The Holy Quran offers many regulations on marriage; one of them is banning Muslims from marrying infidels (idolaters):
“Do not marry pagan women unless they believe in God. A believing slave girl is better than an idolater, even though the idolaters may attract you. Do not marry pagan men unless they believe in God. A believing slave is better than an idolater, even though the idolater may attract you. The pagans invite you to the fire, but God invites you to Paradise and forgiveness through His will. God shows His evidence to people so that they may take heed.” (Surah Baqarah, verse 221)
Elaborating on the verse, Tafsir Nemooneh (an exegesis written by Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi) notes that this part of Surah Baqarah is a response to a question on marrying idolaters. The verse implies that marriage does not just aim to satisfy one’s sexual needs as a spouse has a direct role in growing the children and forming one’s character.
What comes at the end of the verse is an order to think deeper: “The pagans invite you to the fire, but God invites you to Paradise and forgiveness through His will.”
Meanwhile, Tafsir Noor (an exegesis written by Hojat-ol-Islam Mohsen Qara’ati) lists 13 messages of this verse: