Can I Marry a Hindu Man Once He Converts to Islam?

Answered by Shaykh Jamir Meah

Question: Assalamu alaykum

I am in a relationship with a Hindu man. We have decided to marry. I have told him to convert to Islam before marriage and he agreed. Can I marry him after his conversion?

Answer: Jazakum Allah khayr for your question. May Allah reward you in trying to do things correctly.

A Muslim woman may only marry a Muslim man. Therefore, if the man in question becomes a Muslim and then you both marry, the marriage would be valid, even if there was a relationship prior to the marriage which was not permissible.

Relationships outside of marriage

You mention that you have been in a relationship for many years. Due to Islam’s concern for the sanctity of marriage, the preservation of chastity and lineage, and the modesty of believers in general, relationships outside of marriage are not permissible, even if non-physical. In many ways, people who have been in relationships with each other prior to marriage, marrying each other would be the best thing to do.

Contact

I would encourage you to first refrain from any contact with each other before he becomes Muslim. It would be best to guide him to a family member, friend, or local scholar or Imam who can advise him on how to become a Muslim. You should do this without delay. If there is no one else to guide him, then you may advise him on how to take the Shahada, and have two witnesses be present.

Once he becomes Muslim, and you both want to marry, then there is no harm you meeting as long as it is in the presence of one of your mehrams.

Repentance

It would also be a good idea to pray the prayer of repentance and sincerely ask Allah to forgive any wrong doing and falling into the impermissible. This way you will start your marriage on the right footing.

Knowledge

Lastly, before you marry, you should both learn the rules and guidance pertaining to marriage in order to have a blessed and happy union. I recommend that you take the free ‘Practical Guidance for Successful Marriages’ course that SeekersHub offer.

May Allah grant you both to success and to what pleases Him.

Warmest salams,
[Shaykh] Jamir Meah

Shaykh Jamir Meah grew up in Hampstead, London. In 2007, he traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he spent nine years studying the Islamic sciences on a one-to-one basis under the foremost scholars of the Ribaat, Tarim, with a main specialization and focus on Shafi’i fiqh. In early 2016, he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continues advanced studies in a range of Islamic sciences, as well as teaching. Jamir is a qualified homeopath.