A woman asks, saying that she was ignorant and, unfortunately, committed many major sins, then she regretted it, sought Allah's forgiveness, and called upon Him to grant her a husband.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : May Allah preserve you, esteemed Shaykh. A woman asks, saying that she was ignorant and, unfortunately, committed many major sins. Then she regretted it, sought the forgiveness of Allah the Exalted, and called upon Allah the Exalted to grant her a righteous husband. After about a year, she married a righteous man and remained with him for years, and Allah blessed them with a child. This woman continued to remember those sins and that shortcoming in the rights of Allah the Exalted, and she repented to Allah, praise be to Allah. Now she is confused: is the marriage contract valid or not? And if it is not valid, is this contract renewed? Even though she says: "I love my husband and I cannot bear to part with him!"
The Shaykh : If this woman did not do what would take her out of Islam, but rather committed sins and major sins, then the marriage contract is valid and does not need to be renewed. And her repentance from the sins she committed, if it meets the conditions, then the sins have no effect on her, because the one who repents from a sin is like one who has no sin. And Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said:[An-Nisa 4:110] And He, the Exalted, said: [Ash-Shuraa 42:25] And He, the Exalted, said: [Az-Zumar 39:53] And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed that repentance wipes out what came before it. But repentance must have conditions. The conditions of repentance are five: The first condition is that it be sincere for Allah, such that a person is not driven to repentance except by the intention of seeking the pleasure of Allah the Exalted and His forgiveness. One does not intend by repentance showing off, fame, or any of the matters of this world.
The second condition is that one regrets what one did of sins, is emotionally affected by it, and wishes in one's heart that one had not committed this sin.
The third condition is that one abandons the sin. If it is a sin in disobeying the command of Allah, let one do what is commanded. That is, if the sin was leaving an obligatory act, let one perform the obligatory act, if it is something for which making up is prescribed. And if it was committing a forbidden act, let one abandon this forbidden act. This includes, if it was a right belonging to a human being, that one delivers the right to its owner.
The fourth condition is that one resolves not to return to the sin again. One must resolve not to return; the condition is not that one does not return, but that one resolves not to return. If one resolves not to return and then returns later, the first repentance is not invalidated, but one must renew the repentance for the return.
The fifth condition is that the repentance be in the time of its acceptance, because there is a time when repentance is not accepted. That is when death approaches. If death approaches, repentance is not accepted, due to the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He:[An-Nisa 4:18] And when Pharaoh was overcome by drowning, [Yunus 10:90] it was said to him: meaning: "Is it now that you repent" [Yunus 10:91].
Likewise, repentance is not accepted when the sun rises from the west, due to the saying of Allah, the Exalted:[Al-An'am 6:158] And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) interpreted that as the rising of the sun from the west. In our saying that it is a condition that repentance be before the term arrives, there is clear evidence that a person must hasten to repent, because no person knows that he will die at a specific time or in a specific place, due to the saying of Allah, the Exalted: [Luqman 31:34] So a person does not know when death will come to him. How many people have died while talking to their companions, how many have died while sleeping in their beds, how many have died while holding the steering wheel of a car, and how many have died while walking in the street. This necessitates that a person hasten to repent before regret is of no benefit. I ask Allah to accept our repentance all.
The questioner : Amen.
The Shaykh : And that He guide us to sincere repentance.
The questioner : O Allah, Amen.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, esteemed Shaykh, and may Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : If this woman did not do what would take her out of Islam, but rather committed sins and major sins, then the marriage contract is valid and does not need to be renewed. And her repentance from the sins she committed, if it meets the conditions, then the sins have no effect on her, because the one who repents from a sin is like one who has no sin. And Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said:
And whoever does a wrong or wrongs himself but then seeks forgiveness of Allah will find Allah Forgiving and Merciful.
وَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ سُوءًا أَوْ يَظْلِمِ نَفْسَهُ ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرِ اللَّهَ يَجِدِ اللَّهَ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًاAnd it is He who accepts repentance from his servants and pardons misdeeds
وَهُوَ الَّذِي يَقْبَلُ التَّوْبَةَ عَنْ عِبَادِهِ وَيَعْفُوا عَنِ السَّيِّئَاتِSay, "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."
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ لا تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُThe second condition is that one regrets what one did of sins, is emotionally affected by it, and wishes in one's heart that one had not committed this sin.
The third condition is that one abandons the sin. If it is a sin in disobeying the command of Allah, let one do what is commanded. That is, if the sin was leaving an obligatory act, let one perform the obligatory act, if it is something for which making up is prescribed. And if it was committing a forbidden act, let one abandon this forbidden act. This includes, if it was a right belonging to a human being, that one delivers the right to its owner.
The fourth condition is that one resolves not to return to the sin again. One must resolve not to return; the condition is not that one does not return, but that one resolves not to return. If one resolves not to return and then returns later, the first repentance is not invalidated, but one must renew the repentance for the return.
The fifth condition is that the repentance be in the time of its acceptance, because there is a time when repentance is not accepted. That is when death approaches. If death approaches, repentance is not accepted, due to the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He:
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,"
وَلَيْسَتِ التَّوْبَةُ لِلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ السَّيِّئَاتِ حَتَّى إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ قال إِنِّي تُبْتُ الأنَhe said, "I believe that there is no deity except that in whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am of the Muslims."
قَالَ ءامَنْتُ أَنَّهُ لا إِلَهَ إِلَّا الَّذِي ءامَنَتْ بِهِ بَنُو إِسْرائيلَ وَأَنَا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَNow?
ءالأنَAnd you had disobeyed [Him] before and were of the corrupters?
وَقَدْ عَصَيْتَ قَبْلُ وَكُنْتَ مِنَ الْمُفْسِدِينَLikewise, repentance is not accepted when the sun rises from the west, due to the saying of Allah, the Exalted:
The 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.
يَوْمَ يَأْتِي بَعْضُ ءايَاتِ رَبِّكَ لا يَنفَعُ نَفْسًا إِيمَانُهَا لَمْ تَكُنْ ءامَنَتْ مِنْ قَبْلُ أَوْ كَسَبَتْ فِي إِيمَانِهَا خَيْرًاIndeed, Allah [alone] has knowledge of the Hour and sends down the rain and knows what is in the wombs. And no soul perceives what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul perceives in what land it will die. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ عِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ وَيُنَزِّلُ الْغَيْثَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الأَرْحَامِ وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ مَاذَا تَكْسِبُ غَدًا وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ بِأَيِّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ إن اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌThe questioner : Amen.
The Shaykh : And that He guide us to sincere repentance.
The questioner : O Allah, Amen.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, esteemed Shaykh, and may Allah bless you.