Legality And Validity Of Marriage Between Muslims And Non-Muslims
They are valid because marriage is social contract as per Ghamidi sb understanding
Assalam-o-Alaikum, I am a practicing Muslim man planning to marry a woman from a Hindu background. We are trying to understand the validity of our potential Nikkah I would be deeply grateful for your scholarly guidance on the following specific details of our situation: The Woman’s Internal Belief: She firmly states that she believes in Only One God. She loves Islam, respects its teachings, and has willingly agreed that any future children we have will be raised strictly and exclusively as Muslims. Her Stance on Conversion: Initially, she intended to convert to Islam, but later realized she does not want to formally change her identity or renounce her cultural background. She intends to remain a non-Muslim. The Issue of Rituals and Idols: She rarely visits temples (has not gone in several months). However, she currently keeps a few religious figurines/idols in her apartment. Her internal explanation is that she does not view these objects as God, but rather as a physical focus or “vessel” to channel her prayers to the One Supreme God. Her own mother does not practice idol worship, so she is familiar with a non-idolatrous lifestyle. My Questions to the Scholars: Question 1: If she agrees to permanently remove these figurines from our living space and completely halts the practice of using physical objects for prayer, does she qualify as a “Monotheist” under your framework? Would a Nikah with her then be considered fully valid and permissible (halal)? Question 2: If she struggles to give up these figurines completely or continues to view them as symbolic vessels for the One God, does this actions legally classify her as a Mushrik (polytheist)? In this specific scenario, would a Nikah contract still be considered legally intact as a social contract, or would cohabitation be considered an active state of sin (zina)? Question 3: Considering I come from a very traditional and conservative Muslim family and my faith is important to me. I do pray everyday and I am truly connected with my Islam. And the only reason I am even considering this is knowing that the woman would not allow my faith to be compromised. But I would just like advice as to what to do JazakAllahu Khairan for your time and guidance.