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:

asalamualaikum, to my understanding, a muslim sister can only get married to one who shares the same faith. however if she does get married to a person of another religion and they have children, those children would not be considered legitimate. Well it so happens that i`ve got friends, a christian couple. They have three children together and recently the wife converted to islam. well i guess my question is, what is the status of the marriage now, is there a problem with this format?,.....what is the childrens place in this whole thing.....does the legitimacy issue arise. however the wife does intend to raise her children as muslims. but what happens if the husband does not agree to that?. I really am confused over this, can you please help clear this up.......thanks for your time

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Answer:

Christians marry and wife converts to Islam

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 no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

If a Christian or any other pagan couple marries, and subsequently the wife accepts Islam as her religion but her husband refuses to accept Islam, the marriage will be considered null and void in the sight of Shariah.

In an Islamic Society if the husband does not accept Islam, the marriage will be declared null and void, the children will be given to the mother regardless of their age, and the children will be treated and considered as muslims, and every right that is due to a muslim will be accorded to these children.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan