Fatwa ID: 06099

 

Answered by: Alimah Habiba Akhtar 

 

Question:

 

If somebody knows that an individual is involved in adultery, should he/she inform the wife?

 

 

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

 

Answer:

 

When you as a Muslim know that another is involved in sin and is committing an error, it is your duty to advise against the evil and stop them as you encourage them towards good.

 

This is an obligation stipulated by Allah SWT upon all Muslims mentioned in the following verse:

 

“And let there be amongst you a group inviting to virtue, commanding the good and forbidding evil. These are the successful ones.” (1)

 

Therefore, you should reprimand the one who has committed Zina and approach the person. It is your duty to confront the man and encourage him to move away from sin.

 

Thus, your approach should be towards the one who has committed the sin to forbid the evil rather than the wife who is in the unknown. Your aim is to stop your Muslim brother from doing the evil he is doing and allow him the chance to change. You should put the responsibility of the affair upon the man who has committed the sin.

 

Your priority here will then be to help your brother rectify his error and reform.

 

Therefore, in response to your query, you should approach the husband and advice him as approaching the wife would be exposing his sins.

 

Regarding one’s sins, once Allah SWT has concealed them and kept them hidden, then he shouldn’t expose them but rather reform them.

 

Consider the following hadith:

 

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

 

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Every one of my followers will be forgiven except those who expose (openly) their wrongdoings. An example of this is that of a man who commits a sin at night which Allah has covered for him, and in the morning, he would say (to people): “I committed such and such sin last night,’ while Allah had kept it a secret. During the night Allah has covered it up but in the morning he tears up the cover provided by Allah Himself.” (2)

 

 

 

Only Allah knows best

Written by Alimah Habiba Akhtar 

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

 

 

 

 

(1)

{ وَلۡتَكُن مِّنكُمۡ أُمَّةࣱ یَدۡعُونَ إِلَى ٱلۡخَیۡرِ وَیَأۡمُرُونَ بِٱلۡمَعۡرُوفِ وَیَنۡهَوۡنَ عَنِ ٱلۡمُنكَرِۚ وَأُو۟لَـٰۤىِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُفۡلِحُونَ }

[Surah Âl-`Imrân: 104]

 

 

(2)

وعنه قال‏: ‏ سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول‏: ‏ ‏ “‏كل أمتي معافًى إلا المجاهرين، وإن من المجاهرة أن يعمل الرجل بالليل عملاً، ثم يصبح وقد ستره الله عليه فيقول‏: ‏ يا فلان عملت البارحة كذا وكذا، وقد بات يستره ربه، ويصبح يكشف ستر الله عنه‏”‏ ‏

Sahih Bukhari, 5721