Navigating Marriage After Reverting to Islam: A Question of Nikkah
Assalamu alaykum everyone, I really need some advice on a personal matter, and I hope you can help. Alhamdulillah, my wife and I are planning to take our shahada together soon. We both come from a Hindu background and have been married for two years with both a Hindu ceremony and a civil registration here in the Netherlands, where we were born. After facing some tough times over the last year, I was guided to Islam, and by the grace of Allah, my wife has been walking this path with me. We've been practicing since the start of the year, praying our daily salah and finding so much comfort and strength in our deen. SubhanAllah, it's been a transformative experience for both of us, and she's eager to declare her shahada alongside me. But now we're feeling a bit uncertain about the next steps. Since we got married in a Hindu way, we're still learning what's required after becoming Muslim. Our big question is this: do we need to have a nikkah after our shahada? Is our current marriage still okay in Islam, or do we need to renew it properly according to Islamic teachings? If so, what should we do first-shahada or nikkah-and how do we go about it? We truly want to get this right, but since everything is so new, any guidance you can offer would be deeply appreciated. Jazakum Allahu khayran in advance. 🤲