Marriage to Shi'ah?
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Around 85% of Shi'ah on Earth are the Twelvers (Ithna ‘Asharis), Ismailis are the second largest Shi'ah sect and Zaydis (who are mainly found in Yemen) are the third largest but make up a small percentage of the total Shi'ah population. See Salafi and Hanafi views on Shi'ah below.
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From IslamQA.info:
Praise be to Allaah.
The Shi’ah have many sects. Some of them are kaafirs who worship ‘Ali and call upon him, and they worship Faatimah, al-Husayn and others. Some of them say that Jibreel (peace be upon him) betrayed the trust and the Prophethood belonged to ‘Ali, not to Muhammad. There are also others among them, such as the Imamiyyah – the Raafidi Ithna ‘Ashari [Twelvers] – who worship ‘Ali and say that their imams are better than the angels and Prophets.
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There are many groups among them; some are kaafirs and some are not kaafirs. The mildest among them are those who say that ‘Ali was better than the three (Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and ‘Uthmaan). The one who says this is not a kaafir but he is mistaken, because ‘Ali was the fourth, and Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq, ‘Umar and ‘Uthmaan were better than him. If a person prefers him over them then he is erring and is going against the consensus of the Sahaabah, but he is not a kaafir. The Shi’ah are of different levels and types.
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Among the most evil of them are the Imamis, Ithna ‘Asharis [Twelvers] and Nusayris, who are called al-Raafidah because they rejected (rafadu) Zayd ibn ‘Ali when he refused to disavow the two Shaykhs Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, so they went against him and rejected him. Not everyone who claims to be a Muslim can be accepted as such. If a person claims to be a Muslim, his claim should be examined.
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The differences between the Ahl al-Sunnah (Sunnis) and the Raafidis are very great and are fundamental. For example, the Raafidis say that the Qur’aan was altered, and they condemn most of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) and think that they went astray; they exaggerate about their imaams and worship them, and give them precedence over the Prophets and angels; they go on pilgrimages to mashhads (shrines) and graves, where they do all kinds of actions of shirk, associating others in worship with Allaah. They also believe in hypocrisy (as a tenet of faith) and call it [At]taqiyyah (dissimulation), and they believe in al-badaa’(the notion that Allaah “changes His mind”), al-raj’ah (the Return, i.e., the raising of the dead to life again for some time in the same form as they were before) and absolute infallibility of their imaams, and in prostrating on a handful of clay…
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The Ismailis are an extreme Raafidi group who make an outward display of loyalty to Ameer al-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) whilst concealing disbelief in Allaah, His angels, His Books and His Messengers. Hence some of the scholars said concerning the Faatimis, who were same as the Ismailis, that they make an outward display of being Raafidis, but they conceal in their hearts pure kufr. They are also called Baatinis because they claim that the texts and laws have hidden (baatin) meanings other than those which are known to the Muslims. For example, they say that the five prayers refer to the knowledge of their secrets, the fast of Ramadaan is the concealment of their secrets, and Hajj is travelling to meet their shaykhs. But the baatini school of thought – which includes the Ismailis – is based on secrecy. Their real beliefs are secrets which are known only to their leaders, and these leaders are deluding the ordinary people, enslaving and exploiting them, demanding from them sums of money to be paid at certain times, expecting absolute obedience from them and scaring them by telling them that if they go against them they will be stricken with calamities. They command them to be different from the Sunnis with regard to fasting, ending the fast and Hajj, although they may show some tolerance and act friendly in order to deceive them...
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (18/298-300)
It is not permissible to give the daughters of Sunni families in marriage to the sons of Shi’is or Communists. If the marriage takes place, it is invalid, because it is well known that the Shi’ah offer supplication (du’aa’) to Ahl al-Bayt (the Prophet’s family) and seek help through them, and this is major shirk; and the communists are atheists and have no religion at all. You have to go back to your family and not allow this man to be intimate with you, and you have to refer the matter to the authorities in your own country.
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez Aal al-Shaykh, Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Ghadyaan, Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan, Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (18/298-300)
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Hanafi Perspective:
[Mufti] Muhammad ibn Adam Darul Iftaa Leicester, UK
"...It should be remarked here that some members of the Shi’a community display outwardly not to have believes that constitute Kufr, but keep these beliefs in their heart, which they call [At]Taqiyya.
...it becomes clear that marrying Shi’as that are not considered Muslims is out of the question. If one was to marry such a person, the marriage (nikah) would be invalid.
Shi’as that are not considered to be out of the fold of Islam are still regarded to be severely deviated, thus marriage with them also should never be considered, although the Nikah will be valid. This becomes more important when the case is of a Sunni Muslim girl marrying a Shi’a boy, as the affect this can have on the wife and children may be detrimental.
In conclusion, the decision you made not to marry a Shi’a boy is correct indeed. It could have long term damages with regards to your beliefs and your children’s beliefs. There are many Sunni practising pious brothers you could get married to. May Allah bless you with a pious and caring husband.
And Allah knows best."
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Mufti Ebrahim Desai, Fatwa Department, South Africa:
"The Bohri community is an off-shoot of the Ismaili sect – part of the Shi’a sect. Shi’as are not Muslims.
and Allah Ta’ala Knows Best."
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