Is it permissible for people from different madhhabs to marry? Do spouses have to belong to the same madhhab?

When two people of different madhhabs get married, does one of them have to change his/her madhhab? Can the marriage continue without changing madhhab? (The woman being Hanafi and man Shafii or Shiite)

Dear Brother / Sister,

It is permissible for people fromdifferent madhhabs to marry. The woman does not have to follow the madhhab of her husband after marriage.

An Ahl as-Sunnah woman marrying a Shiite or Alawite man:

A Muslim woman can marry only a Muslim man. Therefore, it is necessary to define a Muslim first. A Muslim is a person who accepts all of the definite decrees of the religion of Islam and who does not refuse any of them. That is, he is a person who believes in the orders of Islam like prayers, fasting, zakah, hajj, wudu and ghusl, and the prohibitions like fornication, alcohol and interest. However, a person who does not accept all or some of the issues mentioned above is not regarded as a Muslim and it is not permissible to marry him. If they marry, their marital life is illegitimate whether he is Sunni, Shiite or Alawite.

So, the criterion for marriage is Islam. Unfortunately, many Muslim women marry non-Muslim men without asking about it and without learning the decree of Islam; thus, they deserve the curse of Allah up to Doomsday.

(Halil GÜNENÇ, Günümüz Meselelerine Fetvalar, II / 119)

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