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:

Salaam. I have a muslim friend who is a very good person. He has had sex with girls while studying in the USA and has also taken alchohol. This friend of mine is so close to me that before he left for USA i talked to him and told him that he will be facing many trials while there. I tried my level best according to the Knowledge of the Quran that I have to scare him away from these things. A few weeks ago I decided to talk to him again. I talked to him for a long time and Alhamdollilah I think I made an impression on him. Thing is that since he is such a good friend and he knows what he is doing is wrong, he does not mind listening.

My belief is this, for drinking alchohol, if you ask forgiveness from Allah and repent to him, InshaAllah he will forgive you. But what about Zina? As per my knowledge you have to be stoned to death if zina is done. Does this mean that he has to be stoned to death? Or will his sin be forgiven

InshaAllah if he repents and never repeats it? 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Sins and repentance

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 no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Question: My belief is this, for drinking alchohol, if you ask forgiveness from Allah and repent to him, InshaAllah he will forgive you. But what about Zina? As per my knowledge you have to be stoned to death if zina is done. Does this mean that he has to be stoned to death? Or will his sin be forgiven InshaAllah if he repents and never repeats it? 

Whatever deeds one might have done, if one turns to Allah Subhanah in sincere Taubah and seeks forgiveness before ones death, Allah Subhanah has promised in the Holy Quran that He will forgive all the sins of such a believer, even if one has committed the gravest sin of all: ‘Shirk’! Not only that, our Lord is so Merciful and Generous, that He not only will forgive the sins of the believer, He will change his evil deeds done into good deeds!

The conditions or ways to seek sincere Taubah or Repentance from the Merciful Lord are:

1. One is aware that he has sinned, and feels sorry and ashamed at his sin.
2. Makes a solemn covenant and promise with Allah that he will not repeat his sin again.
3. Turns to Allah and seeks forgiveness, before he has met with his appointment of death.
4. Is a believer and does righteous good deeds thereafter.

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 25 Surah Furqaan verses 63-71:

The (true) servants of the Merciful are those who walk humbly on the earth. When the ignorant people behave insolently towards them, they say, “Peace to you”; (And those) who pass their nights in prostrating themselves and standing before their Lord and pray, “O our Lord, save us from the torment of Hell, for its torment is killing! It is an evil abode, and an evil resting place”. (And those) who, when they spend are neither extravagant, nor miserly, but keep the golden mean between the two extremes. (And those) who do not invoke any god but Allah Alone, nor kill a soul unjustly, which Allah has forbidden, nor commit adultery… He who does this shall be punished for his sin, and his torment shall be doubled on the Day of Resurrection, and he shall abide in a state of ignominy; EXCEPT THE ONE WHO MAY HAVE REPENTED (AFTER THOSE SINS), AND HAVE BELIEVED AND DONE RIGHTEOUS DEEDS. For then, Allah will change his evil deeds into good deeds, and He is very Forgiving and Merciful. In fact, one who repents and does righteous deeds, returns to Allah as one rightly should!

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."

Your Question: But what about Zina? As per my knowledge you have to be stoned to death if zina is done. Does this mean that he has to be stoned to death? Or will his sin be forgiven InshaAllah if he repents and never repeats it? 

Indeed the punishment prescribed in Shariah for one who is convicted in a Shariah Court of the sin of zina (adultery) is stoning to death; but that is only if the case is brought to a Shariah Court in an established Islamic State, and the Shariah Judge has enough evidence to convict the person; only then can the Shariah Court extract the prescribed punishment and sentence the guilty to be stoned to death.

But in the situation where the ‘zina’ case is not brought to a Shariah Court, the person has the opportunity to directly seek repentance from his Lord Most Gracious for the evil he has committed; if his taubah and repentance is indeed sincere, it is expected that he will find his Lord Forgiving and Merciful.

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.”

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