Should new converts renew their marriage contracts?
Dear scholars, As-Salamu `alaykum. I am a German. My husband and I were married in Germany according to German law. I was Christian and then converted to Islam after my marriage. Some time ago my husband got to know that we have to be married Islamically, so that our marriage would be legal. So we decided to do this. But then my husband found out about a hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) which states that there has to be a wali for a Muslim woman in order for her marriage to be legal. But when my husband asked the person in charge of Islamic marriage measures (the Imam of the local mosque) whether there has to be a wali for me, the Imam said that this is not necessary for a woman who doesn’t live with her parents any more. I was a thirty-six-year old woman and lived on my own. We had our wedding with two Muslim witnesses and with the Imam, but without a wali. So we are worried concerning the Prophetic hadith which my husband knows. We want to know whether our marriage is Islamically legal or not. What should we do? Please give us your sincere advice. Jazakum Allah khayran.
