Nikah with the Stepmother’s Sister

Question

Hajji ‘Abd al-Rahman has two wives, Maryam Bi and Zaynab al-Nisa. The first wife has passed away; from her he has two sons, Shabbir Ahmad and Rahmat Ahmad. The second wife wishes to marry her own full sister to Shabbir Ahmad. Can this nikah take place or not?

Answer

Nikah with a maternal aunt is haram, but a maternal aunt is one who is the sister of one’s mother; the stepmother’s sister is not a maternal aunt. Nikah with her is permissible. Shabbir Ahmad’s own mother, Maryam Bi, has passed away. The second wife of Shabbir Ahmad’s father is Zaynab al-Nisa, who is not Shabbir Ahmad’s real mother but his stepmother.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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