Major Sin commited before Nikah

[servantofallah]

If fornication (Zina) has been commited before the Nikah between the same couple who got the Nikah, is the Nikah not accepted by Allah (SWT). I'm confused about this as I read a verse in the quran; Allah (SWT) says; The adulterer marries not but an adulteress or a Mushrikah, and the adulteress, none marries her except an adulterer or a Mushrik. Now I think this means who ever is chaste, a fornicater should not get married to him or her.

I read somewhere if you want to get married, one has to repent and do rightious deeds before getting married, does this apply only if one fornicater marries a chaste person or does it also apply to the two couples commited this sin and gets married? And when one repents sincerely after 3 years of marriage due to lack of practicing or having taqwa in Islam at the time the sin accured, will his or her repentance be accepted? Or does the couple needs to divorce and renew their Nikah?

I apprecite it if you answere this, Jazzak Allah Khair.

[Imam]

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

Wa'alaykum 'Assalam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu


All Praise be to Allah who is the Lord of the Worlds, and may Endless Blessings be showered upon His Most Beloved, and Final Messenger of Islam, Hadrat Muhammad Mustafa Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam

There is not an instance where the marriage of an Islamic couple, regardless of whether fornication was committed by them prior to the nikah, or not, is not accepted by Allah the Almighty. Allah the Almighty states in the Qur'an:

'Marry those who seem good to you, two three or four'

(Qur'an, an-Nisa, 3)

Here there is the order of getting married, yet there is no order stating that a Muslim may not get married, had he committed fornication prior to his marriage.

As far as the verse which you have quoted:

'The adulterer should not marry but an adulteress, or an associates, and marry not an adulteress but an adulterer or associator, and this deed is forbidden by the believers.'

(Qur'an, an-Nur, 24;3)

In relation to this verse of the Holy Qur'an, Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan Na'imi Rehmatullahi ’Alaih states in his Nur-ul-Irfan, commentary on Kanz-ul-Iman, that:

'This verse is abrogated (mansukh) in two ways. Firstly, in the early days of Islam, it was forbidden to marry an adulteress in Islam. Then this verse:

'And perform marriage of those among you who have not been married' (24;32), abrogated it (Ruh-al-Ma'ani, Khaza'in-ul-Irfan), abrogated the above verse.

Secondly, now a believer cannot enter into marriage with a polythiest. Allah the Almighty says:

'And marry not idolateresses, until they accept the faith'.

(Qur'an, 2;221)

The reason for the revelation of this verse was that the poor immigrants (muhajirin) had shown inclination to marry the wealthy immoral idolaterasses of Madina, in order to benefit from their wealth, and that these women coming into marriage with them, may repent from their evil ways.

In response, this verse was revealed in which they were stopped from this. (Ruh-al-Ma'ani, Khaza'in-ul-Irfan).

Where a person wants to get married, it is correct in saying that one has to repent, and do righteous deeds before getting married. This is regardless of whether one fornicator marries a chaste person, but applies also to both couples if they committed such a sin, and then they gat married.

It must be remembered that repentance is never turned away by Allah the Almighty, whether the repentance was made at the time of marriage, before marriage, or after three years. However the repentance must be a sincere one, in which he promises not to commit the same act ever again.

Where a couple get married, and they had previously committed sin, they must both repent at the time of the nikah, (this usually takes place when the imam prays his khutbah, and conducts the marriage, and also when he supplicates after the nikah, for the well being of both the bride and the groom).

However, this should not prevent a person from making supplication and invocation himself, from past acts and sins, so that when he marries his partner he starts afresh, with a new life ahead of him. He should repent at his earliest convenience, and not make a delay, so that the truth inside him is shown to the Almighty, and because of this, insha-Allah, he will be forgiven.



Jazak'allah for your question.





Wallahu A'lamu Biththawaab


M. Waseem Ashrafi