His second question says: I heard that marrying a distant relative is better than marrying a close relative for the sake of the children's future in terms of intelligence, good appearance, and the like.

The questioner : His second question says: I heard that marrying a distant relative is better than marrying a close relative for the sake of the children's future in terms of intelligence, good appearance, and the like. Is this rule correct?

The Shaykh : Some scholars have mentioned this rule and pointed to what you mentioned regarding the effect of heredity. There is no doubt that heredity has an effect on a person's character and appearance. For this reason, a man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah! My wife gave birth to a black boy, and people are making remarks about this woman's honor. How can the child be black when both his parents are white?" The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: He said: Yes. He said: He said: Red. He said: He said: Yes. He said: The man said: Perhaps it is due to a family trait. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: This indicates that heredity has an effect, and there is no doubt about this. However, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So the criterion for proposing to a woman is her religion. The more religious she is and the more beautiful she is, the more preferable she is, whether she is a close relative or a distant one. This is because the religious woman preserves him in his wealth, his children, and his home, and the beautiful woman satisfies his need and lowers his gaze, so he does not look at anyone else.