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:

You said that:If a believing woman is involved in sex before marriage, She should immediately turn back to her Lord, and sincerely seek His Forgiveness. Is it all that requires, i dont agree. Its a grave sin. If thats the case then sex outside marraige will become common. I belive that sex outside marraige is punishable by death as is the case in some Islamic countries. Please clarify.

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Answer:

Is taubah enough for Zina?

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.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 17 Surah Israa verse 32:Do not even go near ‘zina’ (fornication or adultery) for it is a very indecent thing and a very evil way!

Zina is indeed amongst the gravest sins in Islam! And if a man or a woman are convicted in a Shariah Court for the sin of ‘zina’, Allah and His Messenger (saws) have prescribed the punishment of 100 lashes for fornication, and the punishment of being stoned to death for adultery.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 24 Surah Noor verse 2:The woman and the man guilty of ‘zina’ (fornication), flog each one of them with a hundred stripes, and let not pity for them restrain you in regard to a matter prescribed by Allah; if indeed you believe in Allah and the Last Day! And let a section of the believers witness the punishment inflicted on them.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 8.806 Narrated by Abu Huraira

A man came to the Messenger of Allah (saws) while he was in the mosque, and he called him, saying, "O Messenger of Allah (saws)! I have committed illegal sexual intercourse." The Prophet (saws) turned his face to the other side, but that man repeated his statement four times, and after he bore witness against himself four times, the Prophet (saws) called him, saying, "Are you mad?" The man said, "No." The Prophet (saws) said, "Are you married?" The man said, "Yes." Then the Prophet said, "Take him away and stone him to death." Jabir bin 'Abdullah said: I was among the ones who participated in stoning him and we stoned him at the Musalla.”

The punishment of 100 lashes for fornication, or being stoned to death for adultery, is the prescribed punishment in Shariah the righteous Islamic society will extract from the ‘zaani’ in the life of this world. If the person guilty of ‘zina’ does not turn to his Lord and seek sincere forgiveness, the punishment in the Hereafter will be much more severe indeed.

But in cases where one committed ‘zina’, but was not caught, nor convicted by a Shariah court in the life of this world; if he/she do not seek sincere Taubah and repentance from the Merciful Lord, they will be severely punished in the Hereafter. But if he/she seeks sincere Taubah and repentance before their appointment of death, and subsequently do righteous good deeds, the Merciful Lord has promised to forgive all sins, and this person will not have an accounting for his sin in the Hereafter.

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 ‘zina’ (fornication and 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!

Your Question: You said that:If a believing woman is involved in sex before marriage, She should immediately turn back to her Lord, and sincerely seek His Forgiveness. Is it all that requires, i dont agree. Its a grave sin.

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!

Just see the unending Mercy of the Merciful Lord on His creation! Allah Subhanah has left the door of Taubah open for His slaves to seek forgiveness until one meets with his appointment of death. No matter what sins one might have done in his life, if he turns to His Lord in sincere repentance and seeks forgiveness before his appointment of death, he will find his Lord Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. Such is the Mercy of the Most Merciful on His slaves!

Shirk (associating others with Allah Subhanah) is a much bigger sin in the sight of Allah Subhanah than ‘zina’; but if one seeks sincere Taubah and repentance after committing shirk, the Merciful Lord even forgives this most heinous of sins. Such is the Mercy of the Most Merciful; thus no matter what one might have done in his life, he should immediately turn to his Merciful Lord and seek sincere forgiveness for his past sins. It is expected that he will find his Lord Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

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

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan