Is My Sin Forgiven If I Committed It Before Islam?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Question
Before I became Muslim, when I was thirteen or fourteen, I did something inappropriate involving a much younger sibling out of curiosity, and it never happened again.
I took the shahada at fifteen and have repented sincerely ever since, and I want to know whether my repentance is accepted and whether anything further is owed from me.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
You have carried this for years, and the fact that you cannot put it down is itself the mark of the repentance you are asking about.
Your entering Islam erased everything that came before it, your repentance since is sound, and no fast, charity, or expiation is owed on account of this.
Islam Erased What Came Before It
Amr ibn al-As (Allah be pleased with him) asked the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) to stretch out his hand so that he might pledge, then closed his own hand, wanting a condition first: that he be forgiven.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said to him, “Did you not know that Islam wipes out what came before it, that emigration wipes out what came before it, and that the Pilgrimage wipes out what came before it?” [Sahih Muslim]
That is a ruling, not a kindness offered to a man in distress. Whatever preceded your shahada was wiped when you said it, and none of it stands recorded against you.
Allah Most High promises more than erasure to those who then live well: “Save he who repents and believes, and works righteous deeds: For those shall Allah change their bad deeds for good; And Allah was ever all-forgiving, all-compassionate.” [Quran 25:70; Keller, The Quran Beheld]
Add what you have told me without meaning to. You were a boy of thirteen or fourteen, acting out of the confusion of that age rather than any settled desire.
Whatever an adult would carry here, a child does not.
Your Repentance Is Complete as It Stands
Badr al-Din al-Zarkashi (Allah have mercy on him) sets out what repentance requires, and the distinction he draws is the one that settles your case: “If the sin is ongoing, then the well-known position is that there are three conditions.
The first is regret for the act. The second is desisting at once. The third is the resolve not to return. And if the sin is not ongoing, then two conditions: regret and resolve.” [Zarkashi, al-Manthur fi al-Qawaid al-Fiqhiyya]
Your sin is not ongoing. It ended once, years ago, in another life. So what is asked of you is regret and the resolve never to return, and you have had both for years.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Regret is repentance.” [Sunan Ibn Maja] Yours has been thorough enough to keep you awake.
Do not repeat the repentance. Repeating it is the sin of refusing to stay buried, and every repetition teaches you that the last one failed.
Fast if you love to fast and give charity if you love to give, as acts of drawing near and gratitude. Do not do either as payment on a debt you do not owe.
Do Not Tell Your Brother
You asked how to make things right, and behind that question is him. Do not go to him with this. He was small then; he may carry no memory of it at all, and handing him one now would relieve your conscience at his cost.
A man once came to disclose a sin of this kind, and Umar (Allah be pleased with him) said to him, “Allah had covered you; had you covered yourself.” [Mishkat al-Masabih]
What Allah has concealed, leave concealed. For the same reason, do not send the details you offered to send. Nothing further is needed from you, and repeating it only reopens it.
What you can do is real, and none of it requires a word. Be good to him, steadily and without drama, and be the older brother he can count on.
Ask Allah for him by name in your prostration and in the last part of the night, that Allah keep him whole and give him good in this life and the next.
If he ever shows distress that traces back to those years, help him quietly toward qualified professional care, without turning it into a confession.
Stop Revisiting It
Set it down the way a settled debt is set down. Keep your prayers, keep company that lifts you, and give this no more of your nights.
Allah Most High says: “despair not of the mercy of Allah: Verily Allah forgives all sins soever: Truly He is the All-forgiving, the All-compassionate.” [Quran 39:53; Keller, The Quran Beheld] You are the one being addressed there.
May Allah give you rest from this and keep you close to Him.
And Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Faraz Rabbani
Related Answers
Does Embracing Islam Remove Past Sins? — Shaykh Yusuf Weltch explains that sins committed before the actual conversion are forgiven upon embracing Islam, based on the Prophetic statement that Islam wipes away what preceded it.
Are a Convert’s Wrongdoings toward Others before Embracing Islam Forgiven? — Mawlana Ilyas Patel discusses the scholarly difference concerning rights of other people, including financial and non-financial wrongs, and explains why a convert should still seek to repay, apologize, and rectify such wrongs.
Does Conversion Wash Away Previous Sins? What About Rights of Others? — Shaykh Shuaib Ally directly addresses both forgiveness of previous sins and the continued obligation to restore the rights of others.
Shaykh Faraz Rabbani is a recognized specialist scholar in the Islamic sciences, having studied under leading scholars from around the world. He is the Founder and Executive Director of SeekersGuidance.
Shaykh Faraz stands as a distinguished figure in Islamic scholarship. His journey in seeking knowledge is marked by dedication and depth. He spent ten years studying under some of the most revered scholars of our times. His initial studies took place in Damascus. He then continued in Amman, Jordan.
In Damascus, he was privileged to learn from the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas. Shaykh Adib al-Kallas was renowned as the foremost theologian of his time. Shaykh Faraz also studied under Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi in Damascus. Shaykh Hassan is recognized as one of the leading Hanafi jurists of our era.
Upon completing his studies, Shaykh Faraz returned to Canada in 2007. His return marked a new chapter in his service to the community. He founded SeekersGuidance. The organization reflects his commitment to spreading Islamic knowledge. It aims to be reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible. This mission addresses both online and on-the-ground needs.
Shaykh Faraz is also an accomplished author. His notable work includes “Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School.” This book, published by White Thread Press in 2004, is a significant contribution to Islamic literature.
His influence extends beyond his immediate community. Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been recognized as one of the 500 most influential Muslims. This recognition comes from the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center. It underscores his impact on the global Islamic discourse.
Shaykh Faraz Rabbani’s life and work embody a profound commitment to Islamic scholarship. His teachings continue to enlighten and guide seekers of knowledge worldwide.
النصوص · Source-Texts
[صحيح مسلم]
«أَمَا عَلِمْتَ أَنَّ الإِسْلَامَ يَهْدِمُ مَا كَانَ قَبْلَهُ؟ وَأَنَّ الْهِجْرَةَ تَهْدِمُ مَا كَانَ قَبْلِهَا؟ وَأَنَّ الْحَجَّ يَهْدِمُ مَا كَانَ قَبْلَهُ؟»
[الزركشي، المنثور في القواعد الفقهية]
«فَإِنْ كَانَتْ الْمَعْصِيَةُ مُسْتَصْحَبَةً، فَالْمَشْهُورُ أَنَّهَا ثَلَاثَةٌ: (الْأَوَّلُ) النَّدَمُ عَلَى الْفِعْلِ … (وَالثَّانِي)، الْإِقْلَاعُ فِي الْحَالِ. (وَالثَّالِثُ): الْعَزْمُ عَلَى عَدَمِ الْعَوْدِ … وَإِنْ كَانَتْ الْمَعْصِيَةُ غَيْرَ مُسْتَصْحَبَةٍ فَشَرْطَانِ النَّدَمُ وَالْعَزْمُ»
[سنن ابن ماجه]
«النَّدَمُ تَوْبَةٌ»
[مشكاة المصابيح]
«لَقَدْ سَتَرَكَ اللَّهُ لَو سترت نَفْسِكَ»
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