COUSIN-COUSIN RELATIONSHIP

I watched one of Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa's lectures in which he narrated a story of a married woman cheating on her husband with someone she call cousin. The said cousin always visited his cousin in her matrimonial house when her husband traveled

until it got bursted. She even had the guts then to every time her cousin-lover visited her his, call her husband to give him her lover on phone to greet. That was how her lover kept sharing the woman with her husband. Sheikh Daurawa ended his preaching advising couples and

everyone dating any girl telling him about cousins, that they should be extracareful, because most of those cousin-cousin relationships are not too healthy.

Again, I am aware of the story of one woman who was in love with her cousin, but was married to another man. As a tradition, our wives travel for events in their families. So, this woman sought the permission of her husband to attend marriage ceremony in her extended family. And

unfortunately, that same house she went for the marriage ceremony was the same house that her cousin-lover lives. And we all know how scarce accommodation use to be during marriage ceremonies. Thus, this her cousin invited her to sleep in his apartment and she complied.

Unfortunate enough, he deceived her with romantic talks and they had sex all through the night. And as a result, she got pregnancy. The pregnancy was not what disturbed her much, but the fact that she never committed adultery even before her marriage until she got married.

A woman I know is still in trauma when she found that two of her daughters were impregnated same time by same person in her own room. She got to know what has been happening between them when one of the daughters didn't see her monthly period for two months. She was confused and

disturbed because her daughters used to go nowhere a part from Islamiyya School and their secondary school which she drive them to and from. Upon investigation, she found out that their cousin living in the house was responsible. One of the daughters narrated that he sometimes he

had sex with them in their room, their mother's room or his room. All these happened without her knowledge or that of anyone, because she took him as blood brother and so, allowed him to have unrestricted access to her daughters.

A friend was telling me when and how he had his first sex when I was advising him to stop some of his too rampant and uncontrolled habits. He told me frankly that his first sexual engagement was with his cousin even older than him. It all started when he graduated from secondary

school and the cousin was staying in their house. She was attending a university close to their house and as such, she was staying with his family. According to him, they watched, dined, played and mingled all through together because she was considered his blood sister. So, she

took advantage of him and introduced him to that act. And since then, he has been making attempts to continue crossing her even when she get married, but her husband has been too protective and vigilant.

In all these, you would see that many families have either adopted children

or blood relations having unrestricted and uncontrolled access to our homes and daughters, thinking they are biologically part of us. This is in clear violations of the Qur'anic teachings. Conventionally, whoever can marry a woman is not her "muharram and should have restrictions

to how he meet or access our wives, daughters and sisters. Allah say in Surah An-Nisa, Verse 23:
"Forbidden to you are your mothers and your daughters and your sisters and your paternal aunts and your maternal aunts and brothers' daughters and sisters' daughters and your mothers

that have suckled you and your foster-sisters and mothers of your wives and your step-daughters who are in your guardianship, born of your wives to whom you have gone in, but if you have not gone in to them, there is no blame on you (in marrying them), and the wives of your sons

who are of your own loins and that you should have two sisters together except what has already passed; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

Whoever falls within the category of the verse above is "Muharram" and whoever doesn't fall can marry and as such should have restrictions

If the person she always refer her cousin does not fall within such category, you shouldn't be allowing him into your house in your absence. So many things are happening because we fail to abide by the simple teachings of the Holy Qur'an and as a result, our daughters are being

sexually assaulted in our own houses even while we monitor and control who they meet outside

Most of those cousins that are used to each other before marriage hardly spare them even after they are married, they still follow them into their matrimonial houses or go after them

when they visit home. So is better you draw a boundary for your fiancé to stay off attaching herself to cousins, especially those you suspect cannot be clean. If not, you may end up sharing your wife with those cousins you cherish whenever she introduce them to you. If she is for

cousins, leave her and allow her to marry cousins. Find another one that truly know the positions of cousins Islamically and marry. As for fathers, her cousin can marry her. Therefore, define his boundaries before he turn her to his home slut.

May Allah continue to guide,

protect and bless us with pious wives, sisters, daughters, cousins and offsprings. Amin.

Auwal Mustapha Imam