Q. I am a 31 year old male. I had been gay since childhood. I wanted to change my life. Allah has blessed me with a good income. Good looks. Just a bad past. Do I have to tell the person i am to marry about my past? I have changed. I now fast and have done so for 2 years. I have read all my salah and abstained from my past life actions. Does my wife need to know all this? Any Advice?

A. If you have let go of your past in its entirety and have no tendencies towards homosexuality whilst you have also taken the necessary medical tests to prove that you remain a non-health/mental hazard to another human, then under such conditions, getting married would be permissible. (This general rule applies to all.)

It would also be preferred that you marry someone that has had a similar life experience such as yourself. However, if you do marry a religious woman that does not have a taint on her past, that too would be allowed. But in light of current problems within society, we prefer you find a person as close to your past as well as a woman that has changed her life for the better like yourself.

At the time of proposal, it would be best to state: I have done things that I wish not to explain. My past is not the most pure. For the past two years I have performed all my prayers and have fasted. I am also doing makeup for what I owe to Allah (the Greatest). Be sincere when you utter these words and live in accordance to the promises made

To best help your desires stay towards that which is halal, stay in the company of heterosexual adult males. Avoid attachment to situations that would provoke or reinstate past poor behavior patterns.

May Allah continue to keep us all on the straight part, Ameen.

Allah Certainly Knows Best.