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Is it permissible to marry a foreign Christian woman who committed fornication previously? And must she be chaste, knowing that she wishes to retain her religion? If the couple has a Muslim child, is it permissible for the Christian mother to speak to him about Christianity? And what are the religious conditions and instructions before and after marriage?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Communicating with a foreign woman is not permissible Islamically, as it is a path to fitna (temptation/strife). Marriage to a woman of the People of the Book (kitābiyyah) is permissible under two conditions: that she is genuinely of the People of the Book and that she is chaste. This woman admitted to fornication, which complicates the matter. Despite the permissibility of marrying a kitābiyyah under its conditions, it is advisable to avoid marrying her and to seek a righteous Muslim woman. If marriage does occur, it is not permissible to allow her to speak with the children about Christianity; rather, the child must be raised upon Islam. Marriages conducted through social media often fail.

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

Read the full answer on Ftawy