Wa `alaykum As-Salamu waRahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

 

The most important things a new Muslim must learn after taking the shahadah are the basics of tawheed, Oneness of Allah, how to get closer to Allah through prayer and how to live his/her new life according to the teachings of Islam. A new Muslim has also to keep his family ties and never break them.

 

If both husband and wife convert to Islam, they will continue their marriage. They do not have to conclude a new contract of marriage. This is based on the Prophet’s practice with his companions. When they embraced Islam, the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not ask them to renew their contracts of marriage. Such is the case of a husband converting to Islam while his wife remains Christian, since Islam permitted a Muslim to get married to Christian and Jewish women.

 

If a woman converts to Islam while her husband remains a Christian, she must immediately stop engaging with him in any sexual activity. She separates from him  but must stay for a waiting period. Her waiting period is determined according to her status. If he has regular menses, she waits for three consecutive menstruation periods.

 

If she is pregnant, she must wait until she delivers the baby. If her husband embraces Islam at any time during her waiting period, she returns back to him as a wife without renewing the contract.

 

If her waiting period finishes, she has the option of getting married to another one, but if she wishes to wait for him expecting that he may embrace Islam, she can do that. If he embraces Islam afterwards before her being married to anyone else, they can return back as husband and wife.

 

It is obligatory according to some scholars to have a new contact of marriage. Some scholars did not see it necessary to renew the contract. This is based on the case of Zaynab; the Prophet’s daughter who reunited with her previous husband al-As ibn al-Arabi` after being separated because he preferred to remain a non-Muslim. It has been related that she waited for him even after the expiry of her waiting period. The Prophet did not ask them to renew the contract when he accepted Islam and wanted to reunite with her.

 

Almighty Allah knows best.