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:

Dear Brother AssalamuAlaykum,

 
May Allah reward you for your enormous work towards spreading true and authentic knowledge about Islam and providing guidance on several issues. And May Allah bestow thy Mercy upon you.

 
My Brother, I wanted to ask you whether is it possible to marry a non-muslim girl. I happened to come across a christian girl who is very honest and very much in accordance with my requirement for a perfect wife except for her religion. She also likes me very much and wants to marry me. Initially i refused but she is mounting heavy pressure on me to marry her. We have so many things in common that at a particular time we both think the same thing only. We both have the similar feeling and similar attitude towards life. 

 
I believe that after marriage she would accept Islam. But I would like to know whether is it possible to marry a girl who is not a Muslim but to whom I want to make Muslim slowly after marriage.
 
Also I would be grateful if you let me know what I need to do in such situation in the light of Sunnah and Quran guidance.

 
Jazakallahu Khairaha

Wassalam

(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:

Marry Christian girl

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 none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verse 5 (part):

(Lawful unto the believers in marriage) are (not only) chaste women who are believers but chaste women among the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) revealed before your time, when ye give them their due dowers and desire chastity, not lewdness nor secret intrigues.

Respected brother in Islam, there is an allowance and a permission in Shariah Law for a believing man to marry amongst the chaste women of the ‘People of the Book’ (Jews and Christians), if indeed they wish to do so. A marriage between a Muslim man and a (Jewish or) Christian woman would be considered absolutely legal and lawful in the Sight of Shariah Law and in the Sight of Allah Subhanah, even if the Christian woman choses not to revert to Islam before her marriage.

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

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan