Will Someone Be Considered a Virgin If They Commit Fornication and Then Repent?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
If someone has committed fornication before marriage and then repents sincerely, what’s the legal position on their virginity? Are they considered a virgin?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
Suppose a male or female commits fornication (zina) before marriage, and they have not repeated it, nor has a penal punishment been carried out on them. In that case, they will be considered virgins in principle and from a Sharia point of view, unless they repeat the act and become known among people. The Sharia calls for the concealment of fornication; therefore, they will be considered virgins principally. [Ibn ’Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar; Maydani, al-Lubab Fi Sharh al-Kitab]
Disclosing Sins
In general, the sharia calls for the concealment of sins; one should not disclose about oneself or others unless it is required and becomes known.
Related:
- Can A Woman Who Committed Zina Marry Without Her Father’s Consent?
- Will My Future Husband Find Out About My Virginity?
- Can I Get Married to a Chaste Man after Having Masturbated as a Woman?
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I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
