Muʿāmalāt
[SAMPLE] Attending a non-Muslim family member’s wedding
The question, as it was putMy cousin is getting married in a church. My mother says I must attend for the sake of family ties. Others have told me it is not permitted. Which is correct?
This requires separating two things that are often merged: the obligation of kinship, and participation in religious rites.
Maintaining family ties is a serious obligation, emphasised repeatedly in the Qur’an and Sunnah, and it is not suspended by a relative’s faith. Kindness, presence and honouring relatives are owed regardless.
Participating in the worship of another religion is a separate matter, and is not permitted.
Where a particular event falls between these depends on its specifics — what is taking place, what attendance involves, and whether presence amounts to participation or merely to accompanying a relative on an important day. Scholars have differed on where the line sits, and this is a question best put to someone who can hear the details of the specific event rather than answered in the abstract.
What can be said generally is that the obligation of kinship does not disappear if attendance is avoided. Congratulating the couple, visiting afterwards, giving a gift and being present at non-religious parts of the occasion are all available, and a relative who does these is not neglecting family ties.
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