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:

i read from your section that if one commited any sin like zina and after he/she returns to allah for seek of taubah then he/she will be forgiven and his/her sin will be wiped out from book of records.my question is that after taubah will he/she be still called as gunehgar of zina and can they say that they are innocent if anyone asks them or asks to take kasam of allah or quran as they know that they have repented to allah and allah is so merciful that he has wiped out their sin. 

(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 forgiveness

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 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 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."

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 2339 Narrated by Abu Sa'id

Allah's Messenger (saws) said that the Shaytaan said, "By Thy Might, my Lord, I shall continue to lead Thy servants astray as long as their spirits are in their bodies!" The Lord, Who is Great and Glorious, replied, "By My Might, Glory and Exalted Station, I shall continue to pardon them as long as they ask My forgiveness!"

If one is indeed sincere in their repentance, their Lord Most Gracious Most Merciful has promised them in His Glorious Book of Guidance that He will turn toward them with His Mercy and completely wipe out their sin from their ‘book of records’.

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

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

Your Question: …..my question is that after taubah will he/she be still called as gunehgar of zina and can they say that they are innocent if anyone asks them or asks to take kasam of allah or quran as they know that they have repented to allah and allah is so merciful that he has wiped out their sin. 

Firstly, if one has committed a sin, even if it happens to be as grave and as heinous as the sin of ‘zina’….and Allah Subhanah in His Mercy has screened their evil from others, one should not go about declaring or exposing their own sins! That would indeed be impiety.

Secondly, under normal circumstances, no person has a right to accuse another of committing sin unless and until they have viable proof to prove their accusation.

And thirdly, if a situation does ever arise where one is put on oath by their loved one regarding their sin, one would have no choice but to declare the truth and state that they did commit the error in their past and have subsequently sought sincere repentance from their Lord for their sin….and their loved one should not only believe them, but forgive them, just as they themselves would desire that Allah Subhanah would forgive them their own sins.

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