Shar‘i Ruling on the Marriage of a Non-Praying (Be-Namaz) Individual and Related Details
Based on: Fatawa of the Scholars of Hadith, Kitab al-Salah, Vol. 1
What is the Islamic ruling on the marriage of a person who does not offer Salah (Be-Namaz)?
For a valid Nikah (marriage) in Islam, it is essential that both partners are:
✔ Believers (Mu’min)
✔ Affirm the oneness of Allah (Muwahhid)
✔ Free from major acts that nullify faith (Muhsin)
If either spouse is a disbeliever, polytheist, or known adulterer, the Nikah is invalid under Islamic law.
A person who completely abandons Salah — whether out of denial or out of laziness and negligence — is considered by many scholars to be a disbeliever (kāfir).
This is based on the strongest scholarly view, as adopted by major scholars such as:
✔ Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azīz ibn Bāz (رحمه الله)
✔ Scholars of Ahl al-Hadith
✔ Based on explicit evidences from Qur’an and Sunnah
Question:
What is the ruling on the marriage of someone who initially did not perform Salah, then later repented by Allah’s guidance?
Answer:
If the wife was also non-practicing in Salah:
Then the Nikah remains valid, because both spouses shared the same (non-Islamic) state, and the marriage occurred under mutual conditions.
If the wife was a practicing Muslimah:
Then the marriage is invalid, and renewal of Nikah is obligatory, because it is haram (forbidden) for a Muslim woman to be married to a disbelieving man.
Surah al-Baqarah – Verse 221
"وَلَا تُنْكِحُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَتَّىٰ يُؤْمِنُوا"
Translation:
“And do not marry polytheist men [to your women] until they believe.”
Surah al-Mumtahanah – Verse 10
"فَإِنْ عَلِمْتُمُوهُنَّ مُؤْمِنَاتٍ فَلَا تَرْجِعُوهُنَّ إِلَى الْكُفَّارِ، لَا هُنَّ حِلٌّ لَهُمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحِلُّونَ لَهُنَّ"
Translation:
“If you know them to be believing women, do not return them to the disbelievers; they are not lawful for them, nor are they (the disbelievers) lawful for them.”
✔ If the wife was a practicing Muslimah, then her marriage to a non-praying man (considered kāfir) is invalid, and Nikah must be renewed after his repentance.
✔ It is not permissible in Shari‘ah for a Muslim woman to marry a disbelieving man.
Based on: Fatawa of the Scholars of Hadith, Kitab al-Salah, Vol. 1
❖ Question
What is the Islamic ruling on the marriage of a person who does not offer Salah (Be-Namaz)?
❖ Ruling
For a valid Nikah (marriage) in Islam, it is essential that both partners are:
✔ Believers (Mu’min)
✔ Affirm the oneness of Allah (Muwahhid)
✔ Free from major acts that nullify faith (Muhsin)
If either spouse is a disbeliever, polytheist, or known adulterer, the Nikah is invalid under Islamic law.
❖ Status of the Non-Praying Individual
A person who completely abandons Salah — whether out of denial or out of laziness and negligence — is considered by many scholars to be a disbeliever (kāfir).
This is based on the strongest scholarly view, as adopted by major scholars such as:
✔ Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azīz ibn Bāz (رحمه الله)
✔ Scholars of Ahl al-Hadith
✔ Based on explicit evidences from Qur’an and Sunnah
❖ Fatwa of Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azīz ibn Bāz (رحمه الله)
Question:
What is the ruling on the marriage of someone who initially did not perform Salah, then later repented by Allah’s guidance?
Answer:
If the wife was also non-practicing in Salah:Then the Nikah remains valid, because both spouses shared the same (non-Islamic) state, and the marriage occurred under mutual conditions.
If the wife was a practicing Muslimah:Then the marriage is invalid, and renewal of Nikah is obligatory, because it is haram (forbidden) for a Muslim woman to be married to a disbelieving man.
❖ Qur’anic Evidence
Surah al-Baqarah – Verse 221"وَلَا تُنْكِحُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَتَّىٰ يُؤْمِنُوا"
Translation:
“And do not marry polytheist men [to your women] until they believe.”
Surah al-Mumtahanah – Verse 10"فَإِنْ عَلِمْتُمُوهُنَّ مُؤْمِنَاتٍ فَلَا تَرْجِعُوهُنَّ إِلَى الْكُفَّارِ، لَا هُنَّ حِلٌّ لَهُمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحِلُّونَ لَهُنَّ"
Translation:
“If you know them to be believing women, do not return them to the disbelievers; they are not lawful for them, nor are they (the disbelievers) lawful for them.”
❖ Summary
✔ If both husband and wife were non-practicing in Salah at the time of marriage, the Nikah is valid.✔ If the wife was a practicing Muslimah, then her marriage to a non-praying man (considered kāfir) is invalid, and Nikah must be renewed after his repentance.
✔ It is not permissible in Shari‘ah for a Muslim woman to marry a disbelieving man.
