Fatwa #4709325 September 2023United Kingdom
Zina and seeking forgiveness from my wife’s ex-husband
Question
Assalamu Alaykum, I hope you're well.
I have a question on behalf of my friend as he is currently abroad and has no means to contact you and so has advised me to get in touch with yourself. This brother recently got married to a sister he had known for majority of his life and before marriage they had both committed Zina. He has informed me that they both had repented before they got married. It is the sisters second marriage as she is divorced and whilst she was married, this brother committed Zina with this sister.
The sister was made to marry a guy from Pakistan and was married for around four years and in that time frame, her first husband used to beat her up and mentally abuse her and the police had gotten involved too. Whilst she was married she had committed zina and the guy who she had committed zina with and her both repented and are married now. What the brother wants to know is that he is very restless as he feels that he is to blame for the divorce between her and her previous husband and understand that for repentance, along with the rights of Allah come the rights of people and he wants to know if he needs to ask for forgiveness from her wife's ex husband. He has blocked him and so he has no contact but he wants to ask for forgiveness if he was a cause for their issues but is worried that if he asks for forgiveness, it is going to cause problems between his family and the girls family and so he wanted to know what he can do to make things right? Does he need to somehow get in touch with his wives ex husband and ask for forgiveness knowing more than likely he won't forgive him or can he do anything else as trying to contact the ex husband more than likely will lead to problems and issues. He is asking this because he feels that he and his wife will be destined for he'll as the ex husband will not forgive them and so they both feel depressed not knowing what to do. What can do they regarding this? If you could let me know, I will forward your response onto him.
JazakAllahu Khair
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
The answer is addressed to your friend.
Brother in Islam,
We note your concern, which is not misplaced. Zinā truly is an abhorrent act which is further magnified when it involves a married person, more so when it leads to the break-up of a marriage. The Qur’ān and the Aḥādīth are replete with grave warnings for those involved in zinā.
Brother, there are two types of sin; those that infringe on the right of Allah Taʿālā and those that infringe on the rights of people. It is encouraging to hear that you and your wife repented unto Allah Taʿālābefore marriage. The sharīʿah has placed great emphasis on the rights of people to the extent that all the sins of a martyr are forgiven besides those that are in relation to the rights of people.[1]
Since you feel you are to blame for the divorce and as you infringed on his right by committing zinā with his then wife, it will be necessary for you to seek forgiveness from him.[2]
In the case where there is no possibility of reaching out to him to seek his forgiveness or he will abuse the forgiveness and cause fitnah, then you should make istighfār and make duʿā to Allah Taʿālā to compensate the brother on your behalf and absolve you for the wrong you did to him and appease him on your behalf on the Day of Qiyāmah.[3]
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Usaamah Dadipatel
Student Darul Iftaa
Eshowe, South Africa.
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
(2021-02-05)
[1]شرح صحيح مسلم للنووي 5/28
وبناءً على ما سبق قرر أهل العلم أن حقوق العباد لا تسقط بالتوبة، وكذلك لا تسقط حقوق العباد بالشهادة في سبيل الله عز وجل، قال الإمام النووي: "وأما قوله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "إلا الدَّين" ففيه تنبيه على جميع حقوق الآدميين، وأن الجهاد والشهادة وغيرهما من أعمال البر لا يكفر حقوق الآدميين، وإنما يكفر حقوق الله تعالى".
[2]مجموع الفتاوى 18/187-189
وقال شيخ الإسلام ابن تيمية: "وأما حق المظلوم فلا يسقط بمجرد التوبة، وهذا حق، ولا فرق في ذلك بين القاتل وسائر الظالمين، فمن تاب من ظلم لم يسقط بتوبته حق المظلوم، لكن من تمام توبته أن يعوضه بمثل مظلمته، وإن لم يعوضه في الدنيا فلا بد له من العوض في الآخرة، فينبغي للظالم التائب أن يستكثر من الحسنات، حتى إذا استوفى المظلومون حقوقهم لم يبق مفلسًا، ومع هذا فإذا شاء الله أن يعوض المظلوم من عنده فلا رادَّ لفضله، كما إذا شاء أن يغفر ما دون الشرك لمن يشاء"
[3] المستدرك على الصحيحين 4/620
عن أنس بن مالك رضي الله عنه، قال: بينا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم جالس إذ رأيناه ضحك حتى بدت ثناياه، فقال له عمر: ما أضحكك يا رسول الله بأبي أنت وأمي؟ قال: " رجلان من أمتي جثيا بين يدي رب العزة، فقال أحدهما: يا رب خذ لي مظلمتي من أخي، فقال الله تبارك وتعالى للطالب: فكيف تصنع بأخيك ولم يبق من حسناته شيء؟ قال: يا رب فليحمل من أوزاري " قال: وفاضت عينا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بالبكاء، ثم قال: " إن ذاك اليوم عظيم يحتاج الناس أن يحمل عنهم من أوزارهم، فقال الله تعالى للطالب: " ارفع بصرك فانظر في الجنان فرفع رأسه، فقال: يا رب أرى مدائن من ذهب وقصورا من ذهب مكللة باللؤلؤ لأي نبي هذا أو لأي صديق هذا أو لأي شهيد هذا؟ قال: هذا لمن أعطى الثمن، قال: يا رب ومن يملك ذلك؟ قال: أنت تملكه، قال: بماذا؟ قال: بعفوك عن أخيك، قال: يا رب فإني قد عفوت عنه، قال الله عز وجل: فخذ بيد أخيك فأدخله الجنة " فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عند ذلك: «اتقوا الله وأصلحوا ذات بينكم فإن الله تعالى يصلح بين المسلمين» هذا حديث صحيح الإسناد ولم يخرجاه "
التيسير بشرح الجامع الصغير للمناوي 553
لابد أَن يُطَالب بهَا حَتَّى يَقع الْقصاص وَهَذَا هُوَ الْغَالِب وَقد يرضى بعض الْخُصُوم كَمَا فِي خبر