By Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani
Question: What is the procedure for a Christian to convert to Islam in order to marry a Sunni Muslim girl?
Reply: It is not a correct practice to embrace Islam for the sake of marrying a Muslim girl only. Islam is a composition of certain beliefs and acts. It is a way of life. It is a matter of faith and conviction. In order to become a Muslim, it is necessary to accept all its basic teachings with one’s heart and soul. If one’s real purpose is only to marry a Muslim girl, and he wants to register himself as a Muslim only because he cannot marry that girl without it, while he does not have faith in the basic beliefs of Islam, he cannot be a Muslim in reality.
Therefore, one should know at the first instance that conversion to Islam is not meant for marrying Muslim girls. One should, first, study the basic Islamic beliefs and teachings, and if he is convinced that they are worth accepting, he should accept Islam for its inherent rightfulness and its intrinsic merits, and not only because he wants to marry a girl.