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:

my sister is not a virgin by a muslim boy. they both want to marry and my sister wants to embrace islam. is she allowed to?? 

(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:

Are women allowed to revert 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 one wants to embrace Islam, one has to say of his/her own free will and without any compulsion of any sort:

‘I bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah Alone, and Mohamed (saws) is His Last Messenger.’

Once any person says the above testification or shahaadah, he/she will be deemed a muslim, and all the rights that are due to a muslim will be accorded to them.

Once your sisters declares the above testification, she and the muslim boy can marry if they wish to do so.

Your Question: is she allowed to??

To accept and embrace Islam as one’s Way of Life, is a covenant one makes with his/her Creator. One does not need the permission of anyone to declare and embrace Islam as their faith. One can make this testification in solitude, and they will be accepted as muslims…. Or one can go to the local mosque or Islamic Centre and give this testification there, and the ones who hear him/her will act as their witnesses in this world, and in the hereafter.

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