Marry Christian woman.
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
(May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked
this question:
I am a
muslim in
(There may
be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does
not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our
readers for circulation in confidentiality.)
Answer:
Marry Christian
woman
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His
help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide,
and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear
witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear
witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His
Messengers.
Your
Question: I am a muslim in
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah
Maidah verse 5 (part):
(Lawful unto the
believers in marriage) are (not only) chaste women who are believers but chaste
women among the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) revealed
before your time, when ye give them their due dowers and desire chastity, not
lewdness nor secret intrigues.
Respected brother in Islam, there is an allowance and a
permission in Shariah Law for a believer to marry amongst the chaste women of
the ‘People of the Book’ (Jews and Christians), if indeed they wish to do
so. A marriage between a Muslim man and
a (Jewish or) Christian woman would be considered absolutely legal and lawful
in the Sight of Shariah Law and in the Sight of Allah Subhanah, even if the
Christian woman chose not to revert to Islam before her marriage.
Your
Question: ….we got married in a mesjid the islamic way but the only way my wife
converted to islam is because i wanted her to convert and because my family
said i have to marrie her the islamic way, but she acts like she doesnt want to
be a muslima
Respected brother in Islam, all it takes for a person to
become a ‘legal’ muslim in the Sight of Shariah Law is to declare the
‘shahaadah’ or testification of faith that there is no God except Allah
Subhanah, and Prophet Mohamed (saws) is the Last and Final Messenger of Allah
(saws). Any person who declares the
‘shahaadah’ will be considered a ‘legal’ muslim in the Sight of Law, and every
single right that is due to a believer will be accorded to them in absolute
full.
If you and/or your family coerced the Christian sister to
declare the ‘shahaadah’ only so that she would become a ‘legal’ muslim, knowing
with conviction that the sister had absolutely no intention to accept or follow
Islam…… you and/or family have made a mockery of the Law and the Allowance of
the Lord Most Majestic, and circumvented the Law through falsehood and deceit to
fulfill your personal agenda.
Respected brother, it would only be prudent and akin to
piety and righteousness that you and your family turn back to your Lord in
‘taubah’ and seek forgiveness for your manifest transgression……if you are
indeed sincere in your repentance it is expected that you will find your Lord
Forgiving and Merciful.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah
Anaam verse 54:
When those come to you who believe in Our
Signs, say: "Peace be on you! Your Lord had inscribed for Himself (the rule
of) Mercy. Verily if any of you did evil
in ignorance, and thereafter repented
and amended (his conduct), Lo! He is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah
Zumur verses 53-54:
(O Prophet) say: “O My servants who have wronged
their own souls….Do not despair of Allah’s Mercy! Surely,
Allah forgives all sins. He
indeed is the All Forgiving, All
Merciful. Return to your Lord and
submit to Him before the scourge overtakes you;
for then you may get no help from anywhere.”
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale
Imraan verse 135-136:
Allah likes such good people very much,
who, if ever they commit a base deed or
wrong their own soul by the commission of a sin, remember Allah instantly, and ask for forgiveness from Him for their
shortcomings. For who, but Allah,
can forgive sins? (And Allah loves
those) who do not knowingly persist in the wrongs they did. These will be rewarded with forgiveness from
Allah, and with Gardens beneath which canals
flow, and they will reside therein
forever! How excellent is the reward of
those who do good deeds!
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 2357 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Mas'ud
Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "He who
repents of a sin is like him who has committed no sin."
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 2338 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar
Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "Allah
accepts a servant's repentance (taubah) till he gives up his spirit in
death."
Your
Question: ……but she acts like she doesnt want to be a muslima i keep asking her
when are you going to start practising islam she tells me it takes time for me
to convert to islam fully because she was a catholic what should i do?
Respected brother in Islam, it should be no surprise at
all that the sister who was coerced into declaring the ‘shahaadah’ by you only
so that it would become convenient for her to marry a believer, when the Truth
of Islam had not entered her heart, would not practice Islam!
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 18 Surah
Kahf verse 29:
Proclaim, “This (Al-Islam) is the Truth from
your Lord: now whoever wills may accept it,
and whosoever wills may reject it”.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah
Baqarah verses 256-257:
256 Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clear from
error; whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most
trustworthy hand-hold that never breaks.
And Allah Hears and Knows all things.
257 Allah is the Protector of those who have faith: from the depths of
darkness He will lead them forth into light.
Of those who reject faith the patrons are the Shayateen: from light they
will lead them forth into the depths of darkness. They will be companions of the fire to dwell
therein (for ever).
There is absolutely no compulsion on a disbeliever if they
wish or choose not to accept or practice Islam; whoever wills may accept the
Truth, and whoever wills may reject it.
Respected brother in Islam, as long as validity of your
marriage itself is concerned, it is absolutely legal and lawful in the Sight of
Shariah Law and in the Sight of Allah Subahnah….for there is allowance and
permission in Shariah Law for a believer to marry a Christian woman without her
changing her faith.
As long as your desire to see her truly revert to Islam is
concerned, you should strive your utmost, first and foremost, to be as best an
example as you can be of a pious and righteous believer who sincerely fears
Allah and the Last Day in whatever you say and do; and secondly with extreme
patience and with wisdom, invite her to become a muslim by requesting her to
read and understand the Glorious Quran in a language she understands best. To accept or reject your invitation is
entirely upon her; if she wills she may accept it, and if she so wills she may
reject it….for there is absolutely no room in Islam to compel or force a
disbeliever to become a Muslim in Shariah Law.
Even if after your very best efforts you see that your
wife is not willing to accept the Truth of Islam, you should know that you (or
anyone in creation) cannot guide whom one loves, it is Allah Subhanah Alone Who
Guides whom He Wills and Pleases.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 28 Surah
Qasas verse 56:
You cannot guide whom you love, but Allah guides whomever He Pleases. And He best knows those who would accept
guidance.
If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and
commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws),
one can be assured of never ever being misled; but if one believes, obeys and follows any
other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be
assured of being led astray.
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only
due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me
alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is
the Only Source of Strength.
Your brother and
well wisher in Islam,
Burhan
