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Is it permissible for a new convert to Islam to marry a Catholic woman, and is it valid for the children to bear the name of the non-Muslim father?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is forbidden for a Muslim woman to marry a non-Muslim by scholarly consensus. However, it is permissible for her to marry a recent convert to Islam, provided his conversion is genuine and sincere, regardless of his family's religion or the history of his conversion. As for the children, they must be attributed to their Muslim father and his family, even if they were disbelievers, due to the legal rulings associated with lineage. Islamic law has strictly prohibited claiming lineage to anyone other than the true father.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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