Can a man marry his son’s mother-in-law or sister-in-law? 

Q. In our family, a man is a widow. He has five sons and one daughter. The widowed man took his son to India for his son to marry a young girl. The widowed man’s son married the younger daughter of the house. At the same time, the widowed man liked the elder daughter of the house and he married her? Is this permissible in Islam?

A. In principle, it is prohibited for a father to marry his son’s wife. Allah Ta’ala mentions in the Quran:

“Prohibited for you are…..the wives of your sons from your loins” (Nisaa 4/23)

However, it is not prohibited for a father to marry his son’s mother-in-law or sister-in-law. Hence, it will be permissible for a father to marry his son’s sister-in-law i.e. his daughter-in-law’s sister. (Al-Joharah 2/4)

Allah Ta’ala Knows Best

Mufti Ismaeel Bassa

themufti.com