There are many married relatives who do not suffer any of these problems. So, this is not a fact that could be used to contradict a Shari`ah ruling.

Moreover, sometimes such marriages have more positive outcome; particularly when the couples belong to a family of good genetic traits. Nevertheless, medical checks before marriage are generally desirable; particularly when there is a justifying reason.

 

Allah Almighty knows best.