The Ruling on Marrying Relatives

Question:
May Allah reward you. This is Umm Nader, and she says: I am a teacher, and one of my relatives proposed a marriage to me, but I heard that marriage with non-relatives is better in terms of the children's future and other matters. What is your opinion on this?

Answer:
This is a rumor with no basis. There is nothing wrong with marriage between relatives, and there is no harm in it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) married his daughter Fatimah to 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, who was his cousin. The Companions used to marry among their relatives. The default ruling in this matter is permissibility, praise be to Allah. No evidence has been established that forbids marriage between relatives or warns against it. These are merely rumors among people. Perhaps there is an intention behind this for those who want to reduce marriage among Muslims and reduce the offspring among Muslims, so they spread such rumors, like their claim of family planning and their prohibition of having many children, saying that this causes poverty. This is the belief of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance, where they used to kill their children out of fear of poverty. Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) provides for every soul, . Yes.