The Difference of Religion Between the Spouses: Destinations Vision

Abstract

As a result of Islam spread in Western societies, one of the spouses may revert to Islam while the other may refrain from embracing it. This article discusses the case of a wife converting to Islam while her husband remained on his old doctrine. Often, the wife either stays married to a non-Muslim husband or seeks a divorce due to religious differences. Islam has addressed this issue since ancient times, and it has re-emerged due to the mixing of contemporary societies in a way that has not been seen before. This study adopts the descriptive-analytical approach and the inductive approach to deduce the relationship between the Islamic sharia perspective and the legal ruling on new developments and issues.  Results indicate that it is possible for the wife to remain under her husband's protection and wait for him to convert while refraining from sexual intercourse. It encourages the wife to convince her husband to convert to Islam in order to preserve their children, and their home, and prevent its destruction and loss. As for the dissolution of the marriage contract, it can only be done by mutual consent or by a judge’s ruling, whether inside or outside Islamic countries.