QUESTION:
- Is it permissible for a Shi’i Muslim to marry a Christian woman?
- And if he marries her, is it obligatory upon him to make her Muslim and to make her wear hijab?
- And if she doesn’t wear hijab, is her sin upon the husband?
ANSWER:
In the Name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful.
May Allah bless Muhammad and his Family and damn their enemies.
It is allowed to marry a woman from the People of the Book, such as a Christian, Jewish woman and according to some, a Zoroastrian, or a ‘Sunni’ woman. It’s not obligatory upon the husband to make her become Muslim or wear Hijab. Furthermore, there is no sin upon him if she insists on stubbornness not to wear it. Yes, he must make an effort in guiding her to the true religion, and guiding her to adhere to the Hijab and the other Islamic laws.
And if the wife is from the People of the Book, then she is considered ritually impure on obligatory precaution according to Sayed Sadiq Shirazi. Therefore one must take caution to avoid the spreading of impurity from her to him or to purify accordingly before performing those acts of worship which require ritual purification such as prayer.
It is also necessary to be cautious in not eating what is prepared by the woman which could become impure by the transfer of moisture and so on.
The Office of Sheikh al-Habib
