Committed adultery which led to pregnancy

Question

I knew a lady since long time and I loved her. She got wedded to another man since 6 years and has one child. After she got married I moved to the United States to work but this summer I went to visit my country to search for a wife to get married. During my vacation I met her and the evil made us have sex and I got her pregnant. I got shocked of what happened because we had safety measures. I don’t know what to do she wants to have abortion, while she is one month pregnant. I know it is a major sin to make her abort the baby but I heard before that at certain gestational age it is not a major sin is that true?

Another issue if abortion is major sin can I keep her with the child I mean is it sin to make her divorce her husband and I marry her?

Or is it better to forget about the child and live as the child is born from her husband and make him believe that he is the father?

The last question what penalty she and I will have if we announce that we did this major sin?

I am confused and I don’t know what to do... Will you please help me in this problem may God bless you and forgive me and her.  

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

You and the woman mentioned in your question should hasten to make a sincere repentance from adultery. It is a heinous and great sin. It is reported from Ibn Mas'ood that he asked the Prophet  said: "O Allah's Apostle! Which is the most hideous sin?" He said, "To set up rivals to Alaah by worshipping others though He alone has created you". I asked, "What is next?" He said, "To kill your child lest it should share your food". I asked, "What is next?" He said, "To commit illegal sexual intercourse with the wife of your neighbor."

The punishment you deserve, if you declare your adultery, is to be stoned till death, if both of you were ever a married and consummated the marriage. If you are not married then the punishment is to be flogged with a hundred stripes and exiled for a year. The evidence is that 'Ubaadah Ibn As-Saamit  said that the Prophet  said: "If a virgin male commits fornication with a virgin female, flog them with a hundred stripes and exile them for a year. If two people commit adultery and none of them is virgin flog them with a hundred stripes and pelt them both with stones to death." [Muslim]

But you have to conceal your sin; declaring sin is not a condition for the acceptance of the repentance. The Prophet  said: "Whoever was inflicted by (committing) any of these dirts (i.e. sins), he should hide his sins and conceal them just as Allah did not expose his sins." [Al-Haakim and Al Bayhaqi]

As for aborting the fetus or inciting the woman to take divorce from her husband, are additional sins and evils. So, you should not think about them at all.

The Prophet  said: "Any woman who seeks divorce from her husband without being harmed in any way the smell of Paradise is forbidden for her." [Abu Daawood, Ibn Maajah and others]

Aborting the fetus without any reason that is acceptable in Islam is forbidden even if it is before infusing life in the fetus. Abortion after the life has been infused is a killing an innocent soul. So, it is not permissible to have an abortion during a certain stage; it is considered as a major sin.

Know that the child is traced back to the husband as long as he does not deny him by performing Li'aan' (the separation occurred after taking an oath by both the husband and the wife when he accuses his wife of committing illegal sexual intercourse). The Prophet  said: "The boy is for the owner of the bed and the stone is for the person who commits an illegal sexual intercourse." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

In brief, you have to make sincere repentance, keep away from this woman. She is also required to do the same; conceal her sin and should not abort the fetus. The child will be traced back to the husband.

Allah knows best -islamweb.net

CHAPTER 34, SABA (SHEBA)

Introduction

The fifty-four verse chapter, Sheba, was revealed in Mecca.  All chapters revealed in Mecca tend to concentrate on the fundamentals of faith and pay particular attention to belief in the Day of Judgement and the Hereafter.  The title Sheba comes from verses fifteen to twenty-one in which the community of Sheba is punished for their ingratitude.  The chapter also deals with the absurd allegations of madness directed at Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him.

Verses 1 – 9 God is All Knowing

All praises belong to God.  He is the owner of all that is in the heavens and the earth.  Even in the Hereafter all praises are His.  Yet the disbelievers say that the Day of Judgement will never come to them.  They are wrong.  Not even a speck of dust escapes God’s knowledge and it is all recorded in a book.  The Hour is established so that those who believe and do righteous deeds are generously rewarded and those who disbelieve and work to undermine the Prophet’s warning are severely punishment.

Those with knowledge can see that what Prophet Muhammad says is the truth but some of them mock and taunt him.   They call him a liar and say that he is mad because he warns of a resurrection after death.  He is not mad and those who say so will suffer a torment.  God could make the earth swallow them or let fragments of sky fall down upon them.  In this is a sign for every person who turns back to God in repentance.

Verses 10 – 14 David & Solomon are grateful

David was showered with God’s blessings.  He sang praises to God with the mountains and the birds.  God made iron pliable for David and commanded him to make chain mail and armour from it.  God sees everything.  God favoured Solomon with control over the wind and a fountain of molten brass.  Many of the jinn worked for Solomon making palaces, statues, water fountains and other amazing things.   If they disobeyed, God punished them severely.  God told the family of David to work gratefully pointing out that most people are ungrateful.   When Solomon died the jinn did not realise he was dead until a small creature eating through his stick made him fall down.  If they had known Solomon was dead they would not have continued working.

Verses 15- 21 The people of Sheba are ungrateful

The people of Sheba had two marvellous gardens, one to the right and one to the left.  God told them to eat from what He provided and to be grateful and give thanks.  They refused and turned away.  God punished them by causing the dam to break, flooding them completely.  Because of their lack of gratitude God replaced their two beautiful gardens with bitter fruit and sparse thorny trees.  God repays those that are ungrateful.  God allowed the people of Sheba to travel easily between the towns he had blessed.  They could travel safely both day and night but they were insolent and complained about ease.  They were rewarded for their ungratefulness by ceasing to exist as a nation and were scattered throughout the land, and became as mere tales for people to talk about.  In this are signs for those who are patient and grateful.  Satan cannot force people to disobedience, but God has been given him the power to whisper and seduce mankind so that it serves as a test to distinguish those who are sincere and believe in the Hereafter and those who entertain doubts about its coming.

Verses 22 – 30 One God, no partners!

If you invoke other deities you will find that they have no control over anything, not even a speck of dust.  They are no help to God and they possess no ability to intercede.  On the Day of Judgment intercession will only work when God gives His Permission.  God speaks the truth and He is the One who gives sustenance.  God has no partners and he will judge justly.  Prophet Muhammad was sent to bring good news and a warning but most people choose not to understand.  They ask when the Day of Judgement will come.  The knowledge of when it is known only to God and no one has the authority to change it.

Verses 31 – 39 A warner for every community

The disbelievers say they will not believe in the Quran, or the earlier revealed scriptures.  If only Prophet Muhammad could see how the disbelievers will act when they stand before God.  They will reproach one another and accuse one another but they will all fall silent with regret when iron collars are fastened around their necks.  They will be recompensed for what they did.   

Every community had a warner sent to them.  The affluent people, in general, refused to believe that they would be punished.  But it is not great wealth or many children that bring a person closer to God; it is righteousness.  Those who are righteous will get a double reward and will be in the upper part of Paradise safe and secure. 

Verses 40 – 54 Prophet Muhammad tells the truth

On the Day of Judgment God will ask the angels if people worshipped them.  They will vehemently reply no rather they worshipped the jinn.  Then the disbelievers will taste the Fire that they refused to believe in.  When God’s messages are recited to them they turn away and call the Quran a lie, and when the truth has come to them they call it sorcery.  Former people denied God’s messages and His reproach was terrible. 

Prophet Muhammad is not mad nor is he a liar, he only warns of a severe suffering to come.  Muhammad does not ask for any reward; his reward is from God Alone.  God hurls the truth down and He has knowledge of the unseen.  The truth has come, and falsehood has gone and has perished.  If you could glimpse the Hereafter you would see how terrified some people are and there is no escape for them.  They will say that they believe now, but it will be too late.  They had many opportunities that are now gone forever.  They will not be able to go back and accumulate good deeds.  They were in complete denial, (now they are in despair). -islamreligion.com

The Angels and human beings - II

The emissaries of Allah to His Messengers and Prophets:

Allah has told us that Jibreel (Gabriel)  is the only one who carries out this mission through the verse (which means): "Say [O Muhammad]: 'Whatever is an enemy to Jibreel (Gabriel)-it is [none but] he who has brought it [i.e. the Quran] down upon your heart, by permission of Allah, confirming that which was before it and as guidance and good tidings for the believers.'" [Quran 2:97]

Revelation may be brought by angels other than Jibreel, but this happens rarely – as stated in the narration that was narrated by Ibn `Abbas  who said: "Whilst Jibreel was sitting with the Prophet  he heard a creaking sound above him, and he  raised his head. He  said: 'This is a door in the heaven which has been opened today, and it has never been opened before today, and an angel has come down through it. This is an angel who has come down to the earth, and he never came down before today. He [that angel] gave the greeting of Salaam and said: 'Rejoice, for you have been granted two lights which have not been given to any Prophet before you: the Opening (chapter) of the Book (chapter Al-Fatihah) and the closing verses of chapter Al-Baqarah. You will not read even one letter of them but you will be granted reward."' [Muslim]

According to Huthayfah  the Messenger of Allah  said: "An angel came to me and greeted me with salaam – he came down from the heavens and he had never come down before – and he gave me the glad tidings that Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn would be the leaders of the youth of Paradise, and that Faatimah would be the leader of the women of Paradise."" [Ibn `Asakir]

 

Not everyone to whom an angel comes is a Messenger or a Prophet:

Not everyone to whom an angel comes can be counted as a Messenger or a Prophet; this is an illusion. Allah sent Jibreel to Maryam (Mary), may Allah exalt her mention, as He sent him to the mother of Isma`eel (Ishmael)  when she ran out of food and drink. (And it is known that neither of them were Prophets).

The companions  saw Jibreel in the form of a Bedouin. And Allah sent an angel to that man who visited a brother of his for the sake of Allah, to tell him that Allah loved him because he loved his brother... This happened a lot, and the reason was to make a point.

 

How did the revelation come to the Messenger ?

Al-Harith Ibn Hisham  asked the Messenger : "O Messenger of Allah, how does the revelation come to you?"

The Messenger  said: "Sometimes it comes to me like the ringing of a bell, and that is the hardest for me. Then it departs from me, and I understand what has been said. Sometimes the angel comes to me in the form of a man who speaks to me, and I understand what he says." [Al-Bukhari]

Jibreel used to come to the Messenger  in his angelic form. This was difficult for the Messenger . At other times Jibreel would change from his angelic form and take on human form, and this was easier for the Messenger .

The Messenger  saw Jibreel twice in the form in which Allah created him:

 

Three years after the beginning of the Prophetic Mission:

The Messenger of Allah  said: "Whilst I was walking, I heard a voice from the heavens. I raised my head and saw the angel who had come to me in (the cave of) Hiraa', sitting on a throne between the heavens and the earth. I was scared of him, and I went back (home) and said (to his wife), `Cover me!'" [Al-Bukhari]

 

When he was taken up into the heavens (the Ascension)

This occasion was mentioned in chapter An-Najm, where Allah Says (what means): "(The Quran was) Taught to him (i.e. Muhammad) by one intense in strength [i.e. Jibreel] — One of soundness. And he rose to [his] true form. While he was in the higher [part of the] horizon. Then he approached and descended. And was at a distance of two bow lengths or nearer. And he revealed to His Servant what he revealed [i.e. conveyed]. The heart  did not lie [about] what it saw. So will you dispute with him over what he saw? And he certainly saw him in another descent. At the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary — Near it is the Garden of Refuge [i.e. Paradise] — When there covered the Lote Tree that which covered [it]. The sight [of the Prophet] did not swerve, nor did it transgress [its limit]." [Quran 53:5-17]

 

The mission of Jibreel :

The mission of Jibreel is not restricted only to conveying the Revelation from Almighty Allah. He used to come to the Prophet  every year in Ramadaan, on every night of that month, to teach him the Quran. According to Ibn `Abbas : "The Messenger of Allah  was the most generous of people, and he was at his most in generosity during Ramadaan, when he used to meet Jibreel, and he used to meet him every night during Ramadan, to study the Quran with him. The Messenger of Allah was more generous in doing good than the strong wind when it blows." [Al-Bukhari]

 

His leading the Messenger in prayer:

Jibreel led the Messenger Muhammad  in prayer, so that he could learn the prayer as Allah wanted it to be performed. According to Ibn Mas'ood  the Messenger  said: "Jibreel came down and led me in prayer, so I prayed with him, then I prayed with him, then I prayed with him, then I prayed with him, then I prayed with him" — and he counted them off on his fingers five times." [Al-Bukhari]

The Messenger  said: "Jibreel led me in prayer at the Ka'bah twice. He led me in praying Thuhr (noon prayer) when the sun had passed its zenith by the length of a sandal-thong, and he led me in praying Asr (afternoon prayer) when the shadow of every object was the same length as the object itself. He led me — praying Maghrib (sunsert prayer)— at the time when the fasting person breaks his fast. He led me in praying 'Ishaa' (night prayer) when the twilight had ended. And he led me in praying Fajr (dawn prayer) at the time when food and drink become Haraam (forbidden) for the one who is fasting.

On the following day, he led me in praying Thuhr when the shadow of an object was the same length as the object itself. He led me in praying 'Asr when the shadow of an object was twice as long as the object itself. He led me in praying Maghrib at the time when the fasting person breaks his fast. He led me in praying 'Ishaa' when a third of the night had passed. And he led me in praying Fajr when there was a fair amount of light. Then he turned to me and said: `O Muhammad, these are the times (observed by) the Prophets before you, and the time (for each prayer) is anywhere between these two times (mentioned in each case). "'[Abu Dawood] -islamweb.net

READ PART 1 - The Angels and human beings - I

The Angels and human beings - I

1 – The angels and Adam :

When Allah, the Most Exalted, wanted to create Adam  He informed His angels of that. They asked Him the reason behind that, because they knew that the sons of Adam  would cause corruption and shed blood, and they would disobey Allah and disbelieve in Him. He told them that there were reasons for the creation of Adam which they did not know. Allah Says in the Quran (what means): "And [mention, O Muhammad], when your Lord said to the angels, “Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority.” They said, “Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we declare Your praise and sanctify You?” He [Allah] said, “Indeed, I know that which you do not know." [Quran 2:30]

Their prostration to Adam  when he was created:

Allah commanded His angels to prostrate to Adam  when He had completed his creation and breathed His soul into him, Saying (what means): "[So mention] when your Lord said to the angels: “Indeed, I am going to create a human being from clay. So when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My [created] soul, then fall down to him in prostration." [Quran 38:71-72]

They responded to the command, except for Satan, as in the verse (which means): "So the angels prostrated — all of them entirely. Except Satan; he was arrogant and became among the disbelievers."[Quran 38:73-74]

 

How the angels taught Adam :

It is narrated that Abu Hurayrah  said: The Messenger of Allah said: "Allah created Adam in his image (i.e. without progressing through the stages of a normal human, starting from a sperm until the completion of his human formation), and he (Adam) was sixty cubits tall. When He had created    him, He said, `Go and greet them – a group of angels who were sitting – and listen to how they respond, for that will be your greeting and the greeting of your descendents.' So he said, 'As-Salamu `Alaykum,' and they said, 'As-Salamu `Alayka wa rahmat-Allahi. So they added the words wa rahmat-Allah." [Al-Bukhari]

 

The angels washed Adam  when he died:

When Adam  died, his children did not know what they should do with his body, so the angels taught them. Ubayy Ibn Ka'b  narrated that the Prophet  said: "When Adam, died, the angels washed his body with water an odd number of times, then they buried him in a grave with a niche (land), and said: This is the way of the sons of Adam."[Al-Hakim and At-Tabarani]

It is narrated in an authentic narration that the angels washed Hanthalah Ibn Abu `Aamir  who was martyred in the battle of Uhud. The Messenger  said to his companions, may Allah be pleased with them, after Hanthalah  was killed: "The angels are washing your companion" – meaning Hanthalah. The companions asked his wife, and she said that he had gone out when he heard the call to Jihad, and he was in a state of ritual impurity following marital relations. The Messenger of Allah  said, "That is why the angels washed his body." [Al-Haakim and Al-Bayhaqi]

 

2 – The angels and the sons of Adam :

The connection between the angels and the descendents of Adam  is very strong. They are there when a person is created, they guard him/her after he/she emerges into this world. They bring the revelation from Allah and they watch over people's actions and behaviour. They bring a person's soul forth from his body when his appointed time (of death) comes.

 

Their role in the creation of man:

Abu Tharr  said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah  say: `When forty-two nights are passed, Allah sends an angel to the nutfah (embryo) and he gives it shape, forming its hearing and sight, its skin, flesh and bones. Then he says: `O Lord, male or female?' Then your Lord decrees whatever He wills and the angel writes it down.'" [Muslim]

It is narrated that Ibn Mas'ood, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "The Messenger of Allah  who is the most truthful one, told us: "Each one of you comes together in mother's womb for forty days, then becomes an 'Aalaqah (clot) for a similar period of time. Then he becomes a Mudhghah (chewed lump of flesh) for a similar length of time. Then Allah sends an angel to him, who is commanded with four things. It is said to him: Write down his deeds, his provision, and whether he is doomed (destined for Hell) or blessed (destined for Paradise). Then the soul is breathed into him.'" [Al-Bukhari]

The Prophet  also said: "Allah has appointed an angel over the womb, and he (the angel) says, 'O Lord, a Nutfah (embryo from the mixed discharge of male and female); O Lord, an 'Alaqah (clot); O Lord, a Mudhghah (chewed lump of flesh).' And when Allah wants to decree his creation, he says: `O Lord, male or female? Doomed or blessed? What is his provision? What is his lifespan?' All of that is written when he is in his mother's womb." [Al-Bukhari]

 

The angels guard the sons of Adam :

Almighty Allah Says (what means): "It is the same [to Him] concerning you whether one conceals [his] speech or one publicizes it and whether one is hidden by night or conspicuous [among others] by day. For him [i.e. each one] are successive [angels] before and behind him who protect him by the decree of Allah. Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves. And when Allah intends for a people ill, there is no repelling it. And there is not for them besides Him any patron." [Quran 13:10-11]

Ibn `Abbas  has explained that what is meant by "successive angels" is the angels whom Allah appoints to guard a person from before and from behind. Then when the decree of Allah comes, which Allah wills should befall him, they withdraw from him.

Mujahid  said: "There is no person who does not have an angel appointed to protect him when he is asleep and when he is awake, from the jinn, other men and savage beasts. None of these come to him, but the angel tells it, `Keep away!' except for that which Allah has given permission to befall him."

A man said to 'Ali Ibn Abu Talib : "A group from (the tribe of) Murad want to kill you." He (`Ali)  said: "With every man there are angels guarding him from whatever has not been decreed for him. When the decree comes, they move away from him and let it reach him. Your, fixed lifespan (decreed by Allah) is a protection for you." [Al-Bidayah Wan-Nihayah]

These guardians are sent by Allah to protect His slaves until the decreed time of death comes to them. -islamweb.net