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Fatwa CenterAttending the Marriage of a Female Relative to a Non-Muslim
Question
My family is ethnically Muslim, meaning that our ancestors were Muslims, but nowadays our people generally do not practice Islam and know very little about it apart from believing in Allah. My niece, who has recently started learning about Islam on her own and observing salah, is getting married to a non-Muslim man.Would I be allowed to attend such a wedding or part of it in order to maintain family ties, or would I be prohibited from attending the wedding altogether?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad, ﷺ, is His slave and Messenger.
If your sister is a Muslim, then you must inform her that it is prohibited for a Muslim woman to marry a non-Muslim man, because of the command of Allah (which means): {And do not marry believing women to polytheists until they believe} [Quran 2:221]. (This prohibition includes other types of non-Muslims as well.)
However, if she insists on [allowing her daughter] to get married [to a non-Muslim], then it is not permissible [for you] to attend such a wedding, as being present would be considered an affirmation of a contract that is Islamically void, and a welcoming of a major sin. A Muslim is prohibited from witnessing evil practices and being content with them.
Furthermore, refraining from attending such gatherings and events is not considered a severing of family ties; rather, it is obedience to Allah.
Lastly, as for your niece — given that she is unfamiliar with the rulings of Islam and has only just begun to learn and observe them — it may be that she is likewise ignorant and unaware of the ruling on this matter. She should therefore be informed with wisdom and gentleness, and it should be made a condition upon whoever wishes to marry her that he become Muslim before the contract, in order for the marriage to be valid.
Allah Knows best.
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