My father is Muslim and my mother is a Christian who has refused to embrace Islam. Will this affect me? Does Islam validate the marriage of my parents?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

Islam permits a Muslim man to marry a woman from the people of the Book: either Jewish or Christian. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {This day [all] good foods have been made lawful, and the food of those who were given the Scripture is lawful for you and your food is lawful for them. And [lawful in marriage are] chaste women from among the believers and chaste women from among those who were given the Scripture before you.}[Quran 5:5] However, it is impermissible to marry a woman from the People of the Book if she is not chaste. For this reason ‘Umar used to ban these marriages and forbid the Companions from them.

It is preferable that a Muslim man marries a Muslim woman for several reasons:

1-      Muslim mothers bring up their children in Islam. If both parents are Muslim there will be no differences between them and thus no harm for the children if they remain with their mother in the case of divorce or the death of their father.

2-      Muslim children are not in safe hands with a Jewish or Christian woman, because they are influenced by her creed and conduct. Allaah The Almighty described them, Saying (what means): {Those invite [you] to the Fire, but Allaah invites to Paradise and to forgiveness, by His permission.}[Quran 2:221]

3-      Most of the women belonging to the People of the Book abandon their religion and become atheists and they are mostly unchaste – a pivotal condition for permitting their marriage to Muslim men. Nevertheless, a Muslim man would be permitted to marry a woman from the people of the Book if he is certain about her chastity and her adherence to her religion.

Children follow their father in Islam, the only true religion that Allaah accepts. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {And whoever desires other than Islam as religion - never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.}[Quran 3:85] They will not be saved except by embracing Islam. In a Hadeeth on the authority of Abu Hurayrah the Prophet swore by Allaah that if a Jew or Christian ever heard of him and then did not believe in what was sent to him and died in that state, he would become an inmate of Hell. [Muslim]

Having a non-Muslim mother does not harm a righteous believer, for Allaah The Almighty Says (what means):

•  {Every person, for what he earned, is retained.}[Quran 52:21]

• {And no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another.}[Quran 6:164]

You must be dutiful to your mother, because being a disbeliever does not forfeit her right to this, unless she calls you to disobey Allaah. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {But if they endeavor to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them but accompany them in [this] world with appropriate kindness.}[Quran 31:15]

Instead you should guide her to goodness and call her to Islam, for she will be an inmate of Hell if she dies a disbeliever. The fact that her husband is a Muslim will not help her. Allaah The Almighty informed us that the wives of the prophets Nooh (Noah) and Loot (Lot), may Allaah exalt their mention, will be from Hell’s inmates, and their status as wives of the prophets of Allaah did not help them. This is because nobody will enter Paradise except a believer, as stated in the Hadeeth.  

And Allaah Knows best.