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 warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu.

I have commited a grave sin for which i am trying very hard to repent sincerly for. i have been very ignorant towards islam and its teaching i have committed too many sins for which i am depressed about. however i now am willing to change is it too late? i am 18 years of age turning 19, i am a female and i have drunk alcohol, taken drugs, had sex with various different males and also had relationships with them too, i have been a very horrible daughter to my mother and father and have hurt them and my family a lot. i feel very ashamed and can`t bare to face them with what i have done to them. however i my parents always thought the best of me and have allowed me to get married to the man of my choice, however the problem was that i became pregnant before hand and was adviced by all the elders to get married in the islamic way to him before the child is born i was 7 weeks pregnant when this took place. i just want to know what i do to repent and also what is to do after. is my child legitimate? what do i do? i am in need of urgent advice. I also want to know what my husband has to do and what measures we need to take to help our marriage as it is very rocky due to the fact that we had to get married very quickly and i get a lot of thoughts in my head of regret of getting pregnant and regret of being married to my husband although i love him dearly. please help me as i am begining to get very severly depressed.

 

(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:

 

Forgiveness of past deeds

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 sister in Islam, whatever deeds one might have done in one’s past, if one turns to Allah Subhanah in sincere ‘Taubah’ and seeks forgiveness,  Allah Subhanah has promised in the Holy Quran that He will forgive all the sins of such a repentant 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 such sincerely repentant believers, He will change their evil deeds done into good deeds!  

 

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

 

·         One is aware that one has sinned,  and feels sorry and ashamed at one’s sin.

·         Makes a solemn covenant and promise with Allah that one will not repeat one’s sin again.

·         Turns to Allah and seeks forgiveness,  before one has met with one appointment of death.

·         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."

 

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."

 

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 2338        Narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar

Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "Allah accepts a servant's repentance (taubah) till he gives up his spirit in death."

 

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 2339        Narrated by Abu Sa'id

Allah's Messenger (saws) said that the Shaytaan said, "By Thy Might, my Lord, I shall continue to lead Thy servants astray as long as their spirits are in their bodies!"  The Lord, Who is Great and Glorious, replied, "By My Might, Glory and Exalted Station, I shall continue to pardon them as long as they ask My forgiveness!"

 

Sahih Muslim Hadith 6499     Narrated by Abu Dharr Ghaffari

Allah's Messenger (saws) said that Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, stated: “He who comes with goodness, there are in store for him ten like those and even more than those; and he who comes with vice, it is only for that that which he is called to account. I even forgive him as I like, and he who draws close to Me by the span of a palm, I draw close to him by the cubit; and he who draws close to Me by the cubit, I draw close to him by the space (covered) by two hands; and he who walks towards Me, I rush towards him; and he who meets Me in the state that his sins fill the earth, but not associating anything with Me, I would meet Him with the same (vastness) of pardon (on My behalf)."

 

Respected sister in Islam, regardless of the quantity or the gravity of the sins you might have committed in your past, never ever ever despair of the vastness of Mercy of your Lord Most Merciful.  If you turn to Him in ‘taubah’, make sincere repentance, and amend your conduct thereafter, it is expected that you will find your Lord Forgiving and Merciful, Insha Allah.

 

Your Question: …is my child legitimate? what do i do?

Respected sister in Islam, because the child was conceived before marriage, the child will indeed be deemed as ‘illegitimate’ and ‘born out of wedlock’ in the Sight of Allah Subhanah and in the sight of Shariah Law. 

 

Because the child, although absolutely innocent of the sin of his parents is deemed illegitimate, it will have some obvious legal implications. The child will bear no legal relationship with its biological father in the Sight of Shariah Law.  It will be recognized by its mother’s name, it will inherit only from its mother, and its mother will inherit from it. 

 

The child will neither be known nor recognized by the name of its biological father, the biological father will hold no legal responsibility towards it, nor would the children hold any legal responsibility towards its biological father. Neither the biological father will inherit from its illegitimate child, nor will the illegitimate child inherit from its biological father.

 

If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws),   one can be assured of never ever being misled;   but if one believes, obeys and follows any other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of being led astray.  

 

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