The repentance of adulterers and sorcerers is accepted

8-2-2012 | IslamWeb

Question:

Does Allaah The Almighty accept the repentance of adulterers and sorcerers? If so, how can they repent?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

 

Repentance is obligatory upon every sinner and Allaah The Almighty accepts it, if He wills, as long as its conditions are fulfilled and the person repents before the moment of death.  Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {The repentance accepted by Allaah is only for those who do wrong in ignorance [or carelessness] and then repent soon after. It is those to whom Allaah will turn in forgiveness, and Allaah is ever Knowing and Wise. But repentance is not [accepted] of those who [continue to] do evil deeds up until, when death comes to one of them, he says, "Indeed, I have repented now," or of those who die while they are disbelievers. For them We have prepared a painful punishment.} [Quran 4:17, 18]

Mujaahid mentioned that anyone who disobeys Allaah The Almighty deliberately or inattentively is considered ignorant until he repents and these verses, as stated by Al-Qurtubi the Maaliki scholar apply to every sinner.

Furthermore, it was narrated on the authority of Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said that Allaah The Almighty accepts a slave's repentance as long as the soul has not  reached the throat at the moment of death.  [At-Tirmithi]

As mentioned before, repentance is obligatory, hence Allaah The Almighty commanded His servants to turn to Him in repentance.  Allaah The Almighty Says (what means):

• {And turn to Allaah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.} [Quran 24:31]

• {Do they not know that it is Allaah who accepts repentance from His servants and receives charities and that it is Allaah who is the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful?} [Quran 9:104]

• {And it is He who accepts repentance from His servants and pardons misdeeds, and He knows what you do.} [Quran 42:25]

• {Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allaah . Indeed, Allaah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful."} [Quran 39:53]

If the sin is not against another person, there are three conditions for the repentance to be valid:

1-      To give up the sinful act

2-      To regret having committed it

3-      To resolve never to commit it again

If one of these three conditions is not fulfilled, the repentance would not be valid.

If the sin is against another person, a fourth condition is added, which is that it is necessary to restore the rights of the wronged person and ask them for forgiveness.

Allaah The Almighty accepts the repentance of an adulterer who repents and meets these conditions and will replace his evil deeds with good ones. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {And those who do not invoke with Allaah another deity or kill the soul which Allaah has forbidden [to be killed], except by right, and do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse. And whoever should do that will meet a penalty. Multiplied for him is the punishment on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein humiliated - except for those who repent, believe and do righteous work. For them Allaah will replace their evil deeds with good. And ever is Allaah Forgiving and Merciful.} [Quran 25:68-70]

An adulterer should not expose his sin. The same thing even applies to a sorcerer unless his sorcery caused someone’s death. In this case he must also repent, but the penalty of murder must be applied to him and dropping the penalty would not be permissible if he has done so.

Allaah Knows best.