Ask Ghamidi

A Community Driven Discussion Portal
To Ask, Answer, Share And Learn

Forums Forums General Discussions Maternal And Paternal Uncles

  • Maternal And Paternal Uncles

    Posted by Saba Bilal on February 21, 2026 at 10:59 am

    Marriage is permanently forbidden to maternal and paternal uncles then why are they not included in list of close relatives to which women may reveal their hidden adornments in Surah Nur. Some scholars argue that they are implicitly stated however I don’t see how ?

    Maria Ali replied 1 month, 2 weeks ago 2 Members · 3 Replies
  • 3 Replies
  • Maternal And Paternal Uncles

    Maria Ali updated 1 month, 2 weeks ago 2 Members · 3 Replies
  • Dr. Irfan Shahzad

    Scholar February 21, 2026 at 11:51 pm

    In the Quran, God invites our intellect to apply the cause of prohibition and allowance to other similar cases. In the verse, the word “fathers” includes not only real fathers, but fathers of the father and uncles as well. The similar principle is applied to maternal uncles with respect to the mother.

  • Saba Bilal

    Member February 22, 2026 at 2:33 am

    Ok thankyou, I’ll take your wisdom for it! Certainly a relief since my daughter will have a lot of uncles when she grows up!

  • Maria Ali

    Member February 22, 2026 at 12:36 pm

    In Surah An-Nur, verse 31, Allah mentions the mahram relatives before whom a woman may reveal her adornment. The verse explicitly names the father, father-in-law, sons, stepsons, brothers, nephews (brothers’ sons), and nephews (sisters’ sons). However, paternal and maternal uncles are not mentioned separately. Because of this, some people ask that if marriage to paternal and maternal uncles is permanently forbidden, why are they not explicitly listed.

    The majority of exegetes state that paternal and maternal uncles are implicitly included in this list. The reasoning is that the verse mentions nephews, meaning the sons of brothers and sisters. If a woman’s nephews are mahram to her and she may reveal her adornment before them, then their fathers, who are her brothers, are even more strongly mahram. Similarly, when the father is mentioned, the father’s brother, meaning the paternal uncle, falls within the same category of permanent prohibition, because in Islamic law the paternal uncle is regarded as being in the position of the father. There is also a hadith stating that the paternal uncle holds the status of the father. The same reasoning applies to the maternal uncle, as he is also a close relative within the circle of permanent prohibition.
    The juristic principle is that wherever the prohibition of marriage is permanent and absolute, mahram status is established. Since other Qur’anic verses clearly state that marriage to paternal and maternal uncles is permanently forbidden, they are included among the mahram relatives, even if Surah An-Nur does not mention them separately. According to scholars, their inclusion is understood through the combined reading of the texts and established legal principles, rather than through weak analogy.

You must be logged in to reply.
Login | Register