What is the ruling on marrying a Christian woman without the Sharia conditions and only in the municipal council, and what is the ruling on the children born from this marriage? Is it obligatory to renew the Sharia contract, or is repentance sufficient? And what is the ruling on the previous marriage to a non-Muslim woman who later embraced Islam, and is the child attributed to him?
Allah has permitted a Muslim man to marry a woman from the People of the Book (Jewish or Christian), provided she is chaste, as Allah Almighty says: "And the chaste women from those who were given the Scripture before you." However, it is preferable for a Muslim man to marry a Muslim woman to ensure the proper upbringing of their children.
If the marriage to a woman from the People of the Book fulfills the Islamic legal conditions, it is valid; otherwise, it is void. Nevertheless, the children resulting from such a marriage are attributed to their fathers if the husband believed the marriage to be valid.
If the marriage was void and the couple wishes to continue, they must renew the contract with its correct conditions after the period of purification (istibra).
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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