Is it lawful for a wife who enters Islam to inform her husband?
(Part No. 19; Page No. 19)
Fatwa no.
7139
An Indonesian Christian woman who had come to
Berlin,
in
West Germany,
for a special task she is entrusted with by the government of
Indonesia,
converted to Islam. The woman belongs to an influential family which has good connections with President
Suharto.
Moreover, her husband is an official in the Indonesian Ministry of Defense and Security. In Sha'a Allah (If Allah wills), through her conversion to Islam, being an intellectual and influential woman, she will prove to be useful to Islam and Muslims. However, the dilemma is that
Her husband is a Christian bigot and thus she cannot declare her conversion to Islam.
Until now, no one knows about her conversion except us (7 people only). Nevertheless, she intends to tell her husband and children about her conversion to Islam in her own way so that she can call them to Islam. Your Eminence Shaykh, I do not know what to do in this regard knowing that Allah prohibited that a Muslim woman be married to a non-Muslim man and that such a woman has to leave her husband immediately after her conversion to Islam. On account of her being a new convert to Islam, I do not think she can enforce such an Islamic ruling and I fear that she may go back to disbelief. Furthermore, she does not belong to an ordinary family. Had she belonged to an ordinary family, leaving the husband would have been easy. Therefore, I ask you about the issue and want, if possible, a fatwa from Shaykh
Ibn Baz.
May I postpone ordering her to leave her non-Muslim husband until her belief gets stronger? Or, what should I tell her?
(Part No. 19; Page No. 20)
A:
She has to tell her husband about her conversion to Islam and that she is now prohibited to be his wife until he embraces Islam. If he embraces Islam while she is in her `Iddah (waiting period), she will remain his wife without the need to contract marriage anew. However, if he converts to Islam after the `Iddah is over, he may marry her anew through a new marriage contract provided that she shows her consent and all Shar`y (Islamic legal) conditions are met. May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.