Q 2: Most of the girls in our village do not offer Salah (Prayer) until after they get married. It is difficult to find a religious wife whether in my village or in the nearby ones. Is it permissible to marry a woman who does not offer Salah and then teach her to do so after marriage, or should I ask her guardian to teach her after the engagement? Please advise. May Allah reward you.

A: It is impermissible for a Muslim man to marry a woman who does not offer Salah, unless she performs Tawbah (repentance to Allah) before concluding the marriage contract and keeps up Salah. This is according to Allah's saying, And do not marry Al-Mushrikât (idolatresses, etc.) till they believe (worship Allâh Alone). Abandoning Salah is considered Kufr (disbelief) according to the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him), What makes one a Kafir (disbeliever) and a Mushrik (polytheist) is abandoning Salah. Narrated by Muslim. He (peace be upon him) also said, That which differentiates us from the Kafirs and hypocrites is our offering Salah. A person who abandons it becomes a Kafir. Related by Imam Ahmad and Ahl-ul-Sunan (authors of Hadith compilations classified by jurisprudential themes) with a Sahih (authentic) Isnad (chain of narrators). (Part No. 18; Page No. 304) May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.