Is a marriage contract considered valid with the testimony of non-Muslim women, knowing the jurisprudential disagreement regarding the requirement of Muslim witnesses or the public declaration of the contract without witnesses? And is the marriage of a Muslim man to a Kitabiyyah (a woman from the People of the Book) with whom he committed zina – even though she was a virgin and chaste before that – considered void due to the non-fulfillment of the condition of ihsan (chastity/being unmarred by illicit sexual relations)? And what is the ruling on a marriage if the husband does not pray at the time of the contract due to laziness, not denial? And if the marriage is invalid, how can the contract be renewed in a permissible way according to Islamic law?
It is permissible for a Muslim man to marry a chaste woman from the People of the Book. For the marriage to be valid, it is a condition that the marriage contract be performed by the woman's guardian or his agent, in the presence of two just Muslim witnesses. Public announcement and declaration are sufficient. If one of the spouses was not praying at the time of the marriage contract, and the marriage was with a woman from the People of the Book, there is no need to renew the contract; because disbelievers are left upon their marriages if they embrace Islam. However, it is more cautious to renew the contract.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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