Muslim Man Marrying a non-Muslim

Q: Can a Muslim man marry a woman of another religion without her converting to Islam and can he continue to follow his religion and she continue to follow her religion?

A: It is not permissible for a Muslim male to marry a non-Muslim female of any religious following. This is the fatwa of Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar (Radhiyallahu anhu). When he was asked about the permissibility of a Muslim male marrying a Jewish or Christian female, he responded by saying: “The Statement of Almighty Allah in the Holy Quran is quite clear: ‘And do not marry Mushrik women until they become Muslims;’ (Surah Baqarah, verse 221) And I do not know of a greater form of shirk (polytheism) than to proclaim Eesa the son of Maryam or any servant of Allah as one's Lord and God.” (Ahkamul-Quran of Jassas). This is the statement of a Sahaabi of Rasoolullah (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam) who was among the Fuqaha of his times and a man very strict upon the Sunnat of Nabi Muhammed (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam). According to most of the scholars such a nikah or marriage is abominable due to the threat that faces the iemaan of Muslims. The basis of their ruling is that when Hazrat Umar bin Khattab (radhiyallahu anhu) heard that Huzhaifa bin Yamaan (radhiyallahu anhu) had married a Jewish woman in Madaa-in, he commanded him in a letter to divorce her immediately. He wrote: “There is no chastity and honour among their (Jews and Christians) women. So I fear this may be the cause of lewdness and immorality developing within your homes.” Imam Muhammed bin Hasan Shaybani narrates this incident from Imam Abu Hanifa in his Kitabul-Aathaar (page 156) and states that the exact words of Hazrat Umar’s reply to Hazrat Huzhaifa bin Yaman were: “I make it obligatory upon you that you shall not put down this letter of mine until you have released that woman from your nikah, for I fear that other Muslims may follow you in this act and give preference in marriage to women of the Ahl-e-Kitab because of their beauty. And this in itself is a great fitnah for Muslim women.”
The concept of him following his religion and she hers is fraught with spiritual danger. The consequences that we have witnessed from such an amalgam of religious diversity were disastrous to say the least. In a nikah of this nature, if the husband happens to be of weak iemaan, he loses control of the marriage, thus opening the door for un-Islamic, kufr values to pervade his home. Eventually his children become influenced by the same evil and anti-Islamic values. They then grow up as followers of their kaafier mother’s religion. Some of them have totally lost their iemaan, whilst others remained Muslim only in name. It is obvious that in following the mother’s religion there is greater freedom and convenience. There is neither salah to perform, nor any fast to observe. There is no need to endure the difficulty of waking up early, nor any need to brave the cold in making wudhu and stepping out for Fajr salah. In short, the children are likely to opt for the easy way out. In today's times of iemaani decline and spiritual retrogression, such a pathetic and tragic situation is almost a foregone conclusion, should Muslim males be granted permission to marry non-Muslim women. Even on the assumption that the husband is one of strong iemaan (and we hasten to add, such a man would never enter into a marriage like this in the very first place), it becomes a nightmare to produce an Islamic environment while cohabiting with a kaafiera (non-Muslim female). Given the lack of Islamic knowledge among menfolk today, it seems almost impossible for a Muslim man to survive such a marriage without sustaining severe damage to his iemaan and amal. Another grave harm that develops from such a nikah is the confusion of belief and practice among the children of that marriage. They grew up totally confused and directionless. Should a divorce occur, those children will be lost to the kaafier family of the mother, in view of the Western laws of custody. Muslims today lack strong religious backing, and their iemaan is at a very low ebb. Already there is a strong Western influence and flavour that dominate our lives. Bringing a Western orientated woman, of Christian or Jewish religious origins and culture into the home will only serve to enhance the Western dominated environment in our homes. There is even the danger of weaker Muslims totally losing their Islamic moorings. May Allah Ta’ala save us from such a deplorable situation, aameen.