Allah covers for you

In Islam, if you have been guilty of a sin and nobody knows about it, do not uncover the veil that Allah has placed over your sin.

This is the principle behind a question I found at Islam Online. A user by the name M has asked:

"A person has committed zina (fornication) outside of marriage and does not intend to marry the woman. The person considers the action a grave mistake and has repented by asking Allah for forgiveness, resolving never to perform the act again, and feeling remorse for the action.

"The sin is still concealed and only known to the two involved. Does the person need to be given 100 lashes in order to complete the repentance and gain forgiveness from Allah?"

The answer is no.

In answering the question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Canada, states:

"If you have been guilty of a sin and Allah has covered for you, then don’t uncover the veil that Allah has placed over your sin.

"Rather, ask forgiveness of Him and repent to Him sincerely, for He is, above all, all-Compassionate, All-Merciful, All-Forgiving. Allah says, 'I am most assuredly Most Forgiving to those who repent, cherish faith and do good works.' (Ta-ha: 82)"

According to Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, it is wrong to say that sin of adultery is expiated and forgiven only if the person were stoned to death or given hundred lashes.

In fact, such punishments are extreme measures that can only be applied in extremely rare cases; they are exceptions that require stringent measures to execute.

Moreover, they are simply not applicable in non-Muslim countries or societies where such laws are not enforced. "You must therefore take it to your heart that Allah’s forgiveness is not at all conditional on submitting yourself to such punishments," he writes.

So what should you do? Take the following necessary steps towards true and sincere repentance:

1. Feel deep remorse for your sin.
2. Refrain from the sin as well as from all the leads and circumstances that led you to the same in the first place.
3. Resolve firmly in your mind never to do it again.
4. Finally, do whatever good you can to expiate for your sin. Allah says, "Verily good deeds wipe out bad deeds." (Hud: 114).

Once you have followed these steps, have the confidence that your sin has been blotted out. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "A person who has repented (sincerely) is like one who has never sinned."