Question
Reference number: 696346 | The Jurisprudence of Penalties | Aug. 18, 2026
What is the ruling on repentance after committing adultery by a married person? Is it accepted by Allah?
Answer
Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, his Companions, and those who follow him. To proceed:
Adultery is one of the major sins, but the door of repentance remains open. A person’s repentance from it is accepted, by Allah’s permission, when its conditions are fulfilled: abandoning the sin, regretting having committed it, sincerely resolving not to return to it, and frequently seeking forgiveness and performing righteous deeds.
A person who has committed adultery is not required to ask for the prescribed punishment to be carried out on themselves or to inform others of their sin. Rather, they should conceal it as Allah has concealed it, repent to Him privately, and not publicize their sin. Scholars have stated that sincere repentance is sufficient, and that confessing the sin or having the prescribed punishment carried out is not a condition for its acceptance.
Therefore, maintain a good opinion of Allah, observe the obligatory acts of worship, cut off the means that could lead you back to the sin, and frequently supplicate and seek forgiveness. Do not give in to despair, for Allah accepts the repentance of His sincere servants.
And Allah knows best.
