If a woman converts to Islam, should she inform her husband?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Fatwa No. ( 7139 )
Q: A Christian Indonesian woman converted to Islam with us. She came to Berlin and West Germany on a special mission assigned to her by the Indonesian government. The woman is from a prominent family and has a good relationship with the family of President Suharto . Her husband is an official in the Indonesian Ministry of Defense and Security. If Allah wills, with her culture and status, her conversion will be a good for Islam and Muslims. However, the problem is that her husband is a fanatic Christian, so she cannot declare her Islam for this reason. To date, only we (seven people) know about her Islam. Nevertheless, she intends to inform her husband and children of her Islam in her own way and invite them to Islam. Dear Shaykh: I do not know how to handle this matter. Allah has forbidden the marriage of a Muslim woman to a disbeliever, and she must leave her husband immediately after her conversion. However, due to the novelty of her Islam, I do not think she can bear this legal ruling. I fear she may return to disbelief if I tell her that. Furthermore, she is not from an ordinary family; if she were, leaving her husband would be an easy matter for her. Therefore, I am inquiring with you about this issue. If possible, I would like a fatwa from Shaykh Ibn Baz : Is it permissible for me to delay her leaving her disbelieving husband until her faith becomes stronger, or what should I tell her?
A: She must inform him of her Islam, and that she has become forbidden to him by her Islam until he converts. If he converts while she is in the waiting period, he remains her husband without the need for a new marriage contract. If he converts after she has completed the waiting period, he may return to her through a new marriage if she desires, provided the conditions considered valid by the Shari'ah are met. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: A Christian Indonesian woman converted to Islam with us. She came to Berlin and West Germany on a special mission assigned to her by the Indonesian government. The woman is from a prominent family and has a good relationship with the family of President Suharto . Her husband is an official in the Indonesian Ministry of Defense and Security. If Allah wills, with her culture and status, her conversion will be a good for Islam and Muslims. However, the problem is that her husband is a fanatic Christian, so she cannot declare her Islam for this reason. To date, only we (seven people) know about her Islam. Nevertheless, she intends to inform her husband and children of her Islam in her own way and invite them to Islam. Dear Shaykh: I do not know how to handle this matter. Allah has forbidden the marriage of a Muslim woman to a disbeliever, and she must leave her husband immediately after her conversion. However, due to the novelty of her Islam, I do not think she can bear this legal ruling. I fear she may return to disbelief if I tell her that. Furthermore, she is not from an ordinary family; if she were, leaving her husband would be an easy matter for her. Therefore, I am inquiring with you about this issue. If possible, I would like a fatwa from Shaykh Ibn Baz : Is it permissible for me to delay her leaving her disbelieving husband until her faith becomes stronger, or what should I tell her?
A: She must inform him of her Islam, and that she has become forbidden to him by her Islam until he converts. If he converts while she is in the waiting period, he remains her husband without the need for a new marriage contract. If he converts after she has completed the waiting period, he may return to her through a new marriage if she desires, provided the conditions considered valid by the Shari'ah are met. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.