Title: Marriage with a Polytheist Question: I wanted to know that if one of the members of an Islamic couple (either husband or wife) changes their religion and becomes a polytheist then is it the sacred duty of the spouse, still a Muslim, to divorce his or her spouse Thanking You Sincerely Answer: It cannot be said that it is a "sacred duty" of a Muslim to separate from his or her spouse if the spouse becomes a polytheist, yet it seems that a true Muslim can only live with such a spouse in the sole hope of bringing the spouse back to the path of Islam, which he holds to be the only true path of salvation and permanent success. Islam is not just one of the monotheistic religions. Islam holds the declaration of the oneness of the Creator to be the most sacred and basic rights of the Creator. Ascribing partners to God, in the eyes of Islam, is to wrong the Creator of His primary right. Associating partners to God refutes not only one of the beliefs of Islam, but challenges the very basis on which Islam builds its structure. A Muslim is a person who not only declares oneness of the Creator but also pledges allegiance to Him for as long as he lives; a person who holds the fulfillment of the rights of the Creator to be his first priority in life. On the other hand, ascribing partners to the Creator, in the eyes of Islam, is rebellion against the Creator. Keeping the above explanation in perspective, it should be quite clear that maintenance of a marital relationship between a polytheist and a true Muslim is against the very spirit of not only Islam but is also against human nature. After all, how can a person be true in his/her allegiance to God and yet live with and love his/her spouse who has declared rebellion against God. An Islamic state shall not allow marriage between a Muslim and a polytheist and in case of the conversion of a person to polytheism, the Islamic state shall abrogate his/her marriage with a Muslim. On the other hand, if the married couple are living in a non-Muslim state, although there shall be no legal compulsion of separation yet, as I have stated in the preceding paragraphs, a true Muslim can pull along the relationship only in the hope of bringing his spouse back to the path that he himself holds to be the one which leads to everlasting bliss. 15 th October 1999