Medically, vitiligo is neither contagious nor life-threatening. So, people with vitiligo are as free and eligible to get married as any other person that follows Islam. Having said that, vitiligo is a chronic, life-long skin condition. Hence, it is highly recommended to inform the potential spouse and his/her family about your skin condition to live a guilt-free marriage life and to avoid any consequences later on.

Islam believes in uniting two people who are physically (and mentally) healthy and do not put their spouse’s health at risk. Certain skin conditions may be contagious and could be potentially harmful as well.

Luckily, vitiligo is a non-contagious and non-infectious skin condition. The faulty immune system triggers loss of skin pigment causing white patches on certain areas of the body.

While vitiligo can be genetically inherited, the odds are very less because it has a weak genetic component.

Thus, there are no restrictions that can hold you back from enjoying a marital life!

I have vitiligo. Does that affect my prospects of marriage as a Muslim?

Yes. 

The prevalence of a chronic skin condition can affect the marriage prospects because it affects the physical appearance of the person. So, irrespective of your religion, if you are dealing with vitiligo, you may have to settle with lesser number of marriage proposals coming your way.

You may consider signing up on DermaMatrimony.com which is a matrimonial website that facilitates people with skin conditions such as vitiligo, psoriasis and others to find a suitable match on the basis of their search criteria. On this website, you can browse through matching profiles based on your requirements such as religion, community, location, profession and other search criteria to find your perfect match.

Am I allowed to get married as a follower of Islam if I have a non-contagious skin condition such as vitiligo?

Certainly!

Different religions have different beliefs about the sanctity of marriage and the criteria that need to be followed.

Regarding skin problems, the Islamic faith put forth certain mandates only for specific conditions. These include the skin problems which are contagious and can be transmitted via touch, physical contact, sharing things, or sexual intercourse. The faith puts this restriction in order to avoid the spread of the condition to other people and put their health at risk. 

However, there is no restriction for getting married if one has a non-contagious skin condition such as vitiligo.

Do I have to inform my potential match about my skin condition? Or can I choose to hide about it if my visible body areas are not affected?

Marriage is one of the most sacred practices that have been followed by people all over the world. Islam gives immense importance to truth and believes that a marital relationship must be based on truth and honesty. Hence, it mandates that if a person has a chronic health condition, be it a skin condition or any other challenge, s/he must inform their potential partner about their condition before getting married.

Hiding the truth about one’s condition, and keeping one’s partner in the dark about the reality is strongly discouraged. Islam believes that a marital relationship is based on trust. Hiding the truth about one’s skin condition makes no sense.

Can vitiligo become the ground for annulment of marriage?

Marriage in the Islamic faith can be considered for annulment if a person is dealing with a communicable and/or harmful health condition and s/he doesn’t disclose about it before the marriage. This is because there is a breach of trust between two individuals. However, this again applies only to skin conditions that are contagious or infectious. The prevalence of vitiligo or any other non-contagious skin condition is not a valid reason to ask for an annulment of marriage.