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Should the woman investigate the cause of her suitor’s conversion to Islam?

Question

A Muslim girl is having a love relationship with a non-Muslim man. If he proposes to marry her, she will ask him to embrace Islam. What is the ruling on that? If he converts to Islam, would it be permissible for her to marry him? How could she verify that he converted to Islam for the sake of Allaah The Exalted and not for the sake of marrying her?

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

Irrefutably, it is impermissible for a Muslim woman to have a love relationship with a man, even if he was Muslim, as long as this relationship may lead to being alone with him, impermissible touching between them, looking at her `Awrah, enjoying her voice, or the like of illicit actions.

Moreover, the fact that they intend to get married later on does not justify such unlawful practices; Allaah The Exalted Says (what means): {Tell the believing men to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts. That is purer for them. Indeed, Allaah is Acquainted with what they do. * And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their head covers over their chests and not expose their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands’ fathers, their sons, their husbands’ sons, their brothers, their brothers’ sons, their sisters’ sons, their women, that which their right hands possess, or those male attendants having no physical desire, or children who are not yet aware of the private aspects of women. And let them not stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their adornment. And turn to Allaah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.} [Quran 24:30-31]

Furthermore, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “It is not permissible for a man to be alone with a woman except with a Mahram.

Additionally, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, also said: “No man is alone with a [non-mahram] woman, but the Satan is their third [one].

Therefore, this Muslim woman has to break up with that non-Muslim man and immediately sever this illicit relationship. Then, if this man converted to Islam later, and as is known, embracing Islam is done by means of making a verbal profession of faith, i.e. pronouncing the two testimonies of faith, believing in them, and abiding by their implications. If this happens, it will be permissible for her to marry him and she should not investigate the reasons behind his conversion to Islam.

However, it would be better for her to wait and make sure that this man embraced Islam and became a good Muslim, especially if she has doubts about his being convinced with Islam.

Allaah Knows best.

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