Acceptance of repentance

I have committed a great sin and I prayed to Allaah and asked Him to forgive me. Will my repentance from that sin be accepted? I feel that my repentance has not been accepted and that Allaah is angry with me. Are there any indications that repentance has been accepted?.

Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly: Making mistakes and falling short are undoubtedly part of human nature and no one will be free of shortcomings in his obedience to Allaah, or free of mistakes or forgetfulness or sins. All of us fall short, commit sins, and make mistakes. Sometimes we turn to Allaah and sometimes we turn away from Him. Sometimes we remember that Allaah is watching and sometimes we become negligent. None of us is free of sin, and we will inevitably make mistakes. We are not infallible. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “By the One in Whose hand is my soul, if you did not commit sin Allaah would do away with you and bring people who would commit sin then pray for forgiveness.” Narrated by Muslim, 2749. And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Every son of Adam sins, and the best of those who sin are those who repent.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2499; classed as hasan by al-Albaani.

By His mercy towards weak man, Allaah has opened the gate of repentance to him, and has commanded him to turn to Him, every time sin overwhelms him. Were it not for that, man would suffer a great deal of hardship and would not have the drive to draw closer to his Lord; he would lose all hope of His forgiveness and pardon. Repentance is something that is necessary as a result of man’s shortcomings and human failings.

Allaah has enjoined repentance on all kinds of people in this ummah: those who are foremost in good deeds, those who follow a middle course, and those who wrong their own selves by doing haraam things (cf. Faatir 35:32).

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And all of you beg Allaah to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful”

[al-Noor 24:31]

“O you who believe! Turn to Allaah with sincere repentance!”

[al-Tahreem 66:8]

And the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “O people, repent to Allaah and seek His forgiveness, for I repent one hundred times a day.” Narrated by Muslim, 2702 from the hadeeth of al-Agharr al-Muzani (may Allaah be pleased with him).

Allaah has bestowed His mercy and encompassed His slaves with his kindness. He is Forbearing and does not punish us or destroy us straightaway, rather He gives us respite, and He commanded His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to proclaim His generosity:

“Say: O ‘Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allaah, verily, Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”

[al-Zumar 39:53 – interpretation of the meaning].

And He says, out of kindness towards His slaves (interpretation of the meaning):

“Will they not turn with repentance to Allaah and ask His forgiveness? For Allaah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”

[al-Maa'idah 5:74]

“And verily, I am indeed forgiving to him who repents, believes (in My Oneness, and associates none in worship with Me) and does righteous good deeds, and then remains constant in doing them (till his death)”

[Ta-Ha 20:82]

“And those who, when they have committed Faahishah (illegal sexual intercourse) or wronged themselves with evil, remember Allaah and ask forgiveness for their sins; — and none can forgive sins but Allaah — and do not persist in what (wrong) they have done, while they know”

[Aal ‘Imraan 3:135]

“And whoever does evil or wrongs himself but afterwards seeks Allaah’s forgiveness, he will find Allaah Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”

[al-Nisa’ 4:110]

Allaah calls to repentance those who committed the gravest form of shirk and sin, those who say that ‘Eesa (peace be upon him) is the son of God – exalted be Allaah far above what the wrongdoers say. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Will they not turn with repentance to Allaah and ask His forgiveness? For Allaah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”

[al-Maa’idah 5:74]

And He opens the door of repentance to the hypocrites, who are worse than the kuffaar who openly show their kufr. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, the hypocrites will be in the lowest depth (grade) of the Fire; no helper will you find for them.

146. Except those who repent (from hypocrisy), do righteous good deeds, hold fast to Allaah, and purify their religion for Allaah (by worshipping none but Allaah, and do good for Allaah’s sake only, not to show off), then they will be with the believers. And Allaah will grant the believers a great reward”

[al-Nisa’ 4:145-146]

One of the attributes of the Lord is that He accepts repentance and rejoices over it by His grace. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And He it is Who accepts repentance from His slaves, and forgives sins, and He knows what you do”

[al-Shoora 42:25]

“Know they not that Allaah accepts repentance from His slaves and takes the Sadaqaat (alms, charity), and that Allaah Alone is the One Who forgives and accepts repentance, Most Merciful?”

[al-Tawbah 9:104]

It was narrated that Abu Hamzah Anas ibn Maalik al-Ansaari (may Allaah be pleased with him), the servant of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah rejoices more over the repentance of His slave than any one of you who finds his camel after having lost it in a desolate land.” Agreed upon.

According to a report narrated by Muslim (2747): “Allaah rejoices more over the repentance of His slave than any one of you if he is on his camel in a desolate land, then it runs away from him and on it is his food and drink, and he despairs of finding it, so he goes to a tree and lies down in its shade, having despaired of finding his camel, then while he is like that, it suddenly appears in front of him and he takes hold of its reins and says, because of his intense joy, ‘O Allaah, You are my slave and I am your lord,’ making this mistake because of the intensity of his joy.”

It was narrated from Abu Moosa ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Qays al-Ash’ari (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah spreads out His hand at night to accept the repentance of the one who sinned during the day, and He spreads out His hand by day to accept the repentance of the one who sinned during the night, (and that will continue) until the sun rises from the west.” Narrated by Muslim, 2759.

It was narrated from Abu ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah will accept the repentance of His slave so long as the death-rattle has not yet reached his throat.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 3537; classed as hasan by al-Albaani.

Secondly: The blessings of repentance come in this world and in the Hereafter, some are visible and some are hidden. The rewards of repentance are: purity of heart, erasing of sins and increasing of hasanaat (good deeds). Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“O you who believe! Turn to Allaah with sincere repentance! It may be that your Lord will expiate from you your sins, and admit you into Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise) the Day that Allaah will not disgrace the Prophet (Muhammad) and those who believe with him. Their Light will run forward before them and (with their Records Books of deeds) in their right hands. They will say: ‘Our Lord! Keep perfect our Light for us [and do not put it off till we cross over the Siraat (a slippery bridge over the Hell) safely] and grant us forgiveness. Verily, You are Able to do all things’”

[al-Tahreem 66:8]

The reward of repentance is a good life in the shade of faith, contentment, peace of mind and tranquility. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Seek the forgiveness of your Lord, and turn to Him in repentance, that He may grant you good enjoyment, for a term appointed, and bestow His abounding Grace to every owner of grace (i.e. the one who helps and serves the needy and deserving, physically and with his wealth, and even with good words)”

[Hood 11:3]

The reward of repentance is blessings coming down from heaven, blessings coming from the earth, an increase in one’s wealth and offspring, blessings in productivity, good physical health and protection from diseases. Allaah says of Hood (peace be upon him) (interpretation of the meaning):

“And O my people! Ask forgiveness of your Lord and then repent to Him, He will send you (from the sky) abundant rain, and add strength to your strength, so do not turn away as Mujrimoon (criminals, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allaah)”

[Hood 11:52]

Thirdly: Everyone who repents to Allaah, Allaah accepts his repentance. The caravan of those who have repented to Allaah will not be interrupted until the sun rises from the west.

One repented from banditry, another from adultery, and others from drinking alcohol, taking drugs, severing the ties of kinship, not praying or being too lazy to pray in congregation, disobeying parents, dealing in riba (usury) and bribes, stealing, shedding blood, consuming people’s wealth unlawfully, or smoking. Anyone who repents to Allaah from any sin is to be congratulated, because it is as if they have been born anew through their sincere repentance.

It was narrated from Abu Sa’eed Sa’d ibn Maalik ibn Sinaan al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There was among the people who came before you a man who killed ninety-nine people. Then he asked about the most knowledgeable person on earth, and was directed to a hermit, so he went to him, told him that he had killed ninety-nine people, and asked if he could be forgiven. The hermit said, ‘No,’ so he killed him, thus completing one hundred. Then he asked about the most knowledgeable person on earth and was directed to a scholar. He told him that he had killed one hundred people, and asked whether he could be forgiven. The scholar said, ‘Yes, what could possibly come between you and repentance? Go to such-and-such a town, for in it there are people who worship Allaah. Go and worship with them, and do not go back to your own town, for it is a bad place.” So the man set off, but when he was halfway there, the angel of death came to him, and the angels of mercy and the angels of wrath began to argue over him. The angels of mercy said: ‘He had repented and was seeking Allaah.’ The angels of wrath said: ‘He never did any good thing.’ An angel in human form came to them, and they asked him to decide the matter. He said: ‘Measure the distance between the two lands (his home town and the town he was headed for), and whichever of the two he is closest to is the one to which he belongs.’ So they measured the distance, and found that he was closer to the town for which he had been headed, so the angels of mercy took him.” (Agreed upon).

According to a version narrated by Muslim (2716): “He was closer to the righteous town by a handspan, so he was counted among its people.”
According to a version narrated by al-Bukhaari (3470): “Allaah commanded (the righteous town) to draw closer and (the evil town) to move away, and he said: “Measure the distance between them,’ and he was found to be closer to (the righteous town) by a handspan, so he was forgiven.”

According to a version narrated by Muslim: “He leaned with his chest towards it”.

What is meant by repentance is returning to Allaah, giving up sin and hating it, and regretting falling short in obedience to Allaah. Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

Repentance is essential from every sin, even if it is something between a person and Allaah and has nothing to do with the rights of another person. There are three conditions of repentance:

1-     You should give up the sin

2-     You should regret having done it

3-     You should resolve never to go back to it.

If one of these three is missing, then your repentance is not sincere. If the sin has to do with the rights of another person, then there are four conditions: the three mentioned above and restoring the rights of that person. If it is money or property, etc, it must be returned to him; if it had to do with slandering him etc, then you should allow him to insult him in return, or ask for his forgiveness; if it had to do with backbiting about him, then you have to ask for his pardon. It is essential to repent from all sins; if a person repents from some, his repentance from the sins from which he repented is valid – according to the scholars who follow the right path – but he must still repent from the rest as well.

End quote.

Based on the above, if these conditions are met by the person who is repenting, then there is the hope that his repentance will be accepted, by Allaah’s leave. After that he should not worry about waswaas (whispers) suggesting that his repentance is not accepted, because that is from the Shaytaan and is contrary to what Allaah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) have told us, that repentance is accepted if it is sincere.

1 - Reading Quran and reflecting over the Quran Is our Duty
Read quran and it will guided us to the true teaching of The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) he summarized the religion of Islam with this statement: “The Religion is naseehah (sincerity)!” So then Tameem ibn Aws, may Allah be pleased with him, then said, “We asked, ‘To whom?’” He said: “To Allah, HIS BOOK holy quran, His Messenger, the leaders of the people, and their common folk.” [Muslim] so to study the religion people should go to the source of and source of Islam is the quran so learning quran and reading quran with the meaning the quran tafsir and then explore the words of wisdom. And for the Muslims the sincerity that is due to the Book of Allah includes doing the quran recitation, listening to quran along with learning the tajweed rules and reciting it beautifully, letting our kids learn quran learning holy quran tafseer and the reasons for its revelation, affirming that it is the Truth, the perfect Speech of Allah and not part of the creation, honoring it and defending it, abiding by the orders and prohibitions found in it and teaching quran to spread the word or truth and calling to it. So by learning quran education online and reflecting over the Quran online, one fulfills an obligation and is rewarded for that. Upon fulfilling this obligation, the Quran then becomes a proof for him on the Day of Judgment! And that is our second benefit we will take by embracing this Noble Book...

Ruling on wishing for death

If a Muslim is faced with many problems in life, and cannot resolve them, is it permissible for him to pray that he may die, so that he will find relief from these problems?.

Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly: A long life in which a believer does righteous deeds is better for him than death.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The best of people is the one who lives long and does good.” Narrated by Ahmad and al-Tirmidhi, 110; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.

And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Glad tidings to the one who lives long and does good.” Narrated by al-Tabaraani and Abu Na’eem, classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 3928.

Ahmad (8195) narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: Two men became Muslim with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). One of them was martyred, and the other remained for another year. Talhah ibn ‘Ubayd-Allaah said: I was shown Paradise (in a dream), and in it I saw that the one who was delayed was admitted before the martyr. I was surprised by that, so the next morning I told the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about that. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Did he not fast Ramadaan after he was gone, and pray six thousand rak’ahs, or such and such a number of rak'ahs, the prayers of one year?” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 2591. al-‘Ajlooni said in Kashf al-Khafa’: its isnaad is hasan.

A man said: “O Messenger of Allaah, which of the people is best?” He said: “The one who lives long and does good.” He said: “Which of the people is worst?” He said: “The one who lives long and does evil.” Narrated by Ahmad and al-Tirmidhi, 2330; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.

Al-Teebi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Time is like the capital of a businessman, and it should be invested in such a way as to make a profit.  The greater the capital, the greater the profit. Whoever benefits from his life by doing good deeds will succeed and prosper, but whoever wastes his capital and does not prosper will evidently lose out. End quote.

Hence it was said to one of the salaf: Death is a good thing.

He said: O son of my brother, do not do that, for an hour of life in which you ask Allaah for forgiveness is better for you than an eternity of death.

It was said to an old man among them: Would you not like to die? He said: No, for youth and its evil have gone, and old age and its goodness have come. When I get up, I say Bismillaah (in the name of Allaah), and when I sit I say Al-hamdu Lillaah (praise be to Allaah), and I would like this to continue.

Many of the salaf would weep when they were dying, in sorrow for the cessation of their righteous deeds.

Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade wishing for death, because it deprives the believer of the goodness of obedience and the joy of worship, and of the opportunity to repent and make up for what one has missed.

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No one of you should wish for death or pray for it before it comes, for when one of you dies, his good deeds come to an end and for the believer a long life will not increase him in anything but good.” Narrated by Muslim, 2682

So he mentioned the prohibition of wishing for death alongside the prohibition on praying for one's own death.

A version narrated by al-Bukhaari says: “No one of you should wish for death. Either he is a doer of good and will do more, or he is a doer of evil but perhaps he may stop.”

Al-Nawawi said: This hadeeth clearly indicates that it is makrooh to wish for death because of some harm that has befallen one, such as loss or distress caused by an enemy, or other such hardships of this world. But if a person fears harm or fitnah with regard to his religious commitment, it is not makrooh to wish for death, according to this hadeeth, and several of the salaf did that.

There is another reason why wishing for death is not allowed:

The throes of death are very hard, and the terror of seeing one's end draw nigh is immense. Man is faced with nothing else like it. Moreover, no one knows what awaits him after death. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound. Wishing for death is seeking something which is unknown.  Perhaps if he wishes for death because of some hardship that he has fallen into, he may end up like one who jumps out of the frying pan and into the fire, and after death he may find himself in an even worse situation. In that case, wishing for death is akin to seeking to hasten calamity before it happens. No wise man should do that, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do not wish to meet the enemy, and ask Allaah to keep you safe and sound.” (Agreed upon). A hadeeth to this effect has been narrated, but it is da’eef (weak).

It was narrated that Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do not wish for death, for the terror that follows death is immense. It is a sign of blessing to live long and be guided by Allaah to repent.” Narrated by Ahmad; classed as da’eef by al-Albaani in Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth al-Da’eefah, 885.

Ibn ‘Umar heard a man wishing for death and he said: “Do not wish for death, for you are going to die. Ask Allaah to keep you safe and sound, for the dying person is exposed to great terror.”

Ibn Rajab (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Many righteous men have wished for death when they were healthy, then when it came they hated it because it is so difficult, such as Abu’l-Darda’ and Sufyaan al-Thawri, so what do you think about people other than them?

Wishing for death, if the reason for it is difficulties in worldly matters, is forbidden because wishing for death in that case is indicative of impatience or panic as a result of the calamity that has befallen.

It was narrated from Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No one of you should wish for death because of some harm that has befallen him, but if he must do that then let him say: ‘O Allaah, keep me alive so long as life is good for me, and cause me to die when death is good for me.’” Agreed upon.

What is meant by “some harm that has befallen him” is worldly harms such as sickness, loss of wealth and children, and the like. But if he fears harm to his religious commitment, such as fitnah, then there is nothing wrong with wishing for death in that case, as we shall see below.

Perhaps the one who wishes for death in order to find relief from the harm that has befallen him will only increase in exhaustion and pain, he does not know.

It was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: It was said: “O Messenger of Allaah, So and so has died, and has found relief.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) got angry and said: “Only the one who is forgiven finds relief.” Narrated by Ahmad, 24192; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 1710.

Secondly: There are some cases in which it is prescribed to wish for death, such as the following:

1 – One who fears for his religious commitment because of fitnah

Undoubtedly death which takes a person away from fitnah (tribulation, temptation that takes one away from religious commitment), even if his righteous deeds are few, is better for him than being subjected to tribulations with regard to his religious commitment. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound.

It was narrated from Mahmoud ibn Labeed (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There are two things that the son of Adam dislikes: death, although death is better for a believer than fitnah; and he dislikes having little wealth, but less wealth means less reckoning.” Narrated by Ahmad; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 813.

The fact that wishing for death in this situation is also prescribed is  indicated by the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in his du’aa’: “If You should decree fitnah for Your slaves, then take my soul (in death) before I am put to trial.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 3233; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’.

Ibn Rajab (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: This is permissible according to the majority of scholars.

Based on this, the reports of the salaf wishing for death are to be understood as meaning that they wished for death for fear of fitnah.

Maalik narrated that Sa’eed ibn al-Musayyab said: When ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab came from Mina, he made his camel kneel at al-Abtah, and then he gathered a pile of small stones and cast his cloak over them and dropped to the ground. Then he raised his hands to the sky and said, 'O Allaah! I have become old and my strength has weakened. My flock is scattered. Take me to You with nothing missed out and without having neglected anything.'

Sa’eed said: Dhu’l-Hijjah did not end before ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) was murdered.

Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: Whoever sees death offered for sale, let him buy it for me!

Al-Thabaat ‘inda al-Mamaat, by Ibn al-Jawzi, p. 45

2 – When his death is martyrdom for the sake of Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted.

There are many ahaadeeth which indicate that wishing for death in this case is prescribed, such as the following:

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Were it not that it would be too hard for my ummah, I would not have stayed behind from any campaign. Would that I could be killed for the sake of Allaah, then brought back to life then killed, then brought back to life then killed.” Agreed upon.

The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) wished to be killed for the sake of Allaah, and that was only because of the great virtue of martyrdom.

Muslim (1909) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever asks Allaah sincerely for martyrdom, Allaah will cause him to attain the status of the martyr, even if he dies in his bed.”

The salaf (may Allaah be pleased with them) loved the idea of dying for the sake of Allaah.

Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said, concerning the liar Musaylimah, when he claimed to be a prophet: “By Allaah, I will fight him with people who love death as they love life.”

Khaalid ibn al-Waleed (may Allaah be pleased with him) wrote to the people of Persia saying: “By the One besides Whom there is no other god, I shall send against you people who love death as you love life.”

This status is something desirable – may Allaah not deprive us of it – and seeking it is something that is praiseworthy, because the one who is given it will not be deprived of the reward for righteous deeds for which a person may want to live and which may be better for a person than death. Moreover Allaah will spare the one who attains this status from the torment of the grave.

It was narrated that Salmaan (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “Standing on guard at the border for one day and one night is better than fasting and praying qiyaam for a month, and if he dies, will be given the reward for the good deeds that he used to do, and he will be given provision, and he will be kept safe from al-fattaan [i.e., Munkar and Nakeer, the two angels who question the deceased in the grave].”

Muslim, 1913.

Conclusion: It is makrooh for a Muslim to wish for death if the reason for that is some worldly harm that has befallen him. Rather he must be patient and seek the help of Allaah. We ask Allaah to grant you relief from the distress that you are suffering.

See also question no. 22880.

And Allaah knows best.

Is repentance accepted if the hadd punishment is not carried out on a person?

I have a question that is confusing me. If a married or unmarried person commits the sin of immoral conduct, or major sins such as stealing, backbiting, riba, etc, and persists in doing that for a long time, then he comes to know Allaah and he repents sincerely to Allaah, seeking the Face of Allaah, and he seeks the forgiveness of those about whom he gossiped, and returns what he stole, and gives up riba (usury) and all the sins that there are between him and Allaah such as zina, drinking, failing to pray etc, but the hadd punishment is not carried out on him, will Allaah accept his repentance and his worship, no matter how great his sins were? Or is it possible that Allaah will not accept his repentance and his worship will be rejected? Will Allaah save him from the torment of the grave and from Hell? What should he do in order to avoid punishment and so that Allaah will be pleased with him?.

Praise be to Allaah.
You should note that it is not permissible for a Muslim to think of the sins from which he has repented as being too great, for the mercy, pardon and forgiveness of Allaah are greater than his sins.

If the sins had to do with other people, then it is obligatory to restore people’s rights to them. If the sin has to do with something that is between a person and his Lord, then it is sufficient for him to repent, seek forgiveness, regret what he did and resolve not to go back to those sins. It is not a condition of repentance that the hadd punishment be carried out on the repentant person. He should conceal himself with the concealment of Allaah, Achieving sincere repentance is better than confessing so that the hadd punishment may be carried out.

This person has repented well and has given back to people what is rightfully theirs, so he should not let the Shaytaan come and spoil his repentance.

It should be noted that Allaah turns the bad deeds of the repentant into good deeds. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And those who invoke not any other ilaah (god) along with Allaah, nor kill such person as Allaah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse and whoever does this shall receive the punishment.

69. The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace;

70. Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds; for those, Allaah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allaah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful.

71. And whosoever repents and does righteous good deeds; then verily, he repents towards Allaah with true repentance”

[al-Furqaan 25:68-71]

The offenses which the sultan (Muslim ruler) hears of are the ones for which the hudood punishments must be carried out. As for those of which he does not hear, then it is better to repent from them and to conceal oneself with the concealment of Allaah.

The scholars of the Standing Committee said:

If the shar’i ruler hears of offenses and they are proven by sufficient evidence, then the hadd punishments must be carried out, and it is not waived by repentance, according to scholarly consensus. The Ghaamidi woman came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asking him to carry out the hadd punishment on her after she had repented, and he said concerning her: “She has repented in a manner that if the people of Madeenah were to repent in this way, it would be sufficient for them.” But despite that he carried out the shar’i hadd punishment on her. But no one has the right to do that but the sultaan.

But if news of that offence does not reach the sultaan, then the Muslim should conceal himself with the concealment of Allaah and repent sincerely to Allaah, so that Allaah may accept his repentance.

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 22/15

And they said – responding to one who wanted to carry out the hadd punishment and who was not sure that repentance from zina would be accepted –

If a person repents to his Lord sincerely, then Allaah has promised that He will accept his repentance, and will compensate him with reward. This is by His kindness and generosity. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And those who invoke not any other ilaah (god) along with Allaah, nor kill such person as Allaah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse and whoever does this shall receive the punishment.

69. The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace;

70. Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds; for those, Allaah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allaah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

 [al-Furqaan 25:68-70]

The conditions of repentance include: giving up the sin, regretting what one has done and resolving not to go back to it. If the matter involves the rights of other people, then one must also ask them for forgiveness.

It was narrated from ‘Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit (may Allaah be pleased with him) that when the women gave their oath of allegiance (bay’ah) to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), he said: “Whoever among you is faithful (to this oath), his reward will be with Allaah. Whoever does any of these things (wrong actions) and is punished for it, that will be an expiation for him. Whoever does any of these things and Allaah conceals him, then it is up to Allaah: if He wills He will punish him and if He wills He will forgive him.”

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) encouraged sincere repentance. In the story of Maa’iz he said: “Why did you not leave him alone, perhaps he would have repented and Allaah would have accepted his repentance.” Maalik narrated in al-Muwatta’ from Zayd ibn Aslam that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “O people, the time has come for you stop transgressing the sacred limits set by Allaah.  Whoever commits any of these evil actions, let him conceal himself with the concealment of Allaah, for whoever discloses his actions, then we have to carry out the hadd punishment (that is prescribed in) the Book of Allaah.”

So you have to repent sincerely, offer prayers regularly in congregation and do a great deal of good deeds.

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 22/44,45

For more information please see the answers to questions no. 264, 23485, 10983, 728.

And Allaah knows best.

What are lamam (“small faults”)? And what is the ruling on a disobedient Muslim who repeatedly commits them?

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Those who avoid great sins and Al‑Fawaahish (illegal sexual intercourse) except the small faults (lamam)…”
[al-Najm 53:32]
I know that lamam (translated here as “small faults”) means minor sins, such as looking, kissing and touching, and these sins will be forgiven by Allaah so long as major sins are avoided.
My question is: does this mean that a person will not be punished for these sins even in this world, if he repents from them then does them again, and repents again and goes back to them again? Will he not be punished by Allaah for committing these sins?.

Praise be to Allaah.
In the answer to the question no. 22422 , The meaning of small faults’” we have discussed the different scholarly opinions on the meaning of the word lamam in the verse (interpretation of the meaning):

“Those who avoid great sins and Al‑Fawaahish (illegal sexual intercourse) except the small faults (lamam)…”

[al-Najm 53:32]

The majority of scholars are of the view that lamam refers to minor sins.

This does not mean that a person may be negligent with regard to the matter of committing minor sins, rather persisting in minor sins makes them major sins, which means that they are no longer minor faults.

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Sharh Muslim:

The scholars (may Allaah have mercy on them) said that persisting in a minor sin makes it a major sin. It was narrated from ‘Umar, Ibn ‘Abbaas and others (may Allaah be pleased with them) that there is no major sin with prayers for forgiveness and no minor sin if one persists in it.

What this means is that a major sin may be erased by praying for forgiveness, but a minor sin may become a major sin if one persists in it. End quote.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (15/293):

Adultery is a major sin, but looking and touching are lamam (minor sins) which may be forgiven if one avoids major sin. But if a person persists in looking or touching, that becomes a major sin, and persisting in that may be worse than a small amount of major sin, for persisting in looking with desire, along with the connected feelings of mixing and touching, may be much worse than the evil of an isolated act of zina. Hence the fuqaha’ said concerning the witness of good character: he does not commit a major sin or persist in a minor sin… Indeed, looking and touching may lead a man to shirk as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And of mankind are some who take (for worship) others besides Allaah as rivals (to Allaah). They love them as they love Allaah”

[al-Baqarah 2:165]

The one who is in love becomes a slave to the one he loves. end quote.

The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned us against being negligent with regard to minor sins, and said:

“Beware of minor sins, like a people who camped in the bottom of a valley, and one man brought a stick, another man brought a stick, and so on, until they managed to bake their bread. There are some insignificant sins which, once (they accumulate) and a person is questioned about them, they lead to his doom.”

Narrated by Ahmad, 2/223, from the hadeeth of Sahl ibn Sa’d (may Allaah have mercy on him). Al-Haafiz said: Its isnaad is hasan.

Ahmad (3803) narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Beware of minor sins, for they accumulate until they doom a man,” and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gave a likeness of that: “Like people who camped in the wilderness, and one man brought a stick, another man brought a stick, and so on, until they accumulated a lot, then they lit a fire and cooked their food.” Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 2687.

Ibn Maajah (4243) narrated that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to me: “O ‘Aa’ishah, beware of deeds that are regarded as insignificant, for they have a pursuer from Allaah.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah.

Al-Ghazaali said:

Repeatedly committing small sins has a great effect of blackening the heart. It is like the effect of water dripping onto rock, which will inevitably erode it, even though water is liquid and rock is solid. End quote.

The poet spoke well when he said:

Do not think of minor sins as insignificant, for mountains are made out of pebbles.

Secondly:

If a person repents from his sin, then it is forgiven and he will not be punished for it, either in this world or in the Hereafter. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The one who repents from sin is like one who did not sin at all.” Narrated by Ibn Maajah, 4250. al-Haafiz said: Its isnaad is hasan; it was also classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah.

Al-Nawawi said:

The scholars (may Allaah be pleased with them) are agreed that repentance is accepted so long as the death rattle has not reached the throat, as it says in the hadeeth. There are three pillars or essential parts of repentance: the person must give up the sin, regret doing it, and resolve not to go back to it.

If a person repents from sin then goes back to it, that does not invalidate his repentance, and if he repents from one sin then commits another, his repentance is still valid. This is the correct view. End quote.

He also said:

If a person repeats the sin a hundred times or a thousand times or more, and repents each time, his repentance is accepted and his sin is erased. Even if he were to repent once after all these sins, his repentance would be valid. End quote.

In al-Saheehayn it is narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said in a hadeeth qudsi: “A person committed a sin and said, ‘O Allaah, forgive me my sin.’ Allaah said: ‘My slave has committed a sin, but he knew that he has a Lord Who forgives sins and punishes for sin.’ Then he committed the sin again and said: ‘O Lord, forgive me my sin.’ Allaah said: ‘My slave has committed a sin, but he knew that he has a Lord Who forgives sins and punishes for sin.’ Then he committed the sin again and said: ‘O Lord, forgive me my sin.’ Allaah said: ‘My slave has committed a sin, but he knew that he has a Lord Who forgives sins and punishes for sin. Do what you wish, for I have forgiven you.’” According to another report: “I have forgiven My slave, so let him do what he wishes.”

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

The words “Do what you wish, for I have forgiven you” mean: so long as you sin then repent, I will forgive you.

Whatever the case, the mercy of Allaah is vast and His bounty is immense. Whoever repents, Allaah will accept his repentance. But the Muslim should not take the risk of committing sins because he may not be able to repent. What is mentioned in the hadeeth is for the purpose of explaining how great the mercy of Allaah is and how immense His bounty, not to encourage people to commit sin.

For more information, please see the answer to question no. 9231.

And Allaah knows best.

They committed zina, then they repented and got married, but she is sure that they will be punished and their children will be deformed

I have a friend who got to know a man 6 years ago. Praise be to Allaah, they have got married, but before that they committed zina. My friend deeply regrets what she did, she weeps night and day and offers all the prayers and prays for forgiveness every day. After getting married, they went for ‘Umrah and they intend to do Hajj, but her husband wants children and she is afraid that she will produce a deformed child as a punishment from Allaah. She says that the one who commits zina will be punished in this world and in the Hereafter even if he or she repents. Is this true? Will they go to Hell?.

Praise be to Allaah.
We praise Allaah for having enabled them to repent, and we ask Him to reward them and make them steadfast. Undoubtedly the immoral actions that they committed are causes of Allaah’s punishment in this world and in the Hereafter, but there is the hope that sincere repentance from this action, regret for what was done, resolve not to do it again, and weeping for having sinned against Allaah and violated the sanctity of the Muslims will all be good for this repentant person and will be the cause of his or her bad deeds being turned to good deeds.

This sister’s repentance should not lead her to despair of the mercy of Allaah, for the Shaytaan will exploit this and will prevent her from repenting and doing good deeds.

It is good that she regrets what she did and weeps and repents and prays for forgiveness, out of recognition of the seriousness of the sin that she and her husband committed. But it is not good for her to despair of the mercy of Allaah and think badly of Him, may He be exalted.

Our Lord has told us that He forgives all sins, no matter how great they are or how many, if we repent to Him, and He has forbidden us to despair of His mercy, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say: O ‘Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allaah, verily, Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”

[al-Zumar 39:53]

And He has told us that He will turn evil deeds to good deeds for the one who is sincere in his repentance, even if he has committed shirk and murder and zina, which are the gravest of sins. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And those who invoke not any other ilaah (god) along with Allaah, nor kill such person as Allaah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse -- and whoever does this shall receive the punishment.

69. The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace;

70. Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds; for those, Allaah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allaah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”

[al-Furqaan 25:68-70]

Our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that Allaah rejoices over the repentance of His slave and that the one who repents from sin is like one who did not sin.

Hence we can see that it is wrong to say that the one who commits zina will be punished in this world and in the Hereafter even if he repents. The evidence quoted above proves that this idea is false. Rather Allaah encourages His slaves to repent and rewards them for it if they do it; He does not punish them.

So there is no need to fear having children and no need to be anxious.

Ask Allaah for righteous children, and seek the help of your Lord, and do many good deeds. We ask Allaah to help you to do that which pleases Him.

And Allaah knows best.

Expiation for committing adultery with a married woman

What is the expiation for one who committed adultery with a married woman?.

Praise be to Allaah.
Zina (adultery) is nothing but evil. But with a married woman it is a greater sin because that is a transgression against the husband’s honour. Allaah says concerning zina (interpretation of the meaning):

“And come not near to unlawful sex. Verily, it is a Faahishah (i.e. anything that transgresses its limits: a great sin), and an evil way (that leads one to hell unless Allaah forgives him)”

[al-Isra’ 17:32]

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If a man commits zina, faith will come out of him until it becomes like a cloud over him, and when he stops, his faith comes back to him.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 4690; al-Tirmidhi, 2625; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.

Ibn Hajar al-Haythami said in al-Zawaajir ‘an Iqtiraaf al-Kabaa’ir (2/138): Thus it is also known that there are different categories of zina. If it is done with a non-mahram woman who has no husband it is a serious matter. It is more serious if it is with a non-mahram woman who has a husband; it is more serious still if it is with a mahram. The zina of a previously-married person is worse than zina of a virgin, which is indicated by the fact that the punishment is different. And the zina of an old man who is of sound mind is worse than the zina of a young man, and the zina of a free man or a knowledgeable man is worse than the zina of a slave or one who is ignorant. End quote.

The expiation for committing zina with a married woman or any other is sincere repentance that fulfils all the conditions of repentance. That involves giving up the sin completely, regretting what one has done and resolving never to go back to it. Whoever does that has repented to Allaah, and whoever repents, Allaah will accept his repentance and turn his bad deeds into good deeds, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Know they not that Allaah accepts repentance from His slaves and takes the Sadaqaat (alms, charity), and that Allaah Alone is the One Who forgives and accepts repentance, Most Merciful?”

[al-Tawbah 9:104]

“And those who invoke not any other ilaah (god) along with Allaah, nor kill such person as Allaah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse and whoever does this shall receive the punishment.

69. The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace;

70. Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds; for those, Allaah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allaah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”

[al-Furqaan 25:68-70]

Al-Bukhaari (4436) and Muslim (174) narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that some people from among the mushrikeen who had killed and killed a great deal, and committed zina and done it a great deal came to Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: “What you are saying and calling us to is good, if only you could tell us that there is any expiation for what we have done.” Then the words “And those who invoke not any other ilaah (god) along with Allaah, nor kill such person as Allaah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse” [al-Furqaan 25:68] and “Say: O ‘Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allaah” [al-Zumar 39:52] were revealed.

Whoever falls into zina must hasten to repent to Allaah and conceal himself with His concealment, and not disclose what he has done, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Avoid this filthy thing that Allaah has forbidden, and whoever commits any sin of that nature let him conceal himself with the concealment of Allaah.” Narrated by al-Bayhaqi and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 663.

Muslim (2590) narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah does not cover any slave in this world but Allaah will also cover him on the Day of Resurrection.”

And Allaah knows best.

Repenting From Adultery

Brother I don't know what to do, but I have committed a great sin. I know the concept of confession does not exist in our beautiful religion, but I have committed fornication. I am trying to repent, and trying to ask Allah for his forgiveness. As I was reading Surah Noor, I found out that I can't marry a chaste woman, what should I do. Please pray for me so Allah makes his punishments easy on me in the Hell fire.

Al-hamdu lillaah.
1) Do not despair, for Allaah the Most Exalted and Glorified said (interpretation of the meaning): "Say: Oh my servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the mercy of Allaah, for Allaah forgives all sins; for He is oft-forgiving, most merciful." [Surah 39,Verse 53]

2) Let your repentance be truly from your heart, and stay away from all sources of temptations. Also, perform many good deeds, as good deeds abrogate the bad ones.

3) If you repent to Allah, you are no longer described as a fornicator (zaani). Therefore, you can marry a chaste woman.

4) The believer has high hope and aspiration for the best from Allaah. He not only asks Allah for making his punishment easy in hellfire, but he also prays to God the Almighty to save him from Hell and award him with paradise for his repentance and good deeds.

He does not pray and he lives with his girlfriend; he wants to repent and marry her

There is a French Muslim man who does not pray or fast, and he lives with his Christian girlfriend. He wants to repent and fast, but he is using the fact that this woman is living with him as an excuse. Is it permissible for him to marry her now, knowing that tomorrow is the first day of Ramadaan? If that is permissible, then what is the prescribed shar’i procedure for that?.

Praise be to Allaah.
This person and others should note that not praying is kufr which puts a person beyond the pale of Islam. Islam does not accept for any of its followers not to pray or fast and to live with a girlfriend.

What you have to do is to advise him and explain to him what Islam really is, which is submitting to the rulings of sharee’ah. The Muslim should be an example to others, especially in that (non-Muslim) country, for he is not representing himself only, rather he is representing Islam which he has embraced and committed himself to. So he has to give up the sin that he is committing and adhere to the rulings of sharee’ah, especially prayer which is the thing that distinguishes between Islam and kufr.

 Secondly:

We are very happy to learn that he wants to repent, so what is stopping him from repenting? Allaah rejoices over the repentance of His believing slave. When a person turns to Allaah, Allaah turns to him and forgives his sin. So he should hasten to repent and not delay it or make it conditional upon certain things happening, lest he dies without having repented and he meets his Lord with a burden of sin and may even meet Him in state of kufr.

Tell him that Allaah turns bad deeds into good deeds for the one who repents. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds; for those, Allaah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allaah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”

[al-Furqaan 25:70]

So he must hasten to repent by giving up all that he is doing that incurs the wrath of Allaah, namely not praying and living with his girlfriend.

See the answers to questions no. 624, 13990, 34905, 22912.

Thirdly:

If he repents to Allaah, he should note that it is not permissible for him to marry that girlfriend, not because she is Christian, but because she is a zaaniyah (fornicatress) – according to what he has said. One of the conditions of marrying a woman of the People of the Book (i.e., a Jewish or Christian woman) is that she should be chaste, not a fornicatress or a woman who has a lover or boyfriend. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Made lawful to you this day are At‑Tayyibaat [all kinds of Halaal (lawful) foods, which Allaah has made lawful (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk products, fats, vegetables and fruits)]. The food (slaughtered cattle, eatable animals) of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) is lawful to you and yours is lawful to them. (Lawful to you in marriage) are chaste women from the believers and chaste women from those who were given the Scripture (Jews and Christians) before your time when you have given their due Mahr (bridal-money given by the husband to his wife at the time of marriage), desiring chastity (i.e. taking them in legal wedlock) not committing illegal sexual intercourse, nor taking them as girlfriends”

[al-Maa’idah 5:5]

Allaah has stipulated that in order to marry them, they must be chaste. It is not permissible for a Muslim to marry a woman of the people of the Book who is not chaste. Even if a woman is a Muslim but she is not chaste, it is not permissible for a chaste Muslim man to marry her. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“The adulterer — fornicator marries not but an adulteress — fornicatress or a Mushrikah; and the adulteress –fornicatress, none marries her except an adulterer — fornicater or a Mushrik. Such a thing is forbidden to the believers (of Islamic Monotheism)”

[al-Nur 24:3]

For more details on this issue, please see the answer to question no. 11195 and 2527.

If he wants to marry her, that can only happen after he repents and comes back to Islam by starting to pray, and after they both repent from zina (fornication).

This applies if he wants to marry her.

The duty of being sincere (naseehah) compels us to tell him of the best way we know of setting straight both his religious and worldly affairs, which is that he should repent to Allaah sincerely, and hasten to leave this woman without any hesitation or delay, and look for another woman who is a chaste, believing Muslim. If he repents to Allaah, he will need someone who understands her religion and will stand by him and encourage him to obey the Most Merciful after this deviation. As for that woman, even if she repents from fornication she will never be able to help him to obey Allaah and she will never be trustworthy with regard to his household, his wealth and his honour, and she will never be fit to raise his sons and daughters. We mean nothing but good by offering this sincere advice. Let him use his mind and avoid being emotional, then he will know that this is right.

If he looks around him, he will see other Muslims who have married non-Muslim women, and how bad their situations are, and how they regret it and wish that they had not married non-Muslim woman.

See also the answer to questions no. 20227 and 45645.

And Allaah is the Source of strength.

She wants to give up prayer as she feels shy before Allaah because she is committing zina

I know that zina is an immoral and evil action, and I feel too shy to stand before Allaah in prayer after doing ghusl for janaabah because of engaging in zina (unlawful sexual relations). I ask Allaah for forgiveness. Believe me, I do not feel happy and content in myself because of what I am doing, but I am trying to soothe my conscience. Should I go back to praying or not, whilst continuing to commit zina?

Praise be to Allaah.
Undoubtedly zina is one of the major sins, one of the worst crimes, one of the most evil and immoral of actions. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And come not near to unlawful sex. Verily, it is a Faahishah (i.e. anything that transgresses its limits: a great sin, and an evil way that leads one to hell unless Allaah Forgives him)”

[al-Isra’ 17:32]

“And those who invoke not any other ilaah (god) along with Allaah, nor kill such person as Allaah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse and whoever does this shall receive the punishment.

The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace”

[al-Furqaan 25:68-69]

Hence Allaah decrees a severe punishment in this world for those who commit zina, namely the hadd punishment. Allaah says, describing the punishment for the unmarried person who commits zina:

 “The fornicatress and the fornicator, flog each of them with a hundred stripes. Let not pity withhold you in their case, in a punishment prescribed by Allaah, if you believe in Allaah and the Last Day. And let a party of the believers witness their punishment.”

[al-Noor 24:2 – interpretation of the meaning]

But for the muhsan (one who is or has been married) who commits zina, the punishment is execution. It says in the hadeeth narrated by Imam Muslim in his Saheeh that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If a previously-married man (commits zina) with a previously-married woman, (the punishment is) one hundred lashes and stoning.” (al-Hudood 3199).

Because of the abhorrence and obscenity of this action, even the monkeys are offended by it, and they carried out the hadd punishment of stoning on a monkey which committed zina, as was narrated in Saheeh al-Bukhaari from ‘Amr ibn Maymoon who said: “During the Jaahiliyyah I saw a monkey which had committed zina, so the other monkeys got together and stoned it, and I stoned it with them.” (al-Manaaqib, 5360).

How can an adult, accountable Muslim whom Allaah has honored with Islam be content to stoop to the level of animals and beasts which, whenever their desire is provoked, they satisfy it however they want? The seriousness of this sin is not limited to punishment in this world only, rather the punishment in the Hereafter is far greater and far worse. According to a hadeeth narrated by Imam al-Bukhaari from Samurah ibn Jundub, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Two (angels) came to me last night, woke me up and set out with me… until we came to something like a tannoor (clay oven), in which there was shouting and voices. We looked inside and saw naked men and women, towards whom flames came from beneath them. When the flames reached them, they cried out. I said to them [the two angels], ‘Who are these people?’… They told me, ‘As for the men and women in the structure like a tannoor oven, they are the adulterers and adulteresses…’” (6525).

If a person dies committing this sin, what will be his situation? What will he say to his Lord when he stands before Him for judgement?? Is this the way to give thanks for the never-ending, innumerable blessings of Allaah? Is this the way to give thanks for the blessings of good health?  Do you think that Allaah does not see you when you are committing this great sin? Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Truly, nothing is hidden from Allaah, in the earth or in the heaven”

[Aal ‘Imraan 3:5]

Do you not know that these physical faculties with which you are disobeying your Creator will testify against you on the Day of Resurrection? Have you not heard the words of the Compeller (al-Jabbaar):

“Till, when they reach it (Hell-fire), their hearing (ears) and their eyes and their skins will testify against them as to what they used to do.

And they will say to their skins, ‘Why do you testify against us?’ They will say: ‘Allaah has caused us to speak.’ He causes all things to speak, and He created you the first time, and to Him you are made to return”

[Fussilat 41:20-21 – interpretation of the meaning]?

So our answer is that you must hasten to repent sincerely from this great sin, regret deeply what you have done, immediately give it up and give up everything that may lead to it. The causes of zina include the following:

 1 – Unveiling and wanton display by uncovering the face, hair or any part of the body. It was narrated in the hadeeth that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There are two types of the people of Hell whom I have not seen… Women who are clothed yet naked, who have gone astray and try to lead others astray also. Their heads look like the humps of camels, leaning to one side. They will never enter Paradise nor even smell its fragrance, although its fragrance may be detected from such and such a distance.” (Narrated by Imam Muslim, al-Libaas wa’l-Zeenah, 3971).

2 – Being alone with a man who is not a mahram for you, because the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No man should be alone with a (non-mahram) woman unless her mahram is present.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3842).

3 – Beware of mixing with those whom you are not permitted to mix with, for zina only happens as a result of that. You must pay attention to your conscience and do not pay attention to the whispers of the Shaytaan when he tries to make zina look attractive and to make this crime seem insignificant. The Shaytaan has sworn by Allaah’s Glory that he will mislead the sons of Adam. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“[Iblees (Satan)] said: ‘By Your Might, then I will surely, mislead them all,

Except Your chosen slaves amongst them (i.e. faithful, obedient, true believers of Islamic Monotheism)’”

[Saad 38:82]

The Shaytaan has gained a victory over you in this way, but he will not stop at making you fall into this sin, rather he is striving to make sure that you will abide in Hell for eternity – we seek refuge with Allaah from that – by making the idea of giving up prayer on the basis of this false reasoning seem attractive to you.

Because giving up prayer constitutes kufr or disbelief in Allaah. In Saheeh Muslim it is narrated that Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah said: “I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say, ‘Between a man and kufr and shirk there stands his giving up prayer.’” (al-Eemaan, 116). And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The covenant that differentiates us from them is prayer; whoever gives it up is a kaafir.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, al-Eemaan, 2545; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 2113)

So you have to pray a great deal for forgiveness, repent and make du’aa’. You have to pray regularly and pray a great deal, and strive to be humble and focused in prayer, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“and perform As-Salaah (Iqaamat-as-Salaah). Verily, As-Salaah (the prayer) prevents from Al-Fahshaa’ (i.e. great sins of every kind, unlawful sexual intercourse) and Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism, and every kind of evil wicked deed)”

[al-‘Ankaboot 29:45]

“And perform As-Salaah (Iqaamat-as- Salaah), at the two ends of the day and in some hours of the night [i.e. the five compulsory Salaah (prayers)]. Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds (i.e. small sins)”

[Hood 11:114]

You should not think that repentance is too difficult or feel that Allaah will never accept your repentance, for the Shaytaan is keen to sow the seeds of despair in your heart.

You should note that whoever repents, Allaah will accept his repentance and change his bad deeds into good deeds. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds; for those, Allaah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

And whosoever repents and does righteous good deeds; then verily, he repents towards Allaah with true repentance”

[al-Furqaan 25:71]

The gate of repentance is open, and no one can stand between you and repentance. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah will accept the repentance of His slave so long as the death rattle has not yet reached his throat.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, al-Da’waat, 3460; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 2802).

Allaah rejoices over this repentance. According to a hadeeth narrated by Imam Muslim in his Saheeh from Anas ibn Maalik, the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah rejoices over the repentance of His slave when he repents more than any one of you would rejoice if he were travelling in the wilderness and his camel which was carrying his food and drink wandered off, and he despaired of ever finding it, then he comes to a tree and lies down in its shade, thinking that he will never see his camel again, then whilst he is like that he sees it standing next to him, so he seizes its reins and says, ‘O Allaah, You are my slave and I am Your Lord!’ making this mistake because he is so happy.” (Baab al-Tawbah, 4932).

Finally, after you have repented you must cut off all the routes that may lead to evil, by means of the way prescribed in sharee’ah which Allaah has permitted, namely marriage. You should note that it is not permissible for a Muslim man or woman to marry a person who has committed zina unless he or she repents to Allaah. If he repents and gives up this sin, then it is permissible for you to marry him after he repents. Please see questions no. 11195 and 2627.

May Allaah help us and you to repent sincerely. And Allaah knows best. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad.

Repentance of the Fornicator

Assalaamu'alaikum.
I have a friend. He has married. He told me, someday he did 'Zinnah' with other woman. Now, he want to Taubat An-Nasuha. The Questions are :
How can he do a Taubat An-Nasuha ? Would be Allah 'azza wa jalla receive his Taubat ?
He told me, (I'm sorry if sounds rough), his penis did not entered to the woman's vagina, but their condition have been nude. His penis position between her up leg. Could we say that is a zinna that must be punished with 'rajm' ?
As information, In our country, the zinna can't punish with 'rajm'. I need your answer soon as possible.
Jazzakumullaahu khoiran katsiran.
Assalaamu'alaikum warahmatullaahi wabarakaatuh.

All Praises are Due to Allah

The act that your friend committed is a great sin and crime. He must repent to Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "the eyes fornicate, the hands fornicate, the legs commit fornication, and the private parts commit fornication". (It is reported by Ahmad and it is in sahih Al Jahni 4150.)

Tell your friend that he has to increase in good deeds so that Allah will wipe out his evil deeds, as Abdullah ibn Masud reported. He said that a man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said, ‘Oh Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), I met a woman in the garden so I pulled her close, fondled her, kissed her, and did everything with except have intercourse. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was then silent and so the verse came down, "verily, the good deeds erase the bad deeds, that is admonition to those who remember." So the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) called him and recited it to him. So Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, ‘Oh Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is this for him specifically or for everyone. He said (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) , ‘no, for everyone.' (It was narrated by Ahmad.)

There are more details on repenting from fornication. Refer to question #624. As for your question regarding whether he is considered to have committed fornication, which is punishable by stoning, it is obligatory that the married fornicator be stoned and the unmarried fornicator receive lashes. This is only if the sexual organs of the fornicator penetrate the vagina of the woman. Whatever is similar deserves a different punishment, depending on the level of the haram committed. It is not obligatory that he admit to a judge what he did. It is sufficient that repentance take place between him and Allah, and Allah is the Acceptor of repentance and the Most Merciful. We ask Allah to forgive us and the rest of the Muslims.

Allah knows best.

It is not essential to do ghusl or wudoo’ in order for repentance to be valid

I would like to know if performing the washing (that is performed before prayer and reading the Quran not gusul) is neccesary before performing tawbaa(confessing ang being sorry for your sins). And also if gusul is neccesary before tawbaa in the case that someone is uncl lean.

Praise be to Allaah.
There is no human being who does not commit sin, and the best of them are those who hasten to repent. It was narrated from Anas that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Every son of Adam commits sin and the best of those who commit sin are those who repent.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2499; Ibn Maajah, 4251; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 3428.

Allaah has enjoined repentance upon His slaves, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“O you who believe! Turn to Allaah with sincere repentance! It may be that your Lord will expiate from you your sins, and admit you into Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise)”

[al-Tahreem 66:8]

And Allaah has told us that He accepts the repentance of His slaves and forgives them; indeed He turns their bad deeds into good deeds. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And He it is Who accepts repentance from His slaves, and forgives sins, and He knows what you do”

[al-Shoora 42:25]

“Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds; for those, Allaah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allaah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”

[al-Furqaan 25:70]

Allaah has not commanded the person who repents to do wudoo’ or ghusl, whether his impurity is minor or major, either before or after repenting, unless he is repenting from kufr (disbelief) or riddah (apostasy).

The scholars of the Standing Committee said:

Ghusl is not required after sincere repentance from sin, because the basic principle is that it is not prescribed, and we do not know of any evidence that differs from this principle except if the person is repenting from kufr, because it is prescribed for the one who enters Islam to do ghusl, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded Qays ibn ‘Aasim to do that when he became Muslim. Narrated by Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawood, al-Tirmidhi and al-Nasaa’i; classed as saheeh by Ibn al-Sakan.

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 5/317

The conditions of repentance according to the scholars are well known; they do not include wudoo’ or ghusl. These conditions are as follows:

1-     Sincerity in repentance.

2-     Giving up the sin.

3-     Regretting the sin.

4-     Resolving not to go back to the sin.

5-     Repenting at the time when repentance is accepted, for Allaah does not accept repentance once the death rattle reaches the throat when the soul is being taken, or after the sun rises from the west.

6-     Restoring rights to people if the sin had to do with transgressions against the rights of other people.

For more information on these conditions please see questions no. 13990 and 14289.

And Allaah knows best.

Is it permissible for a Muslim woman to ask a Muslim man to marry her?

Can a Muslim woman ask a Muslim man to marry her? Does the  adeeth also refer to a woman asking a man?
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: If there comes to you one whose religious commitment and attitude pleases you, then marry [your female relative who is under your care] to him, for if you do not do that, there will be tribulation on earth and much corruption.
(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 1084).

Praise be to Allaah.
We are happy to congratulate you on choosing the path of the Prophets and of the wise, which is Tawheed, the belief in Allaah alone, and the testimony that Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is His Messenger.

With regard to the idea of a Muslim woman offering herself in marriage to a righteous man, that does not contradict the idea of modesty, so long as he is trustworthy with regard to his religious commitment and moral attitude. It was narrated that Thaabit al Banaani said: I was with Anas ibn Maalik and a daughter of his was with him. He said: “A woman came to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and offered herself in marriage to him. She said: ‘O Messenger of Allaah, do you want to marry me?’” The daughter of Anas said: “How little was her modesty. How shameless, how shameless!” Anas said: “She was better than you; she had a liking for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) so she offered herself in marriage to him.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4828.

Imam al-Bukhaari included this hadeeth in a chapter which he entitled: “A woman offering herself in marriage to a righteous man.”

Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said:

Ibn al-Munayyir said in al-Haashiyah: One of the subtle points of al-Bukhaari’s knowledge is that he from the specific story of the woman who offered herself in marriage to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) he derived a general principle; he understood that it is permissible for any woman to offer herself in marriage to a righteous man whose righteousness she admires, and if he likes her he may marry her subject to the conditions of marriage being fulfilled.

These two ahaadeeth – the hadeeth of Sahl and the hadeeth of Anas, both of which mention the woman who offered herself in marriage to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) – indicate that it is permissible for a woman to offer herself in marriage to a man, and to let him know that she has a liking for him, and there is nothing wrong with her doing so. And the one to whom a woman offers herself in marriage has the choice of either accepting or refusing, but he does not have to express his refusal outright, rather it is sufficient for him to remain silent.

Fath al-Baari, 9/175.

Al-‘Ayni said:

The words of Anas to his daughter: “She is better than you” indicate that it is permissible for a woman to offer herself in marriage to a righteous man, and to tell him of her liking for him because of his righteousness and virtue, or because of his knowledge and honour, or for some characteristic of religious commitment, and that there is no shame on her if she does that, rather that is a sign of her virtue. The daughter of Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) looked at the externals and she did not understand this properly until Anas said: “She is better than you.” As for the woman who offers herself in marriage to a man for some worldly purpose, this is something that is abhorrent in the extreme.

‘Umdat al-Qaari’ Sharh Saheeh al-Bukhaari, 20/113.

But it is better for a woman to inform her wali (guardian) of her desire to marry a righteous man who is trustworthy with regard to his religious commitment and his moral attitude, without telling the man bluntly. This may be understood from what one of the two women did, when she said to her father – concerning Moosa (peace be upon him):

“And said one of them (the two women): ‘O my father! Hire him! Verily, the best of men for you to hire is the strong, the trustworthy’”

[al-Qasas 28:26 – interpretation of the meaning]

al-Qurtubi said:

With regard to the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning):

“He said: ‘I intend to wed one of these two daughters of mine to you, on condition that you serve me for eight years…’”

[al-Qasas 28:27]

Here the father offered his daughter in marriage to the man. This is an established custom whereby the righteous man of Madyan offered his daughter in marriage to a righteous man of the Children of Israel, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab offered his daughter Hafsah in marriage to Abu Bakr and ‘Uthmaan, and the woman who offered herself in marriage offered herself to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). So it is good for a man to offer his female relative who is under his care in marriage, and for a woman to offer herself in marriage to a righteous man, following the example of the righteous salaf. Ibn ‘Umar said: When Hafsah became single (due to her husband dying), ‘Umar said to ‘Uthmaan: “If you wish, I will marry Hafsah bint ‘Umar to you.” This was narrated only by al-Bukhaari, 4005.

Tafseer al-Qurtubi, 13/271

But it should be noted that most of what happens nowadays, when a woman likes a particular man, is the result of haraam causes, such as a careless attitude on her part whereby she talks to him and sits with him. A person who has evil motives may take advantage of such an offer to achieve some of his aims. So we must beware of this and protect our honour from anything that may besmirch it.

And Allaah knows best.

Is there any hadd punishment or expiation for masturbation?

I would like to know.Due to masturbation I broke my hymen.Does this makes me a zaniya.Do i have to be punished with hundred lashes or is there any other punishment for this in our religion.And if there is please let me know and I also want to know can I marry a chaste person after indulging in masturbation so many times.Please answer in accordance with Quran and Sunnah.

Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:

The secret habit (masturbation) is haraam, as we have explained in the answer to question no. 329. You have to repent from this action and give it up, and regret what you have done, and resolve not to go back to it.

There are many punishments for the sinner in this world, let alone the punishment that he deserves in the Hereafter. We have already mentioned some of these punishments in the answer to question no. 23425. So hasten to repent sincerely before you are no longer able to do so, and before you feel regret at the time when regret will be to no avail.

If Allaah honours you by enabling you to repent, you will be forgiven for this sin, and it will be as if it never happened. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The one who repents is like the one who did not sin.” Narrated by Ibn Maajah; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah, 3427.

Secondly:

Breaking the hymen as a result of this action is not zina, and no hadd punishment or expiation (kafaarah) is required.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah was asked about masturbation and he replied:

With regard to masturbation, the basic ruling is that it is haraam according to the majority of scholars, and the one who does it should be given a ta’zeer punishment, but it is not like zina. And Allaah knows best.

Al-Fataawa al-Kubra, 3/439.

Thirdly:

If it is obvious that the hymen has been broken as a result of masturbation, then you have to tell your fiancé what happened to you, without giving any details that may cause you embarrassment. It is sufficient for him to know that this happened without any fornication, because the hymen may be broken because of exercise, being beaten, falling or being sick.

You will never be exposed if you repent to Allaah and are sincere in your repentance, for Allaah is the Concealer and loves concealment.

And Allaah knows best.

He has repented from a haraam relationship; should he marry his former girlfriend if she becomes Muslim?

I have been a muslim all my life and I have done some terrible things in my that has cause some great distress in my life. I have been with a Christian girl for 2 years now but recently seperated from her because I have came closer to islam. She understands that we should not be together right now. I know that I wasn't a good muslim before but now I want to do anything to be for given for what I did. We have done some sexual things like fondling, manual pleasure, and oral sex on one occasion. I know that these are grievous things and I beg Allah for forgiveness and regret what I have done. This was a result in my ignorance and I have repented. I now pray 5 times a day, go to the mosc, and read Quran. I never want to go back to the bad things that I have done. I feel that I should marry a muslima from Egypt and change my life but I also feel that I should at least show the Christian girl islam in hopes that she will convert. My questions are: Should I marry her if she converts? Or should I find a muslima and start a new life? Will I be forgiven for what I have done?.

Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:

Feelings of sin and regret for what one has done are signs of divine care for the one who committed the sin and serve to motivate him to follow the right path after having gone astray. We do not want to give the impression that what you have done is something insignificant, rather you should realize that what you have done angers your Lord and that it is a major sin. But we want to show you the path of repentance and let you know that even though Allaah is not harmed by your sin and has no need of your repentance, still He has helped you to repent and He rejoices at your repentance.

You have to give up your previous sin, and sincerely regret what you have done, and resolve firmly never to go back to this sin.

You should never despair of the mercy of Allaah, for Allaah forgives all sins. All you have to do is to repent sincerely and after that you will see that which will bring you joy; and seek the pleasure of Allaah.

See also: 624, 13990, 34905 and 22912

Secondly:

You also have to end your relationship with this woman lest you go back to sinning. The basic principle for the repentant Muslim is that he should keep away from all environments in which he used to disobey Allaah and he must avoid and shun all the means that could lead him to fall into sin.

So we do not think that you should get back in touch with this woman, even with the intention of calling her to Islam. You have to save yourself first. Who can guarantee that if you go back to sin – Allaah forbid – you will be enabled to repent again?

You could ask some trustworthy Muslim women to contact her and call her to Islam. We do not think that you should be the one to do that.

Thirdly:

We do not think that it is permissible for you to marry her as she is at present, not because she is a Christian, but because she is not chaste – according to what you say. Allaah has permitted us to marry women from the people of the Book, but that is subject to the condition that they be chaste, i.e., they do not commit zina or have boyfriends.

See 22303 and 2527.

What we advise you to do is to marry a religiously-committed Muslim woman who will help to protect your religious commitment and help you to do good and to obey Allaah. This is the way to success.

See 20227 and 8391.

And Allaah knows best.

A person is sick with gonorrhoea; will his prayers and fasting be accepted?

Will prayers and fasting be accepted from a person who is sick with gonorrhoea?.

Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:

In general the term marad al-sayalaan (translated here as gonorrhoea) refers to an infected discharge from the urethra in both men and women. This does not have any impact on one's fasting.

Secondly:

With regard to prayer, the state of purity (tahaarah) in invalidated by everything that comes out of the front or back passages, such as urine, stools, wind, prostatic fluid, blood, pus and other secretions.

See question no. 14321

Based on this, the pus or infected discharge that is emitted in the case of gonorrhoea invalidates wudoo’. But if this discharge is continuous and the sick person cannot control it, then he comes under the same ruling as one who suffers from incontinence and cannot control his urine, which is emitted involuntarily.

The ruling is:

If he knows that this emission comes out at certain times and then stops for long enough for him to purify himself and pray, then he has to wait until it stops, even if that means missing the prayer in congregation, and he should do wudoo’ and pray at the time when the discharge has stopped, so long as there is no fear that the time for prayer may end.

But if the discharge is continual and does not stop, then he has to put a piece of cloth over his private part, or something else that will prevent the impurity from spreading and contaminating his body or clothes, and he should do wudoo’ for each prayer after the time for it begins. Then it will not matter if something is emitted after doing wudoo’, even if that is during the prayer.

He may also offer whatever naafil prayers he wishes with this wudoo’, until the time for the obligatory prayer for which he did wudoo’ is over.

See question no. 22843 and 39494

This is the answer if what the questioner means is: is prayer and fasting valid if there is continual emission of this pus?

But if what he means is that this person committed the major sin of zina (because most cases of gonorrhoea occur as the result of illicit relationships), then he should note that whoever repents to Allaah, Allaah will accept his repentance, and the one who repents from sin is like one who has not sinned. No matter what sins a person commits, if he then repents to Allaah and turns to Him, and regrets what he has done, then he will find that Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say: O ‘Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allaah, verily, Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”

[al-Zumar 39:53]

al-Tirmidhi (3540) narrated that Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “Allaah says: ‘O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky, then you were to ask me for forgiveness, I would forgive them and I would not mind.’” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.

The phrase “the clouds of the sky” is used to give an impression of great height, to indicate a huge amount of sins.

End quote from Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi.

See also question no. 9393.

And Allaah knows best.

Read quran its is the Word of Allah the sigh of guidance
Reading quran and exploring it is the true duty of a Muslim because it contains Allah’s message to all people and the quran teaching tells the people that how to act correctly. By learning quran you will find that it guides us to a correct way of life in this world. We as a practicing Muslim should teach our kids quran and let the kids learn quran recitation and do quran memorization and we also do quran memorization by heart and there is an other importing thing that learn quran with tajweed because the tajweed rules are very important regarding the pronunciation and way or read the holy quran and further more enhancing the quranic studies by learning quran tafseer and reading quran the translation with it listening to quran online with the quran recitation don by some of the top reciter also. It is the Book of Allah also talks about life after death. It tells us that Allah has prepared Paradise for good people and Hell for bad people. Wile reading Quran we see that it encourages the worship of only one God Who creates and provides for them. The Book forbids people from evil and condemns those who do wrong. It contains stories of the past Prophets and the examples of bad and good people. Find online quran courses

He sent a hadeeth in order to spread good, then he found out that it is a fabricated hadeeth. What should he do?

I got a message in my e-mail which contained a hadeeth narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). At the end of the letter, as is usual, it asked the recipient to send it to everyone he knows so as to spread the benefit of it. I sent it to many people, then I found out that the hadeeth is mawdoo’ (fabricated). Some good people told me that I should send a letter to everyone to whom I sent it, telling them that the hadeeth is fabricated. The problem is that I do not know who I sent this letter to. Is there any sin on me or do I have to pray for forgiveness? Please note that the hadeeth does not contain any legislation, rather it is a story that is supposed to have happened when the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was circumambulating the Ka’bah and there was a Bedouin circumambulating with him, etc.

Praise be to Allaah.
Spreading da’wah messages and letters which contain explanations of shar’i rulings, or preaching and beneficial stories, is an important means of doing good, because many people receive them, and it is easy to send them. But we should make sure that the content is sound and that the ahaadeeth contained in it are saheeh (sound), because some people are abusing this great blessing (of easy communication) and are spreading fabricated ahaadeeth and false stories.

It is not permissible for anyone to say, “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said…” when he knows that the hadeeth is mawdoo’ (fabricated) or false. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever tells lies about me deliberately, let him take his place in Hell.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1291; Muslim, 933.

And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever narrated a hadeeth from me which he thinks is false, then he is one of the liars.” Narrated by Muslim in the Introduction to his Saheeh.

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Sharh Muslim (1/71):

It is haraam to narrate a fabricated hadeeth for one who knows that it is fabricated or who thinks it most likely that it is fabricated. Whoever narrates a hadeeth which he knows or thinks it most likely to be fabricated, and does not explain that it is fabricated, is included in this warning and is included among those who tell lies about the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). This is also indicated by the hadeeth quoted above: “Whoever narrated a hadeeth from me which he thinks is false, then he is one of the liars.” Hence the scholars said that the one who wants to narrate or quote a hadeeth must check it. If it is saheeh or hasan, then he may say, “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said such and such, or did such and such, etc”, expressing certainty. If it is da’eef (weak), then he should not say, “he said” or “he did” or “he commanded” or “he forbade” and other such definitive words, rather he should say, “Such and such was narrated from him” etc, or “it was narrated” or “it was said” or “we heard that” and so on. And Allaah, may He be glorified, knows best. End quote.

He also said:

With regard to the prohibition on telling lies about the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), no distinction is made between reports which contain rulings and those which do not contain rulings, such as preaching and exhortation, etc. In all cases it is haraam and is a major sin and abhorrent action, according to the consensus of the Muslims whose consensus counts, unlike the innovators who falsely claim that it is permissible for fabricate ahaadeeth of exhortation, and who are followed in that by many of the ignorant who claim to be ascetics. End quote.

With regard to what you have done by spreading this fabricated hadeeth, the expiation for that is to ask Allaah for forgiveness and to strive to inform everyone to whom you think you most likely sent this hadeeth that the hadeeth is fabricated. And Allaah burdens not a person beyond his scope [al-Baqarah 2:286].

You should not spread any hadeeth after this until you make sure that they are soundly attributed to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

And Allaah knows best.

He retained semen that resulted from an erotic dream and was harmed by that. Should he resort to the ‘secret habit’?

I am a young man, twenty-nine years old. I woke up yesterday and I had just had an erotic dream, but no fluid was emitted, and I went back to sleep. But when I woke up again, I found that I had a severe pain in my testicles. I know that there is some fluid that is retained in me, because this has happened to me before and I treated it by sitting in warm water and getting rid of this retained fluid. In fact I decided to use the same treatment as before, but the warm water did not do anything and I suffered intense pain, and the shaytaan whispered to me to get rid of this fluid by means of the secret habit, so I did that. I swear that I had given up this habit a long time ago, but I was under pressure because of this pain.

Praise be to Allaah.
The secret habit is haraam. This has been explained in the answer to question no. 329.

The scholars have stated that it is permissible to resort to the secret habit if that is in order to relieve desire that may lead one to fall into the sins of zina or homosexuality. Similarly it is permissible for the purpose of medical tests if he is single and needs such tests. And it is permissible to resort to it if there is the fear of physical harm due to retention of semen. Perhaps this is what is referred to in the question. In any case, it is not permissible to go beyond the bounds of necessity, and it is not permissible to repeat it, and necessity should be measured without exaggerating.

Shaykh Mansoor al-Bahooti (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

Whoever masturbates by hand for fear of falling into zina or for fear of physical harm, there is no sin on him if he is not able to get married, not even to a slave woman, and he cannot afford a slave woman, otherwise it is haraam and he should be punished by ta’zeer. End quote.

Al-Iqnaa’, 4/268.

In Sharh Muntaha al-Iraadaat (3/364) it says:

Whoever masturbates, man or woman, when there is no need, it is haraam to do that and he (or she) should be punished for it by ta’zeer, because it is a sin. If he does it for fear of zina or homosexuality, there is no sin on him, and the same applies, even more so, if he does it for fear of physical harm. End quote.

We applaud you for giving up this bad habit and urge you to remain steadfast in that, and if what you did was only because of the pain, then there is no sin on you in sha Allaah.

And Allaah knows best.

He hugged his sister when they were both naked

When I was 13 years old (adult) I took my sister and hugged her naked. Our gentles touched. But there was no penetration.  
After 23 years I feel miserable. I want to know is my action subject to hadd If I repent do I need to confess so hadd can be carried on me or is repentenc enough.

Praise be to Allaah.
You have to repent to Allaah from this evil and reprehensible action, and regret what you have done, and resolve never to return to anything like this. Whoever repents, Allaah will accept his repentance, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah accepts the repentance of the one who repents.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6426; Muslim, 1048.

It is obligatory to repent from the great sin that you have committed. We ask Allaah to forgive us and you, and to help you to repent sincerely.

You deserve to feel sorry and to regret what you did, because a man should protect his family and fight to defend their honour. (Whoever dies defending his honour is a shaheed or martyr).  So how could he be the aggressor and sinner? Perhaps this incident will make you more certain of the importance of raising children with moral values and separating them in their beds, and keeping them away from the things that may lead to evil and the things that may provoke desires in them and make them fall into evil.

After all of this we advise you to cover yourself and not tell anyone of what happened. There is no hadd punishment to be carried out on you, rather all you have to do is repent sincerely and do a lot of good deeds (because good deeds wipe out bad deeds).

And Allaah knows best.

Important note to learn and Read Quran online
The Holy Quran is the word of Allah; it has been sent down to guide us and the guidance can online be gained through reading quran online. No other book can be like holy quran. As you come to the learn tajweed quran, Allah speaks to you and reading Arabic Quran is to hear Him, even to converse with Him, and to walk in His ways. So it is must for us as a Muslim to learn and do quran memorization by heart and the Quran tutor should teach the kids from quran qaida and then teaching quran online along with the quran tafseer and let the kids memorize quran so that we as Muslim could learn quran tajweed rules and then understand the quran tafseer  It is the encounter of life with the Life-giver. 'God - there is no god but He, the Ever-living, the Self-subsisting (by whom all subsist)  He has sent down upon you the Book with the Truth ... as a guidance unto mankind ...' (Al 'Imran 3: 2-3 learn quran recitation). So we should always remember the guidance of Allah and we should be listening to quran online along with obeying the commandments of Allah so let us join hands to lean the Koran and let our kids do quran memorization and learn the teaching of quran education online and apply them in there life there is kids quran lesson available online as well