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Fatwa CenterMarrying Women of the People of the Book
Question
Volume 9, Book 92, Number: 422, Narrated Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri The Prophet said, "You will follow the ways of those nations who were before you, span by span and cubit by cubit (i.e., inch by inch) so much so that even if they entered a hole of a mastigure, you would follow them". We said, "O Allah's Apostle! (Do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?" He said, "Whom else"? Most Muslims are now moving to live in Christian countries and most Muslim men with weak faith are marrying Christian women who are not chaste! Can the above quote be used to tell Muslim men who bound to follow pathetic Christian or Jewish ways that they will be really living with and having a life of a lizard!
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
Allah permitted the Muslims to marry the chaste Muslim women, and clarified to us, that a Muslim woman who is a believer, even if she is a slave, is better than a polytheistic woman even if she's attractive.
Allah Says (what means): {And do not marry polytheistic women until they believe. And a believing slave woman is better than a polytheist, even though she might please you. Those invite [you] to the Fire, but Allah invites to Paradise and to forgiveness, by His permission. And He makes clear His verses to the people that perhaps they may remember.} [Quran 2:221]
Allah excluded from the polytheists the People of the Book (Jews and Christian women), because they share with the Muslim women some creed, such as the belief in God, Judgment Day,.. etc. and that could be helpful for them to come to the right path of Islam.
However, Allah made a condition for permissible marriage with the women of the People of the Book that she must be chaste.
Allah Says (what means): {This day [all] good foods have been made lawful, and the food of those who were given the Scripture is lawful for you and your food is lawful for them. And [lawful in marriage are] chaste women from among the believers and chaste women from among those who were given the Scripture before you, when you have given them their due compensation, desiring chastity, not unlawful sexual intercourse or taking [secret] lovers.} [Quran 5:5]
If she is not chaste, it is forbidden for the Muslim man to marry her. For that reason, ‘Umar Ibn al-Khattaab 
forbade this marriage to the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them.
We see that there is an even greater reason for the Muslim man to marry Muslim women:
- There is no guarantee for him that the children would not be affected by the mother, and her beliefs and behavior.
- In most cases, especially European women, they leave their religion and follow other dogmas such as atheism.., etc., so as a matter of fact, they are not religious at all. Also, in most cases, they are not chaste while chastity is the main condition for marriage with her. But, if the Muslim is certain of her chastity, and she remains on her religion (Christianity, Judaism), in this case, he can marry her. But, we advise you to not resort to marriage with them except in special circumstances as we have already mentioned. They have some defects, and problems will arise from these women; so if you leave this idea, it will be better for your life and its enjoyment.
There is a danger especially regarding the Jewish women nowadays, because the Jews are slanderous people and they deceive, so they can use the women in the declared war against Muslims to bring evil into Islamic communities and with their spying. This is a well known behavior of the Jews in the war against their enemies.
For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 384922 and 397159.
Allah knows best.
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