Is a woman excused for her ignorance of the rulings on apostasy and the marriage contract, and for her analogy regarding the marriage of a Muslim man to a Kitabiyyah (woman of the People of the Book) without her knowing that this is exclusive to the Kitabiyyah alone, or does she commit an act of disbelief (kufr)? And is a man excused for his ignorance of the permissibility of marrying a Kitabiyyah?

If the wife apostatizes from Islam, she is no longer lawful to her husband; rather, he must separate from her. If she returns to Islam during her iddah (definition) (waiting period), she becomes lawful to him again through the original marriage contract. It is not permissible for the husband to cohabit with her while she is in a state of apostasy, even if her apostasy is to Judaism or Christianity, because she is not considered a woman of the Book (Kitabiyah) whose marriage is permissible in such a state. Marrying a Muslim man to a woman of the Book is permissible on the condition that she is chaste. A Muslim must inquire about the rulings of his religion if he intends to undertake a matter he does not know, as Allah Almighty says: "So ask the people of the message if you do not know."