A woman committed some sins, so she seeks guidance from your eminence?
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The questioner : She indicated her name with the letters Nun, Kha, and Sin, from Iraq. Please direct her question to His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad, and let him please answer it, and may you be rewarded.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
I have read this letter and I have understood exactly what is in it. My answer to it is to say to this woman that repentance wipes out what came before it, no matter how great the sin may be. For Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says in His Book:[Az-Zumar 39:53] And He, the Exalted, says: [Al-Furqan 25:68-70] So whatever sin a person commits, Allah, the Exalted, will accept his repentance from it if he repents to Allah with sincere repentance. Sincere repentance is that which gathers five conditions:
The first is: Sincerity to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, such that the motive for his repentance is the fear of Allah and the hope for His reward, not the fear of creation and the hope for fame, authority, or wealth.
The second is: Regret for the sin and disobedience that occurred from him, such that he feels in his heart sorrow, anxiety, and remorse for what has passed, not that the matter is the same for him whether he did it or left it.
The third is: Ceasing the sin immediately. If it was an act of disobedience, he must remove it and leave it; and if it was the neglect of an obligatory duty, he must perform it immediately if it is something that can be made up.
The fourth is: The resolve not to return to it in the future, such that he forms a firm intention not to return to this sin in the future. If he returns to it later because his soul incites him to return, the first repentance is not invalidated, but it is obligatory for him to repent a second time from his second act.
The fifth is: That the repentance be at a time when it is accepted, which is before the sun rises from the west and before the term of death arrives. As for if it is after the term of death arrives or after the sun rises from the west, it is not accepted, due to the saying of Allah, the Exalted:[An-Nisa 4:18] And due to His saying, the Exalted: [Al-An'am 6:158] And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sunan Abi Dawud 2479Sahih (Al-Albani).
So these five conditions, when they are completed, make the repentance sincere, and Allah, Mighty and Majestic, accepts it. If a person repents and believes and does a righteous deed, then Allah will replace his evil deeds with good ones. And seek a husband who is pleasing in his character and his religion, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1085Da'if (Darussalam) And Allah, the Exalted, will replace that anxiety that has befallen you, if the repentance is realized, with joy and happiness.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
I have read this letter and I have understood exactly what is in it. My answer to it is to say to this woman that repentance wipes out what came before it, no matter how great the sin may be. For Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says in His Book:
Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful."
قل يا عبادي الذين أسرفوا على أنفسهم لا تقنطوا من رحمة الله إن الله يغفر الذنوب جميعاً إنه هو الغفور الرحيم(68) And those who do not invoke with Allah another deity or kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed], except by right, and do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse. And 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. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.
والذين لا يدعون مع الله إله آخر ولا يقتلون النفس التي حرم الله إلا بالحق ولا يزنون ومن يفعل ذلك يلق أثاماً يضعف له العذاب يوم القيامة ويخلد فيه مهانا إلا من تاب وآمن وعمل عملاً صالحاً فأولائك يبدل الله سيئاتهم حسنات وكان الله غفوراً رحيماًThe first is: Sincerity to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, such that the motive for his repentance is the fear of Allah and the hope for His reward, not the fear of creation and the hope for fame, authority, or wealth.
The second is: Regret for the sin and disobedience that occurred from him, such that he feels in his heart sorrow, anxiety, and remorse for what has passed, not that the matter is the same for him whether he did it or left it.
The third is: Ceasing the sin immediately. If it was an act of disobedience, he must remove it and leave it; and if it was the neglect of an obligatory duty, he must perform it immediately if it is something that can be made up.
The fourth is: The resolve not to return to it in the future, such that he forms a firm intention not to return to this sin in the future. If he returns to it later because his soul incites him to return, the first repentance is not invalidated, but it is obligatory for him to repent a second time from his second act.
The fifth is: That the repentance be at a time when it is accepted, which is before the sun rises from the west and before the term of death arrives. As for if it is after the term of death arrives or after the sun rises from the west, it is not accepted, due to the saying of Allah, the Exalted:
But repentance is not [accepted] of those who [continue to] do evil deeds up until, when death comes to one of them, he says, "Indeed, I have repented now,"
وليست التوبة للذين يعملون السيئات حتى إذا حضر أحدهم الموت قال إني تبت الآنThe Day that some of the signs of your Lord will come no soul will benefit from its faith as long as it had not believed before or had earned through its faith some good.
يوم يأتي بعض آيات ربك لا ينفع نفس إيمانها لم تكن آمنت من قبل أو كسبت في إيمانها خيراًMigration will not end until repentance ends, and repentance will not end until the sun rises in the west.
لا تنقطع الهجرة حتى تنقطع التوبة ولا تنقطع التوبة حتى تخرج الشمس من مغربهاSo these five conditions, when they are completed, make the repentance sincere, and Allah, Mighty and Majestic, accepts it. If a person repents and believes and does a righteous deed, then Allah will replace his evil deeds with good ones. And seek a husband who is pleasing in his character and his religion, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: