Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Is there anything else one must do after commiting zina, other then repent and recognize ones sins?
Can the person who has commited zina, marry someone who has not? And does the person have to tell his or her wife/husband that they have done so

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Zina Repent

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Q-1: Is there anything else one must do after commiting zina, other then repent and recognize ones sins?

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah Zumur verses 53-54:

(O Prophet) say: “O My servants who have wronged their own souls….Do not despair of Allah’s Mercy! Surely, Allah forgives all sins. He indeed is the All Forgiving, All Merciful. Return to your Lord and submit to Him before the scourge overtakes you; for then you may get no help from anywhere.”

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imraan verse 135-136:

Allah likes such good people very much, who, if ever they commit a base deed or wrong their own soul by the commission of a sin, remember Allah instantly, and ask for forgiveness from Him for their shortcomings. For who, but Allah, can forgive sins? (And Allah loves those) who do not knowingly persist in the wrongs they did. These will be rewarded with forgiveness from Allah, and with Gardens beneath which canals flow, and they will reside therein forever! How excellent is the reward of those who do good deeds!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 25 Surah Furqaan verses 63-71:

The (true) servants of the Merciful are those who walk humbly on the earth. When the ignorant people behave insolently towards them, they say, “Peace to you”; (And those) who pass their nights in prostrating themselves and standing before their Lord and pray, “O our Lord, save us from the torment of Hell, for its torment is killing! It is an evil abode, and an evil resting place”. (And those) who, when they spend are neither extravagant, nor miserly, but keep the golden mean between the two extremes. (And those) who do not invoke any god but Allah Alone, nor kill a soul unjustly, which Allah has forbidden, nor commit adultery… He who does this shall be punished for his sin, and his torment shall be doubled on the Day of Resurrection, and he shall abide in a state of ignominy; EXCEPT THE ONE WHO MAY HAVE REPENTED (AFTER THOSE SINS), AND HAVE BELIEVED AND DONE RIGHTEOUS DEEDS. For then, Allah will change his evil deeds into good deeds, and He is very Forgiving and Merciful. In fact, one who repents and does righteous deeds, returns to Allah as one rightly should!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verse 54:

When those come to you who believe in Our Signs, say: "Peace be on you! Your Lord had inscribed for Himself (the rule of) Mercy. Verily if any of you did evil in ignorance, and thereafter repented and amended (his conduct), Lo! He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."

Whatever deeds one might have done, if one turns to Allah Subhanah in sincere Taubah and seeks forgiveness, Allah Subhanah has promised in the Holy Quran that He will forgive all the sins of such a believer, even if one has committed the gravest sin of all: ‘Shirk’! Not only that, our Lord is so Merciful and Generous, that He not only will forgive the sins of the believer, He will change his evil deeds done into good deeds!

The conditions or ways to seek sincere Taubah or Repentance from the Merciful Lord are:

1. One is aware that he has sinned, and feels sorry and ashamed at his sin.
2. Makes a solemn covenant and promise with Allah that he will not repeat his sin again.
3. Turns to Allah and seeks forgiveness, before he has met with his appointment of death.
4. Is a believer and does righteous good deeds thereafter.

To make absolutely sure that one’s sins are forgiven it is not merely enough to verbally repent and admit one’s sins; but it is absolutely imperative that one’s taubah and repentance is manifested by his words and deeds thereafter. One should feel extreme fear and guilt in his heart at his transgression of the boundaries of the Lord Most High, make a solemn covenant with the Lord that he will not approach the sin again, remain constant in seeking forgiveness, and strive to do as many good righteous deeds as he possibly can.

Such is the mercy and grace of the Lord on his believing and sincerely repentant slaves who turn back to Him seeking forgiveness for their sins, that He wipes out that deed completely from their Book of Records! Praise and Glory be to Allah Subhanah, for He Alone indeed is the Most Merciful of all those who show mercy.

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 2357 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Mas'ud

Allah's Messenger (saws said, "He who (sincerely) repents of a sin is like him who has committed no sin."

Q-2: Can the person who has commited zina, marry someone who has not?

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 24 Surah Noor verse 3:

3 Let no man guilty of ‘zina’ marry any but a woman similarly guilty or an unbeliever, nor let any but such a man or an unbeliever marry such a woman: to the believers such a thing is forbidden.

If one daringly and openly transgresses the boundaries of the Lord Most High and commits the heinous crime of ‘zina’ and is not repentant at his grave sin, in light of the above guidance of the Glorious Quran, it is not lawful in Islam for a believer to marry such an evil person.

But if one has committed the grave sin of zina in one’s past and has subsequently repented, that repentance would completely purify him/her of their sin….and there is absolutely no harm and it is encouraged in Islam that they should seek to marry a chaste eligible believer.

Q-3: And does the person have to tell his or her wife/husband that they have done so? 

There is absolutely no obligation that those who have wronged their own soul through the commission of a sin should confess and repent for their sin to anyone except to their Lord Most High.

Once one has sought sincere repentance from their Lord for their transgression, Islam guides that it would not be considered righteousness nor prudent that one expose one’s sins to others after their Lord Most High has Himself concealed their evil, and thus saved them from humiliation in this world.

If one has sought sincere repentance from their Lord for their crime of ‘zina’ which they did in ignorance in the past, it would be best not to willingly inform one’s future husband/wife of their past lest it should effect their relationship in their sacred bond of marriage; but rather remain constant in their seeking repentance and forgiveness from their Lord for their evil abomination till their last breath leaves their body, in the hope that their Lord Most High will forgive them their evil and wipe out that deed from their Book of Records.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan