Q. Some Muslim women living in Western countries sometimes find themselves attracted to the idea of marrying a non-Muslim, which is forbidden in Islam. Could you please explain the repercussions of such a marriage.
(Name and address withheld)
A. Islam allows a very limited area of interfaith marriages, sanctioning the marriage of a Muslim man to a woman who follows a divine religion, i.e. Judaism or Christianity. It does not allow Muslim men to marry a follower of any other religion, or an agnostic or atheist woman. This is clear in the Qur’anic verse that says: “Today, all the good things of life have been made lawful to you. The food of those who were given revelations is lawful to you, and your food is lawful to them. And the virtuous women from among the believers and the virtuous women from among those who were given revelations before you (are also lawful to you) when you give them their dowers, taking them in honest wedlock, not in fornication, nor as mistresses.” (5: 5)
Muslim women are not allowed to marry non-Muslim men, regardless of their faith or lack of it. This is also clear in the Qur’anic verse that says: “Believers! Whenever believing women come to you, to join your community, examine them, (although only) God is fully aware of their faith. If you have thus ascertained that they are believers, do not send them back to the unbelievers, since they are not lawful to them, nor those (unbelievers) are lawful to them. Nonetheless, you shall return to them whatever they have spent (on their wives by way of dower). You may marry them if you give them their dowers.” (60: 10)
Although this verse tackles a particular case of a woman who has embraced Islam while her husband remains a non-Muslim, it has a general implication that is applicable in all cases. Should such a woman emigrate to join a Muslim community, and she is proven on examination that she is a Muslim, she cannot be returned to her people who are unbelievers. Her non-Muslim husband is to be refunded any dower he had paid to her. She observes a waiting period in order to make sure whether she is pregnant or not. Once the waiting period is over, she may get married to a Muslim, because her adoption of the Islamic faith and her migration annul her earlier marriage to a non-Muslim.
We need to remember that this verse was revealed at a time when the Muslims in Madinah were bound by a peace treaty with the unbelievers, requiring the Muslims to return anyone from the Quraysh tribe who joined them declaring himself a Muslim. The Qur’anic verse overrides this commitment, making it inapplicable to women, because they are not lawful to remain married to non-believers. The only thing required of the Muslims was to refund the woman’s husband the dower he might have paid to his wife at the time of their marriage.
When we consider that Islam makes special allowances with regard to existing marriages, when the man and wife choose different religions, the case is more strict with regard to initiating such marriages. The verse quoted above states that “they (i.e. Muslim women) are not lawful to them (i.e. their erstwhile husbands), nor those (i.e. unbeliever erstwhile husbands) are lawful to them (i.e. Muslim women).” If on adopting Islam, a woman becomes unlawful to her husband who is not a Muslim, how can a Muslim woman imagine that she could become married to a man who is not a Muslim, even though the secular law in her country of residence sanctions such a marriage?
People may advance some arguments, or say that the man is very understanding and can give any commitment or guarantee that he would not object to his children being brought up as Muslims, or that his wife has complete freedom to practice her religion. But this is not the point. The point is that such a marriage is unlawful from the Islamic point of view. Hence, it does not take effect. The relationship would, therefore, remain one of adultery.
