I got married from an Italian man who was converted to Islam due to our marriage since that I knew it was Haraam to marry a Christian, I tried to change so many things during our six years of marriage and tried to let him know Islam better but its so difficult for him to accept from me since that I get angry very fast for the things he says some times, he still doesn't pray but he did fast the last 2 Ramadhaan but we argue so much when I try to touch other subjects in Islam he refutes to talk to me, we have one kid now and he doesn't have problems that our kids will be raised as a Muslim but sometimes he has so many bad influences from his parents and friends here, he doesn't talk normally about those things but I can feel it, some times I feel like he is welling to change and some times I feel like there is no hope, I have already asked him for divorce cause I'm so scared that maybe living with someone who doesn't pray is Haraam but he refuses divorce, I asked help from the Islamic centre here to help me since I can't understand how does my husband thinks and if I'm showing him Islam in the right way since that I'm not so patient but my husband did not accept that I bring him someone to teach him how to live and I was advised to pray for my husband for al-Hedaya and to be patient, what do I have to do?

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 ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.

The prayer is the greatest pillar of Islam after the two testimonies of faith; whoever abandons it while denying its obligation is a non-Muslim according to the consensus of the scholars. Nonetheless, if one abandons the prayer out of laziness, then the scholars differed in opinion in his regard. Anyway, there is no good for a Muslim woman to stay with a husband who does not perform the prayer, in this regard please refer to Fatwa 87572.

Therefore, we advise you to invoke Allaah earnestly to guide him and enable him to perform the payer. You should advise him in a nice and soft manner and warn him about the evil fate of persisting in abandoning the prayer. Some scholars, knowledgeable people or any other pious people like those who are running the said Islamic centre should take the initiative to advise him. Then is he persists in his misguidance, ask him to divorce you. If he refuses to divorce you, take the matter to the Islamic centre again so that they would remove the harm off you by divorcing you from him or obtaining Khul' (divorce in return for compensation).

Finally, the two following matters should be mentioned:

1-     A person may become a Muslim and be steadfast on Islam afterwards even if he initially did so just to marry a particular woman, and there is nothing wrong with this. Indeed this is what happened to Abu Talhah with Um Sulaym ; in this regard please refer to Fatwa 83685.

2-     Some people may pretend to embrace Islam without really following its obligations and rules just in order to achieve a particular benefit like marriage; in this case one should be wise and witty and not hasten to accept to marry such people so that one will not regret it later.

Allaah Knows best.