Its been 2 yrs we know each other very well, working together in the same company and have been good friends. Its very recently that I have fallen in love with her.She is a christian, I have so far never found such a virtuos and pious women even in our religion, we are not in any kind of physical relation. I was following Dr. zakir naik videos and learned that marrying a christian/jew is allowed in Islam , as its mentioned in Surah Maida Chapter 5 ayat 5.
Is her conversion before marriage a must ?
I am very confused whether to go for it or not. Please help me and guide.
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Muhammad Ibn Sireen (rahimahullah) has advised:
إن هذا العلم دين فانظروا عمن تأخذونه
Translation: “This Ilm (knowledge) is Deen (religion) so watch who you obtain your knowledge from.”
Dr. Zakir Naik is known for his discussions and debates on comparative religions. In issues of Fiqh and Aqeedah, we advise you to refer to a qualified Alim of Deen or a Mufti.
It is permissible to marry a Christian or Jewish woman without having her revert to Islam before the marriage. The only condition is she must be a real Christian or Jew, and not only by name or registration.
Marriage is a major step in one’s life. One must consider many things in a spouse before committing to marriage. As Muslims, we are proud of our Islam and we jealously guard our Islam. We differentiate ourselves from anything that poses as a threat to Islam, Islamic ideologies or Islamic practices.
Marrying a Christian or Jewish woman, particularly in this era can be very challenging to ones beliefs, especially if one is not a strong Muslim in his own faith and practices. Love has the potential to influence the beloved, and as such a Muslim husband could be influenced towards Christianity or Judaism by his beloved wife.
Furthermore, such a woman is a potential mother for ones child. It is obvious that a child is deeply affected by the attributes of his mother. A Christian or Jewish mothers beliefs and conduct will pass on to the child with long lasting effects.
It is for this reason a vast majority of the Sahaaba and Taabi’een disliked the idea of marrying a Christian or Jew because of the destructive implications which would arise therefrom. During the caliphate of Umar (Radhiyallhu anhu), when a few Sahaabah married women of the book and the news reached Umar (Radhiyallhu anhu), he issued an order for those sahaabah to divorce their wives[1]. For example, when Hudhaifa ibn Yaman (Radhiyallhu anhu) married a Jewish woman and the news reached Umar (Radhiyallhu anhu) he became very angry and ordered Hudhaifa (Radhiyallhu Anhu) to divorce her. The order to divorce was to create an example for the coming ummah to exercise extreme precaution in marrying a Christian or Jewish woman.
In view of the above, we advise that you should exercise precaution in marrying a women from The People of the Book.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Abdullah Ghadai
Student Darul Iftaa
Michigan, U.S.A
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
[1] فتح القدير – ط. الفكر (3/ 230)
تزوج بعض الصحابة منهم وخطبة بعضهم فمن المتزوجين حذيفة وطلحة وكعب بن مالك وغضب عمر فقالوا نطلق يا أمير المؤمنين وإنما كان غضبه لخلطة الكافرة بالمؤمن وخوف الفتنة على الولد لأنه في صغره ألزم لأمه