Can a Practicing Muslim Woman Marry a Man Who Neglects Salah?

Excerpted from: Aḥkām wa Masā’il – In the Light of Qur’an and Sunnah
Author: Shaykh Mubashar Ahmad Rabbani


❖ Question:​


Is it permissible for a man to marry his daughter to someone who does not perform Salah (prayer)?


❖ Answer:​


It is not appropriate to give a righteous, practicing daughter in marriage to a man who neglects Salah, i.e., a non-praying man, provided that the daughter herself is observant in her religious duties such as prayer and fasting.


Allah Almighty says:


﴿ أَفَمَن كَانَ مُؤْمِنًا كَمَن كَانَ فَاسِقًا ۚ لَا يَسْتَوُونَ ﴾
[Surah as-Sajdah: 18]


Translation:

“Is the one who is a believer like the one who is a sinner? They are not equal.”


A man who abandons prayer is deemed fāsiq (open sinner), and he cannot be considered a compatible match (kufw) for a woman who is devout and righteous.


Therefore:


✔ Such a man should not be given the hand of a practicing Muslim woman,
✖ Unless the daughter herself also does not observe prayer — in which case the ruling differs.
 
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