Fatwa #1481618 December 2006British Indian Ocean Territory
I am a young Muslim woman who fell in love with a Catholic man....
Question
I am a young Muslim woman who fell in love with a Catholic man. We had intercourse and have been together for four years. We are very deeply in love. My question is; Can a Muslim woman in this situation still marry a Catholic man, without the man converting? I do regret having intercourse before marriage and I ask for Allah's forgiveness during my prayers each day. I am not sure what to do. My entire family knows about my relationship with my boyfriend. Is there a Hadith that addresses this situation or a verse from the Koran that talks of this? Is it prohibited or is it disliked for a Musllim woman to marry a Catholic man? Can you please clarify this?
Answer
According to Shariah, every premarital relationship is Haraam and expressly prohibited. For that you should make Tauba and sincerely regret and repent. The repentance will be accepted if you exercise restraint and discontinue the relationship. Furthermore, if you wish to marry the person, he should revert to Islam. It is not permissible for a muslim woman to marry a non muslim man even though he may be a Christian. Adopt effective and permissible means in making the person understand Islam and reverting to Islam. You could marry him thereafter. Until then, fear Allah and do the right thing.
And Allah Ta'ala knows best
Mufti Ebrahim Desai