My brother is willing to get married to a non-Muslim girl. They have been friend for long and both the families have agreed to this marriage. The girl is ready to convert also but for the sake of her maternal families sanction they want to have a non-Muslim marriage before the nikah. I want to know if this can be done and then the nikah be completed. When can the girl be brought home because we want to have our relatives to attend the nikah and do not want to tell about the non-Muslim marriage so should we complete the nikah first and bring the girl home and then do the other marriage? Is it allowable?
Answer
(Fatwa: 610/514/B=1433)
According to Islam it is not permissible for your brother to love a non-Muslim girl i.e. to develop friendship with any strange girl. Such love marriage does not last for long. However, if the girl accepts Islam believing it true religion and stands firm then her nikah if done on Islamic pattern with a Muslim boy shall be valid. Neither it is lawful for that girl to do nikah on non-Islamic pattern nor for you after she embraces Islam. After accepting Islam only Islamic system shall be acceptable.
Allah (Subhana Wa Ta’ala) knows Best
Darul Ifta,
Darul Uloom Deoband