Is It Permissible to Cut Off a Couple Where the Wife Is Muslim and the Husband Is Not?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

I would like to know if a Muslim is allowed to cut ties or distance oneself from a married couple where the wife is Muslim, and her husband is a non-Muslim, and he refuses to convert to Islam?

Answer

Thank you for your question. May Allah reward you for being concerned about whom you interact with and what may potentially impact you negatively.

Relationship

The best answer that I can give you is here:

Should I Maintain Ties With Family Who Openly Sin or Shun Them?

If the lady is from your immediate family, mahram, or even a friend, you should not cut them off for this sinful marriage. Maintaining ties of kinship is very important, and your good treatment of them may be the reason for him to convert to Islam.

Who Do I Have to Maintain Kinship Bonds With?

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Do not harbor a grudge against one another, nor jealousy, nor enmity, and do not show your backs to one another, and become as fellow brothers and slaves of Allah. It is not lawful for a Muslim to avoid speaking with his brother beyond three days.” [Bukhari & Muslim]

Good Company

If you find that your relationship with them is not benefitting you or them and that you are not quite the right person to introduce Islam to this man, then it is better for you to keep some distance from them. It is important that one not surround oneself with close friends who openly sin. Their sins will eventually have a negative impact on your spiritual state, and you must protect yourself and your children from that environment.
Instead, pray for them with sincerity and thank Allah that you are not in a similar situation of sin.

May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.

[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqida, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.