Regarding Giving High-born Women in Marriage to Low-born Men

Question :

All praise be to Allah and may peace and blessings be upon His servant and His Messenger, our Prophet, Muhammad and upon his family and Companions. As for what follows: Verily, it is an objectionable thing that some of those who claim to belong to the tribe of Bani Hashim say that none are suitable for them, and they do not marry (their daughters to) except to their own, nor do they marry except from among their own. This is a grave error, a great ignorance and injustice towards the woman, and it is a means of legislating something which Allah and His Messenger did not legislate. Allah, Most High says:

"O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa (i.e. he is one of the Muttaqin (the pious)

and He, Most Glorified says:
"The believers are nothing else than brothers (in Islamic religion)."

and He says:
"The believers, men and women, are Auliya (helpers, supporters, friends , protectors of one another.

and He says:
"So their Lord accepted of them (their supplication and answered them), "Never will I allow to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or female. You are (members) one of another."

and the Messenger of Allah said:
"There is no superiority for an Arab over a non-Arab, nor for a non-Arab over an Arab, nor for a white person over a black person, nor for a black person over a white person, except in piety.

"Mankind is from Adam and Adam was made from dust."

-and he said:
"Verily, the family of Bani so-and-so are not my friends, my friend is only Allah and the pious believers."

and the Prophet said:
"If one whose religion and character pleases you proposes to you, then marry (your daughter to) him. If you do not do so, it will be a cause of trial in the land and great corruption."

Narrated by At-Tirmithi and others with a Hasan chain of narrators.

The Prophet gave Zainab Bint Jahsh Al-Asadiyyah in marriage to Zaid bin Harithah, his freed slave, and he gave Fatimah Bint Qais Al-Qurashiyyah to Usamah bin Zaid and he and his parents were freed slaves.

Bilal bin Rabah Al-Habashi married the sister of 'Abdur-Rahman Ibn 'Awf Az-Zuhriyyah Al-Qurashiyyah. Abu Huthaifah bin 'Utbah bin Rabi'ah Al-Qurashi gave the daughter of his brother, Al-Waleed to Salim, his servant and he was the freed slave of a woman from the Ansar and Allah, Most High has said:
"Good statements are for good people (or good women for good men) and good people for good statements (or good men for good women)

Likewise, the Prophet gave his two daughters, Ruqayyah and Umm Kulthum in marriage to 'Uthman, and he married Abu Al-'As bin Ar-Rabi' to his daughter, Zainab and they were both from the tribe of Bani 'Abdi Shams and not from Bani Hashim.

'Ali married 'Umar bin Al-Khattab to his daughter, Umm Kulthum, and he was 'Adawi, not Hashimi, 'Abdullah bin 'Amr bin 'Uthman married Fatimah, the daughter of Al-Husain bin 'Ali and he was Umawi, not Hashimi, and Mus'ab bin Az-Zubair married her sister, Sakinah and he was not Hashimi; in fact, he was Asadi, from Asad Quraish.

Al-Miqdad bin Al-Aswad Dhaba'ah married the daughter of Az- Zubair bin 'Abdil-Muttalib Al-Hashimiyyah, the daughter of the paternal uncle of the Prophet and he (Al-Miqdad) was Kindi, not Hashimi.

This was something which happened frequently. The objective here is to make the falseness clear in what some of the Hashimis claim. They claim there is a prohibition of giving a Hashimi woman in marriage to a non-Hashimi manor that it is hated, when all that is obligatory in this matter is consideration of his suitability in religion. For what separated Abu Talib and Abu Lahab was their not being Muslim, and what brought Salman Al-Farisi, Suhaib Ar-Rumi and Bilal Al-Habashi was only faith, righteousness, piety, following the Islamic Law and keeping to the Straight Path. And among the results of this ignorance and this groundless behavior is the confinement of Hashimi women and preventing them from marrying, or delaying that. This leads to undesirable results, such as corruption and halting or declining birth rates and Allah, Most High says:
"And marry those among you who are single (i.e., a man who has no wife and the woman who has no husband) and (also marry)The Book of Marriage the Salihün (pious, fit and capable ones) of your (male) slaves and maid-servants (female slaves). If they be poor, Allah will enrich them out of His bounty. And Allah is All-Sufficent for His creatures' needs, All-Knowing (about the state of the people)."

So He commanded us to marry the single men and women, which is an open command, including the rich and the poor and all types of Muslims. Since Islamic Law encourages marriage, then it is incumbent upon the Muslims to hasten towards implementing the Command of Allah and the command of His Messenger, since the Messenger of Allah said:
"O you young men! Those among you who can support a wife should marry, for it restrains the eyes (from casting evil glances) and preserves one from immorality, but he who cannot afford it should observe fasting, for it is a means of controlling the sexual desire."

Therefore, it is incumbent upon the guardians to hasten to give their daughters, their sisters and their sons in marriage, so that each can fulfill his role in this life, and corruption and crime will decrease. It is well known that hindering women from getting married or delaying that, is a cause of spreading and increasing crimes against public morals, which are destructive elements (in society). So (I say): O you worshippers of Allah! Fear Allah regarding yourselves and those over whom Allah has given you authority. Your daughters, sisters, and others, and your Muslim brothers and strive altogether towards achieving goodness and happiness in the society. Strive to help one another to achieve the means of growth and increase, and to remove the causes that increase crime, and know that you are responsible, and that you will be held accountable and recompensed according to your deeds. Allah, Most High says:
"So, by your Lord, (O Muhammad). We shall certainly call all of them to account. For all that they used to do."

and He, the Almighty, the All-Powerful says:

"And to Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth, that He may requite those who do evil with that which they have done (i.e. punish them in Hell), and reward those who do good, with what is best (i.e. Paradise)"

So hasten to give your daughters and your sons in marriage, following the example of your Prophet and his noble Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, and those who follow their guidance and their path.

I advise you to reduce the costs of marriage, and not to be extravagant in the payment of dowries, and to be economical in the expenses of the wedding and the celebrations. Strive to choose righteous, pious, honorable and chaste wives. May Allah bless us all with understanding in the religion and keep us firm upon it. May He protect us and you and all of the Muslims from the evil of ourselves and the wickedness of our deeds, and may He ward protect us all from the deviations of trials and temptations what is seen of them and what is hidden. We ask Him to reform those in authority over the Muslims and to reform (others) by them; verily, He is Able to do that. And may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet, Muhammad and upon his family and Companions.