Must I Perform a Secret Nikah Urgently After Zina and Pregnancy?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
I committed zina with a woman I intend to marry, and she is now pregnant. We both repent sincerely and want a halal future. Is it permissible to perform a private nikah now and inform our families later? Is there urgency to marry due to the pregnancy? Would keeping the marriage private for some time be sinful if all conditions of nikah are fulfilled? How do I take proper responsibility for the child and repent correctly?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
Thank you for your question. May Allah Most High accept your repentance and you have a bright, prosperous future. Amin.
First of all, both of you should repent and continue to ask for forgiveness. If there is no urgency to marry, then wait for the public nikah; otherwise, conduct a private marriage to avoid further sin.
Allah is Truly Forgiving
Allah (Most High) is ready to accept the repentance of those who are truly remorseful and who commit themselves not to repeat the act. He (Most High) says:
“And those who, after they had committed a gross obscenity (ie, zina), or wronged themselves (by what approaches it, such as kissing), remembered Allah, and then sought forgiveness for their sins – and who forgives sins except Allah? – and they did not continue in committing it, knowing fully well (it was a sin):
For those people, their recompense is a great forgiveness from their Lord! And gardens underneath which rivers flow! They will be in there forever! What a wonderful reward for those who act for Allah!” [Quran, 2:135-136, interpretation from Tafsir Jalalayn and Tabari]
Responsibility of Children
Do your best to support the child and nurture them as you would any other normal child. Allah will reward you and be pleased with your efforts, just as he would with any other child.
All Children Are Equal Before Allah Most High
No child should be treated or considered as less equal, illegitimate, or in any way worse than a child born in wedlock. This goes against Allah’s clear command in Surat al-An‘am that no one shall bear the burdens of another. [Quran, 6:164]
Indeed, it is said that ‘Aisha (Allah be pleased with her), when asked about a child of adultery, responded that the child has nothing of the sin of the parents and cited this verse as her proof. [Ibn Abi Hatim al-Razi, Tafsir al-Quran al-Adhim]
Therefore, the child should be treated as a normal, valued human being and free from any stigma attached to them.
May Allah Most High grant you both steadfastness, ease your path, and bless your growing family with His mercy and grace. Amin.
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
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Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received a traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Currently, he resides in the UK with his wife and is interested in reading and gardening.
