Can a Muslim Woman Marry a Non-Muslim Man?

Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Question

Can a Muslim woman marry a non-Muslim man?

Answer

I pray you are well.

No, It is not permissible for a Muslim lady to marry a non-Muslim. Your faith is the most precious thing you have because your everlasting fate is tied to the choice of believing in Allah or rejecting Him.

Marriage means sharing much of oneself with the spouse, and this can lead to being heavily influenced by them. Should this influence lead to one leaving Islam – the means of their salvation on the Day of Judgement – this would be the ultimate tragedy and loss. I’ve seen it happen.

For this reason, even Muslim men are discouraged from marrying Jewish and Christian females – despite the general permission in the Quran – due to the evident harm that this led to in times after the revelation came. [Ibn al-Humam, Fath al-Qadir]

Do yourself a favor, and close this door on yourself. Even if your faith wasn’t affected, how would you feel when your disbelieving spouse went to Hell due to him choosing to reject Allah’s religion?

Please refer to this answer for more information on how to do so:
Can I Marry an Atheist with Whom I Am Deeply in Love?

May Allah protect our faith.

[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 where, for 18 months, he studied with many erudite scholars. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Quranic recital and he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Quranic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.