Is it permissible to marry a married Christian woman an 'urfi (customary) marriage, knowing she wishes to convert to Islam but fears her family and her estranged husband's family?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
It is not permissible to marry a married woman unless she is divorced or the marriage contract is annulled. The contract is annulled if the woman embraces Islam while her husband is a disbeliever and he does not embrace Islam during her (waiting period). If the husband is a Muslim, then it is not possible to marry her unless she is divorced or she resorts to a judge to remove the harm if the husband is absent. The woman should be encouraged to embrace Islam by explaining its virtues, and this task should be undertaken by a woman. To avoid threats, she can resort to the authorities and conceal herself from her family.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/69482
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 69482
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy