Is Marriage to Agnostics Permitted?
Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick
Question
Can an agnostic woman who is respectful of Islam and supportive of her Muslim partner be considered from Ahl al-Fatra, and would marriage to her be permissible?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
No, such a woman cannot be considered from Ahl al-Fatra, and marriage to her would not be permissible.
Who Are the Ahl al-Fatra?
Ahl al-Fatra no longer exists after the coming of the Prophet (Allah bless and give him peace). Allah (Most High) says: “We do not punish until We send a messenger.” [Quran, 17:15]
The scholars explain that Ahl al-Fatra refers only to those who lived between messengers, before the truth reached them. Once the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless and give him peace) was sent, the proof was established for all who heard of him.
Allah says: “This Quran has been revealed to me so that I may warn you and whomever it reaches.” [Quran, 6:19]
Meaning: whoever the message reaches, even indirectly, is no longer from Ahl al-Fatra.
An agnostic who knows of Islam, lives with Muslims, and can seek knowledge is therefore fully mukallaf and not excused.
Marriage Is Only Permitted to Muslim Women or Ahl al-Kitab
Allah (Most High) says clearly: “Chaste women from the believers, and chaste women from those given the Scripture…” [Quran, 5:5]
This is the entire scope of permissibility for Muslim men.
It does not include:
- Agnostic women
- Atheists
- Polytheists
- Agnostics sympathetic to Islam
- People imagined to be from Ahl al-Fatra
Ahl al-Fatra = Those Who Never Received a Binding Message
As you outlined, the scholars explained that those between prophets were not accountable:
“So that you may warn a people whose forefathers were not warned…” [Quran, 36:6]
This applied only to pre-Islamic Arabs before revelation, not to anyone today who has access to Islam. Thus, it is incorrect to extend Ahl al-Fatra to a modern agnostic who is aware of Islam, respectful or otherwise.
May Allah grant you clarity, wisdom, and the ability to guide others with compassion and truth.
Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan (Allah have mercy on him), where he taught.
Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Shaykh Muhammad Awama, Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Hitu, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.
He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has been the Director of the Discover Islam Centre, and for six years, he has been the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.
Shaykh Irshaad has fifteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town. He is currently building an Islamic podcast, education, and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy Prophetic living and fitness.
