Is Levirate Marriage Still Practiced Today?

Leviathan marriages are still practiced in various parts of the world today, particularly in areas with large numbers of people of Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa descent. The Torah dictates that if a married man dies childless, the widow is to marry her dead husband’s brother, preferably the eldest. The firstborn son they produce together is the firstborn son they produce. Leviate marriage (yibbum) is the obligation of a surviving brother to marry the widow of his brother if he died without having sired children.

Levirate marriage has fallen out of favor in modern Judaism and is more or less an extinct practice today. However, its existence among the ancient Israelites shows the importance of this practice. In ancient Israel, a widowed woman married her late husband’s brother, producing at least one child to take the dead man’s place in the land. The levirate marriage can be regulated by law in different ways: mandatory, favored but not required, prohibited, or ignored. Nowadays, probably no civil code regulates levirate marriage.

Sororate marriages were practiced in some cultures to ensure the continuity of the family line and to provide for the widow and her children. Sororate marriage is still practiced in some traditional societies in Africa, Asia, and South America. Levirate marriage is considered a custom of the Yoruba, the Igbo, and the Hausa-Fulani tribes. Although less common today, it is still observed in many cultures.

The laws of levirate marriage are still an integral part of the Jewish world, and Orthodox practice stipulates that the “halitza” ceremony, symbolically involving the “halitza,” is still in effect today.

Is it halal to marry your dads cousin?

You can marry your cousin. They’re not your Mahram.

When did levirate’s marriage end?

Levirate marriage is no longer practiced in the Jewish community. Some communities do it, but they are not mainstream. Instead, the chalitzah ceremony is always done.

Can a man from America marry his widow’s sister?

If a man is a widower, he can marry one of his late wife’s sisters. He can also marry his former sister-in-law.

Is levirate marriage allowed in Islam?

Muslims can also get married through levirate marriage. In the pre-Islamic era, a stepchild or brother could inherit a widow’s property against her will. Now, compulsory inheritance is punishable (Ali, 1989).