Fatwa ID: 08917
Written by Alimah Saleha Bukhari Islam
Question:
A married sister has committed adultery but has since repented. Her husband does not know what she did behind his back. She now wants to know: will Allah compensate her husband with anything in the Hereafter, as she has violated one of his rights?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Allah’s ﷻ tells us in the Quran that the door of repentance is always open, no matter how grave the sin:
“Say, “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.””[1]
[Surah Az-Zumar, 39:53]
Repentance (tawbah) erases all sins, and nothing absolves sins except true repentance. Indeed, Allah does not forgive associating partners with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. [2]
Thus, one who fulfils the conditions of tawbah is the one who repents in the true sense:
- One has stopped the sin,
- One sincerely regrets the sin,
- One intends never to return to the sin (after having sought Allah’s forgiveness.)
If the sin involves the right of another person (Haqqe Ādami), then its conditions are four; the three mentioned earlier [i.e., cessation of the sin, regret, and firm resolve not to return to it], and a fourth:
- that the wronged party is released from their right.
If it involved wealth or similar, it must be returned. If it was backbiting, the person must seek their pardon. And if it was a legal punishment such as false accusation (qadhf) or similar, the wrongdoer must allow the victim to exact retribution or seek their pardon
Thus, the sister must ensure that she has understood the requirements for seeking pardon from Allah ﷻ as He can and does forgive, even a major sin such as adultery (zina). This is part of His infinite mercy. However, zina does violate multiple rights; Allah’s ﷻ right – for disobeying His command and in this case, the husband’s right – for betrayal of trust and violation of the sanctity of marriage. While Allah ﷻ can forgive the breach of His own right (huqooq al-i’bad) through sincere repentance, the rights of other people (huqooq al-insan) are a separate matter. [3]
In this situation the husband’s right has clearly been violated, and he remains unaware of the betrayal. However, if the wife has truly repented then revealing it would cause more harm than good (e.g., emotional destruction, divorce, fitnah, etc.), especially if there are children from the marriage too.
Just as Allah is the One who punishes wrongdoing, He is also the One who compensates the one who is wronged, He is the One who forgives sins and rewards sincere intentions. It is entirely within His divine wisdom and justice to compensate the one who has been wronged, whether by granting him something better or by elevating his rank in the Hereafter, this is known only to Allah. We are informed in the Quran:
“Indeed, Allah does not do injustice, [even] as much as an atom’s weight; while if there is a good deed, He multiplies it and gives from Himself a great reward.”
[Surah An-Nisa, 4:40] [4]
Therefore, make dua for your husband, for goodness in both worlds, and for Allah to bless your marriage as a form of making amends. Uphold his rights diligently from now on, loyalty, love, respect, care, and truthfulness. If guilt overwhelms you, channel it into humility and betterment, not despair. Know that Allah is both Just and Merciful, and He will deal with each soul in the most perfect way. Allah, in His mercy, covers the sin, forgives the sinner, and does not burden the innocent.
References:
[1] ﴿۞ قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ﴾
[ الزمر: 53]
[2] وَالتَّوْبَةُ تَمْحُو جَمِيعَ السَّيِّئَاتِ، وَلَيْسَ شَيْءٌ يَغْفِرُ جَمِيعَ الذُّنُوبِ إِلَّا التَّوْبَةُ، فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَنْ يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونُ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ. وَأَمَّا التَّوْبَةُ فَإِنَّهُ قَالَ تَعَالَى: {قُلْ يَاعِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ} [سُورَةُ الزُّمَرِ: ٥٣] وَهَذِهِ لِمَنْ تَابَ. [وَلِهَذَا قَالَ: {لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ} بَلْ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ] ، وَقَالَ بَعْدَهَا: {وَأَنِيبُوا إِلَى رَبِّكُمْ وَأَسْلِمُوا لَهُ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَكُمُ الْعَذَابُ ثُمَّ لَا تُنْصَرُونَ} [سُورَةُ الزُّمُرِ: ٥٤]
ص211 – كتاب منهاج السنة النبوية – السبب الثاني الاستغفار – المكتبة الشاملة
[3] قال رجال السلوك: التوبة أول منزلة من منازل السالكين، وأول مقام من مقامات الطالبين.
وهي في لغة العرب: الرجوع. يقال: تاب، أي رجع. فالتوبة: الرجوع عما كان مذموماً في الشرع إلى ما هو محمود فيه.
وأجمع العلماء على أن التوبة واجبة من كل ذنب.
فإن كانت معصية بين العبد وبين الله تعالى، فلا تتعلق بحق آدمي، فلها شروط ثلاثة: أحدها: أن يقلع عن المعصية.
الثاني: أن يندم فعلها.
ص27 – كتاب مكفرات الذنوب وموجبات الجنة – التوبة وحقيقتها – المكتبة الشاملة
الثالث: أن يندم على ألا يعود إليها أبدا.
فإن كانت معصية تتعلق بحق آدمي فشروطها أربعة هذه الثلاثة المتقدمة.
والرابع: أن يبرأ من حق صاحبها.
فإن كان مالا، أو نحوه رده إليه. وإن كان غيبة استحله منها.
وإن كان حد قذف، أو نحوه مكنه من القصاص أو طلب عفوه.
والتوبة واجبة على الفور من جميع الذنوب، فإن تاب من بعضها صحت توبته مما تاب منه، وبقى عليه ما لم يتب منه.
ويقول الجنيد بن محمد البغدادي: التوبة على ثلاث معان: أولها: الندم. والثاني: يعزم على ترك المعاودة. والثالث: يسعى في أداء المظالم.
ص28 – كتاب مكفرات الذنوب وموجبات الجنة – التوبة وحقيقتها – المكتبة الشاملة
[4] إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَظۡلِمُ مِثۡقَالَ ذَرَّةٖۖ وَإِن تَكُ حَسَنَةٗ يُضَٰعِفۡهَا وَيُؤۡتِ مِن لَّدُنۡهُ أَجۡرًا عَظِيمٗا
Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.
Written by Alimah Saleha Bukhari Islam
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham