Assalaamu alaykom. I want your help about my decision on whether to get married or not. I am an Arab. I got to know a Muslim lady who lives in a non-Muslim country. I met her parents and saw that her whole family has Islam as their religion natively. I felt at rest regarding them and her as well even though she does not wear the hijab, but she does plan for it Allaah willing. The issue that I discovered recently is that she has her own house and rented one room to a Christian Italian guy for three moths only. He only has the right to sleep, shower and wash his clothes. The guy has the right to enter the home at any time and she wears her home clothes . My fiancee has a maid ( lady) that lives with her as well. However, there is no Mahram (permanently unmarriageable male) in the house because she is independent. I got angry for what she did and did not like it at all, but my fiancee said that the market was very low and that she could not find any ladies to rent the room, only guys, and she has to rent the room to help herself because she lives by herself. I told her to cancel the contract with him and that she has to be patient till she finds a lady. She refused to do that and answered that this will cause her problems in court. I want to know what the judgment is on what my fiancee did. And what do I have to do in this case? Should I continue or should I cancel everything, because I seriously did not feel at rest regarding that action. May Allaah reward you.

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 is His slave and Messenger.

We do not advise you to marry this woman as long as she behaves in this way, and you should look for a religious wife who has a good moral character pursuant to the advice of the Prophet who said, “…so choose the religious woman and you will prosper." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Marrying a woman who is not religious on the grounds that she will hopefully become righteous after marriage is not a safe course of action, and it may lead to bad consequences. It is only Allaah Who knows the future, and the guidance is in His Hands.

Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen said, “Some people might say: I will marry a woman who is not religious hoping that Allaah will guide her through me. We say to him: we are not responsible for the future; we do not know anything about it; perhaps you would marry her while hoping that Allaah will guide her through you but what actually happens is that she changes you to become like her and you then suffer in the Hereafter because of her.” [Excerpted from Ash-Sharh Al-Mumti’ ‘ala Zaad Al-Mustaqni']

Allaah knows best.