My father is Muslim and my mother is Christian. My mother never converted to Islam. What implications would that have for me? Are my parents considered to be married in the eyes of Islam?

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

It is lawful for a Muslim to marry a chaste woman of the People of the Book. Allah Says (what means) in this regard: {And [lawful in marriage are] chaste women from among the believers and chaste women from among those who were given the Scripture before you, when you have given them their due compensation, desiring chastity, not unlawful sexual intercourse or taking [secret] lovers.} [Quran 5:5]

If the woman who belongs to the People of the Book is not chaste, then marrying her is not permissible. Due to this reason some Companions of the Prophet Muhammad did not permit marrying a Christian or a Jewish woman.

Anyway, marrying a Muslim woman is highly recommended for the following facts:

1. A Muslim woman raises her children according to the rulings of Islam. The chances of dispute between her and her husband become rare since both the husband and the wife follow the same religion. In the case of divorce or death of the husband, probably the children will be with their mother, and, in this case, they will be Muslims not having any ill effects from their mother.

2. It is very possible that the children may be influenced by the mother in their faith and character. Allah describes the non-Muslim in this Verse (which means): {Those invite [you] to the Fire, but Allah invites to Paradise and to forgiveness, by His permission.} [Quran 2:221]

3. Nowadays, most of the women from the People of the Book have given up their religion and embraced secularism. Moreover, the basic condition for the permissibility of marrying them is chastity; however, usually this condition is also not met.

As for the children, they are Muslims and should follow the religion of Islam. Islam is the only true religion. Allah Says (what means): {And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers} [Quran 3:85]

One cannot get salutation in the Hereafter if he is not Muslim. The Prophet said: “By Him in whose hand is the life of Muhammad, he who amongst the community of Jews or Christians hears about me, but does not affirm his belief in that with which I have been sent and dies in this state (of disbelief), he shall be one of the denizens of Hellfire.”

If a person is a righteous Muslim and follows the Sharee’ah, then the religion of his/her mother does not have any effect upon him/her. Allah Says (what means):

• {…Every person is a pledge for that which he has earned.} [Quran 52:21]

• {…No bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another.} [Quran 39:7]

But one should not spare any effort to convey Islam to his/her mother. Because if she dies without accepting Islam she will be in Hellfire forever. May Allah protect us from it.

Allah knows best.