What is the ruling on the marriage of a woman who has recently embraced Islam to a Muslim man, considering that she was married to a Christian man and had been physically separated from him for six months before her conversion to Islam, and she did not inform him of her conversion?

If the wife converts to Islam while her husband remains a disbeliever, it is forbidden for her to remain with him. She has the choice between waiting for him to embrace Islam or marrying someone else. This is the view preferred by Umar ibn al-Khattab and Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, who cite as evidence the hadith (definition) of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, returning his daughter Zaynab to her husband Abu al-Aas ibn al-Rabee' with the same initial marriage contract.

The wife may marry a Muslim after the completion of her iddah (definition), either by delivering her child if she is pregnant, or by observing three menstrual cycles if she is not pregnant. This is the opinion of the majority of scholars. Some, however, are of the view that she needs to observe only one menstrual cycle (istibra), citing as evidence the hadith of Ibn Abbas in al-Bukhari concerning the immigrant women from the people of war.