Q 1: I have an illegitimate daughter from a Finnish woman. After the daughter was born, she was baptized in church. Since I wanted to make amends, I married her mother. The daughter took a Finnish name and is now 5 years old. She goes to nursery and learns all their customs and traditions and eats pork. I see many things that anguish me but I am helpless. When I oppose any of these practices, my wife goes against me, accusing me of bigotry and ignorance and threatens to divorce me. It is worth mentioning that a woman in this country has the right to divorce her husband without his consent and for no legal reason according to the laws of human rights and women's rights in Finland and Europe. She has the right to deprive me of bringing up my daughter. Moreover, I do not speak Finnish well, so I cannot educate or correct my daughter through beating nor even words. It should be noted that I speak little English to the mother and the daughter. Furthermore, I do not have work here so I cannot financially support my daughter or wife. I rely on a small sum of money I get as financial assistance from the state. My wife works as a babysitter. (Part No. 18; Page No. 321) How can I repent and set things right? Should I divorce my wife and return to my country or stay with my family?

A: First: You have to repent to Allah from this great sin of fornication, never commit this sin again and seek Allah's Pardon and Forgiveness for what you have done. Second: It is not permissible for a Muslim to marry a woman from the People of the Scriptures whether a Jew or Christian if she commits fornication unless she stops committing it and repents. Allah (Exalted be He) says, Made lawful to you this day are At-Tayyibât [all kinds of Halâl (lawful) foods, which Allâh has made lawful (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk products, fats, vegetables and fruits)]. The food (slaughtered cattle, eatable animals) of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) is lawful to you and yours is lawful to them. (Lawful to you in marriage) are chaste women from the believers and chaste women from those who were given the Scripture (Jews and Christians) before your time The chaste women means those who do not commit fornication/adultery. Also Allah (Glorified be He) says, The adulterer-fornicator marries not but an adulteress-fornicatress or a Mushrikah, and the adulteress-fornicatress none marries her except an adulterer-fornicator or a Muskrik [and that means that the man who agrees to marry (have a sexual relation with) a Mushrikah (female polytheist, pagan or idolatress) or a prostitute, then surely he is either an adulterer-fornicator, or a Mushrik (polytheist, pagan or idolater). And the woman who agrees to marry (have a sexual relation with) a Mushrik (polytheist, pagan or idolater) or an adulterer-fornicator, then she is either a prostitute or a Mushrikah (female polytheist, pagan, or idolatress)]. Such a thing is forbidden to the believers (of Islâmic Monotheism). Third: The mentioned girl is an illegitimate child from an unlawful relationship with a woman, so she is not your daughter according to the Shari`ah. It is not permissible for you to ascribe her to you because she was the result of an unlawful relationship; that is fornication. She should be ascribed to her mother not to the person who committed fornication with her. (Part No. 18; Page No. 322) May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.