The Repentance of the Adulterer and the Adulteress
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Your Eminence! A young man asks and says: He had committed sins and repented to Allah, the Exalted, but one sin still torments his conscience: he committed adultery with a virgin. What should he do, O Shaykh? Should he approach her family, knowing that he is unable to marry her? He is currently struggling with himself and living a psychologically disturbed life over this matter. What is your opinion on this?
What we see is that if a person repents from any sin, Allah accepts his repentance; for Allah mentioned the roots of the great, major sins in His saying: [Al-Furqan: 68] and this shirk [Al-Furqan: 68] is an aggression against Allah, against souls, and against honor,He said: [Al-Furqan: 68-70] So it is obligatory for a person, if he repents with a sincere repentance in which the five known conditions are completed, namely: regret, ceasing the sin, resolving not to return to it in the future, sincerity, which is the foundation, and that the repentance be before the time runs out. If these five conditions are completed in his case, it is a sincere repentance, by which Allah erases all his previous sins, even adultery.
As for the woman with whom he committed zina, if it was with her consent, she is not to be asked about it herself. If it was by coercion, he must repent to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, from this coercion. If he is able to make her lawful to him by marrying her, let him do so. If he is not able, let him seek forgiveness for her abundantly. Allah, the Exalted and Exalted, is the Forgiver, the Merciful.
As for what happened regarding the loss of her virginity through this adultery, and that she will be in great distress; because if she proposes marriage claiming to be a virgin, there is a problem,If she says: her virginity is gone, so there will be many questions about her. And if she remains silent, there is some deception in this regarding the husband who marries her. But I hope from Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, that if his repentance is sincere and the woman—also—was willing and her repentance is sincere, that Allah will make for them a relief and an exit.
And as for your statement in the question: He says it is not possible for him to marry her, so I do not know why you said: it is not possible? Is he poor?The questioner: The reasons why it is not possible for him to marry her: The first reason: difference in tribe.
The second factor: The father’s refusal of marriage from this family.
So the father is insistent on the refusal, and also the relationship of the family to the tribe differs from their tribe regarding lineage.
The Shaykh: In any case, if it is facilitated for him to marry her, that is what is required. And if it is not facilitated, Allah will make for her a relief and an exit as long as her repentance is sincere;For Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Talaq: 2] and this is general.
What we see is that if a person repents from any sin, Allah accepts his repentance; for Allah mentioned the roots of the great, major sins in His saying:
And those who do not invoke with Allah another deity
وَالَّذِينَ لا يَدْعُونَ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهاً آخَرَor kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed], except by right, and do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse
وَلا يَقْتُلُونَ النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلَاّ بِالْحَقِّ وَلا يَزْنُونَAnd whoever should do that will meet a penalty. (69) Multiplied for him is the punishment on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein humiliated - (70) Except for those who repent, believe and do righteous work. For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good.
وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ يَلْقَ أَثَاماً * يُضَاعَفْ لَهُ الْعَذَابُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَيَخْلُدْ فِيهِ مُهَاناً * إِلَّا مَنْ تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلاً صَالِحاً فَأُولَئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍAs for the woman with whom he committed zina, if it was with her consent, she is not to be asked about it herself. If it was by coercion, he must repent to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, from this coercion. If he is able to make her lawful to him by marrying her, let him do so. If he is not able, let him seek forgiveness for her abundantly. Allah, the Exalted and Exalted, is the Forgiver, the Merciful.
As for what happened regarding the loss of her virginity through this adultery, and that she will be in great distress; because if she proposes marriage claiming to be a virgin, there is a problem,If she says: her virginity is gone, so there will be many questions about her. And if she remains silent, there is some deception in this regarding the husband who marries her. But I hope from Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, that if his repentance is sincere and the woman—also—was willing and her repentance is sincere, that Allah will make for them a relief and an exit.
And as for your statement in the question: He says it is not possible for him to marry her, so I do not know why you said: it is not possible? Is he poor?The questioner: The reasons why it is not possible for him to marry her: The first reason: difference in tribe.
The second factor: The father’s refusal of marriage from this family.
So the father is insistent on the refusal, and also the relationship of the family to the tribe differs from their tribe regarding lineage.
The Shaykh: In any case, if it is facilitated for him to marry her, that is what is required. And if it is not facilitated, Allah will make for her a relief and an exit as long as her repentance is sincere;For Allah the Exalted said: