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:

AOAWW Brother Burhan,

Hope you are well, I would greatly appreciate it you can please answer the following question in light of Quran and Sunnah.

As per my information in front of Allah SWT everyone is equal and is treated so.

There is a lady who's son is married with three kids and is currently having affairs with other women, even non Muslims, sleeping with them and doing everything that he wants to. His mother instead of not talking to him or trying to get him to turn to a right path tells her daughter in law that she should wait patiently and not do anything and let him keep doing whatever he does. She likes him very much in the whole family even though she has 3 other sons and 3 other daughter in laws.

Have Allah SWT, Quran or Muhammad PBUH said anything about her? I mean, would she also be punished for siding the wrong in a way and not doing what is right?

Please call or email if you need any further assistance.

Thanx in advance,

(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:

Husband committing 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 none 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!

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.

Zina (fornication and adultery) are considered amongst the gravest sins in Islam. One can imagine the severity of the sin, by the punishment Allah and His Messenger (saws) have decreed for the sin. If one is living in an Islamic State and gets convicted of the sin of zina (adultery), the punishment prescribed by Allah and His Messenger (saws) for the life of this world is that the convict should be stoned to death!! And if the person dies without making Taubah or seeking sincere repentance for his transgression from Allah Subhanah in the life of this world, the punishment of the Hereafter in the Just Court of Allah Subhanah is much more severe and lasting!!

Dear and beloved sister in Islam, as a believing and God-fearing wife of a husband who has transgressed the bounds of the Lord and committed ‘zina’, you have two lawful options in Islam:

Option-1: If you believe that your husband committed the evil of zina in ignorance, fears Allah and His Day of Accounting, and is sincerely ashamed and repentant for his abomination of a crime….and you can bring yourself to forgive him, it would be best to forgive him his sin and save your marriage.

Option-2: But if you see that your husband neither fears Allah nor the Day of Judgment, nor is he ashamed nor repentant for his heinous crime….and given half an opportunity he would indulge in the same transgression again; you are well within your rights in Islam and it would be best to initiate a divorce proceeding and separate yourself from such an evil and impious person.

But my beloved sister in Islam, as long as you are married to him, regardless of whether he fulfills his rights towards you or not….it is your duty as a believing and God-fearing woman to fulfill all your rights towards him in marriage. Even if it may seem that the unjust party might get away with his injustice and crime in the life of this world, rest assured that he will never ever get away with his crime in the Majestic Presence of the Lord Most High on that Inevitable and Tumultuous Day of Judgment.

Your Question: Have Allah SWT, Quran or Muhammad PBUH said anything about her? I mean, would she also be punished for siding the wrong in a way and not doing what is right?

Allah Says in the Glorious Quran Chapter 53 Surah Najm verse 38:

38 No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another;

Allah Says in the Glorious Quran Chapter 17 Surah Israa verse 15:

15 Who receives guidance receives it for his own benefit: whoever (chooses to) go astray does so to his own loss: no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another:

Allah Says in the Glorious Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verse 164:

Every soul draws the meed of its acts on none but itself: no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another. Your goal in the end is toward Allah: He will tell you the Truth of the things wherein ye disputed.

Dear and beloved Sister in Islam, your husband is an adult, and on the Day of Judgment, none will carry the burden of his sins except he himself. If your husband’s mother encourages or condones or facilitates the transgressions committed by your husband, indeed she will bear the burden of her own doings….but if she considers that the deeds of his sons are wrong and a grave sin in the Sight of Allah Subhanah, deems herself absolutely helpless at the manifest and continuous transgressions of her adult son, and guides you to be patient and save your marriage, then she is obviously blameless of the crimes committed by her adult son.

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