Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalamu alaikum varahmathullah

i have question that one of my beloved told me about his diesease and told me to keep it as a secret.  But for the beneficial of my friend i told another person to pray for his disease while the person was travelling ( i know travellers dua will be easily acceptable to Allah, the almighty ) my intention is to get one's dua for my beloved friend.  After telling to this the traveller i feared is it an act of Nifaq ( that i can't keep the word which i given to my diseased friend - symptom of munafiq)  so please clarify me? am i right in this act or not how can i repent infront of Allah for this mistake

Jazakallah

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Answer:

Reveal secret of friend

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Respected brother, if one trusted you with their secret, and/or you promised that you would hold their secret….then it would only have been piety and righteousness on your part in the Sight of your Lord that you scrupulously honored that trust.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.1 Narrated by Umar bin Al Khattab

I heard Allah's Messenger (saws) saying, "The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions, and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended.”

If for any reason you have divulged the secret of your friend, indeed it would be a betrayal of the trust that your friend has placed with you. But because your intentions were noble and you wished well for your friend, rest absolutely assured that this betrayal would not even be close to the abomination of ‘nifaaq’ or hypocrisy in the Sight of your Lord…but rather an honest error in your judgment.

Your Question: ….am i right in this act or not how can i repent infront of Allah for this mistake

Your current state of remorse at divulging the trust of your friend, and the fear of the chastisement of the Tribunal of your Lord is in itself evidence of your firm belief in your Lord and The Last Day.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah Zumur verses 53-54:

(O Prophet) say: “O My servants who have wronged their own souls….Do not despair of Allah’s Mercy! Surely, Allah forgives all sins. He indeed is the All Forgiving, All Merciful. Return to your Lord and submit to Him before the scourge overtakes you; for then you may get no help from anywhere.”

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imraan verse 135-136:

Allah likes such good people very much, who, if ever they commit a base deed or wrong their own soul by the commission of a sin, remember Allah instantly, and ask for forgiveness from Him for their shortcomings. For who, but Allah, can forgive sins? (And Allah loves those) who do not knowingly persist in the wrongs they did. These will be rewarded with forgiveness from Allah, and with Gardens beneath which canals flow, and they will reside therein forever! How excellent is the reward of those who do good deeds!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verse 54:

When those come to you who believe in Our Signs, say: "Peace be on you! Your Lord had inscribed for Himself (the rule of) Mercy. Verily if any of you did evil in ignorance, and thereafter repented and amended (his conduct), Lo! He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."

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

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

Whatever deeds one might have done in one’s past, if one turns to Allah Subhanah in sincere ‘Taubah’ and seeks forgiveness, it is expected that they will find their Lord Forgiving and Merciful…….furthermore, if you want your heart to be completely satisfied and assured, the best course of action would be to tell your friend who trusted you with the secret regarding the situation and condition in which you were inclined to divulge his secret…..if you could bring yourself to do that, and thus seek forgiveness not only from your Lord Creator but also from your friend who trusted you with his secret, that would more than suffice as repentance for your honest ‘error in judgment’ in the Sight of your Lord, Insha Allah.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan