Is there a Hadith saying, do not marry your cousins because the child will be sick?
Quran
Hadith
Islamic Text
A Hadith with similar wording has been mentioned in some books. However, it is not authentically linked to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). Therefore, one should not narrate it as a Prophetic Hadith.
It is prohibited to attribute a fabricated or baseless narration to Allah (Most High) or His Messenger ﷺ. It is only permitted to mention such narrations to warn people about them. It must not be promoted or propagated. Therefore, it is important to check the authenticity of narrations before forwarding them or quoting them.
حديث: “لا تَنْكِحُوا الْقَرَابَةَ فَإِنَّ الْوَلَدَ يُخْلَقُ ضَاوِيًا أَيْ: نَحِيفًا. قَالَ في المختصر: ليس بمرفوع. (الفوائد المجموعة في الأحاديث الموضوعة)
The Hadith, ‘Do not marry relatives, because the child will be born emaciated.’ He said in al-Mukhtasar, it is not a Prophetic Hadith. (Imam al-Showkani, al-Fawa’id al-Majmoo’ah).
حَدِيث «لَا تنْكِحُوا الْقَرَابَة فَإِن الْوَلَد يخلق ضاويا». قَالَ ابْن الصّلاح: لم أجد لَهُ أصلا مُعْتَمدًا. (المغني عن حمل الأسفار في الأسفار).
The Hadith, ‘Do not marry relatives, because the child will be born emaciated.’ (Imam) Ibn Salah said I did not find a reliable source for it. (Imam al-Iraqi, Takhreej Ihyaa).
In the above Nusoos (texts), the scholars clarify that this narration could not be sourced back to an original book of Hadith. Therefore, it is not reliable. Unfortunately, many people will take Hadith narrations from books that are not the sources of Hadith. They will not check the actual or original sources.
Failing to refer to original Hadith sources is a sign of ignorance regarding the science of Hadith. People must reference original books of Hadith and not secondary books, or worse still contemporary scholars. Unfortunately, there is widespread misunderstanding regarding such matters today. This is due to the prevalence of weakness when it comes to Hadith studies.
In reality, we should not have to remind people of such teachings. Since our love and concern for our religion should be sufficient to make us incredibly protective regarding anything attributed to it. Strangely, we often find those who speak most about the Deen demonstrate the least care regarding the authenticity of what they are narrating.
– Answered by Shaykh Noorud-deen Rashid (04.01.2022)
See also:
Narrating Hadith Without Reference
Is it Makruh to marry a cousin?
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