Q: I am engaged to my cousin. Recently, I came to know that she is having an affair with another cousin of ours. She accepted her mistake, and she was sorry for that, but she still wants to marry me.
I am pretty sure that she had an intimate relationship with him, but she denied it when I asked her. But her mother admitted it indirectly, and she is very close to her mother.
Can I still marry my cousin who may have had premarital intercourse with my other cousin?
A: In my opinion, I believe that it is totally ok to marry someone who committed zina. Of course, zina is a sin as it mentions in the Qur’an, “Do not go near adultery. It is truly a shameful deed and an evil way”. [Quran 17:32]
However, one of the repeated messages in the Qur’an is seeking forgiveness and that Allah (swt) is Forgiving and Merciful. Make sure that she has truly sought forgiveness from Ar-Rahman and changed her ways. If she has, I truly believe that it is ok to marry her. Everyone deserves a second chance, and Allah (swt) makes that clear in the Qur’an.
In the Qur’an it mentions, “And the two who commit it among you, dishonor them both. But if they repent and correct themselves, leave them alone. Indeed, Allah is ever Accepting of repentance and Merciful”. [Quran 4:16]
May Allah (swt) forgive us for our sins!
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