Women who become mahram through marital relationships

31-1-2016 | IslamWeb

Question:

Is the stepparent of one's stepparent a mahram (permanently unmarriageable) to the stepson?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

The question is somewhat ambiguous. In any case, you should know that the categories of female relatives that a man is forbidden to marry because of marriage relationship are the following four:

1- The wife's mother or any grandmother, paternal or maternal.

2- The wife's daughter if the marriage has been consummated; or the wife's granddaughter from any of her descendants.

3- The wife of a man's son or grandson.

4- The wife of a man's father or grandfather, paternal or maternal.

Ibn Qudaamah wrote:

"Second section: Prohibited degrees of kinship by marital relationships: There are four prohibited degrees of kinship by marriage stated in religious texts.

Firstly, the mother of a man's wife; when a man gets married, his wife's female ascendants of all degrees, either through blood or suckling relationships, paternal or maternal, far or near in lineage, become prohibited for him once the marriage is contracted (even if not consummated) ...

Secondly, the female descendants of one's wife after the marriage is consummated; stepdaughters are not deemed prohibited for the man except after his marriage to the mother is consummated regardless of whether they were descendants by blood or suckling relationships of whatever degree, far or near in lineage, and regardless of whether they were among the eligible heirs or not ...

Thirdly, the wife of a man's male descendants, to whatever degree; son or grandson. The sons' wives are known as halaa’il, plural of haleelah, which is a synonym of muhallalah (lawful); it is derived from halaal (legal, lawful) ... It is prohibited for a man to marry the wives of his male descendants of whatever degree and the wives of his daughter's sons as well either through blood or suckling relationship and whether far or near in lineage once the marriage is contracted; Allaah, The Exalted, says (what means): {...And (also prohibited are) the wives of your sons who are from your (own) loins...} [Quran 4:24] We know of no difference of opinion among scholars in this regard ...

Fourthly, the wife of a man's male antecedents of whatever degree, whether far or near in lineage, through blood or suckling and whether among the rightful heirs or not..." [Al-Mughni]

These are the only prohibited forms of kinship by affinity; thus, you come to know that the wife of a man's father-in-law is not deemed forbidden for him in marriage. The same applies to the woman; the husband of a woman's mother-in-law is not deemed forbidden for her in marriage.

Allaah knows best.