I am a girl who offers the five prayers regularly and fears Allah, but I fell into the pit of the secret habit. I regret what I have done and I have repented more than once, but of two occasions I swore that if I did it again that my dream of getting good grades in my exams – which is my life’s dream – should not come true. This was so that I would stop what I was doing. But unfortunately I did it again. But now I have repented sincerely and my exams are in a few days’ time, and I am afraid that what I prayed for may come true. I wanted to fast for three days but I did not have the strength to do that because of the exams and psychological pressure. But I have decided to fast after I finish the exams. My question is: is it possible for what I prayed for to come true? Praise be to Allaah. Firstly: The secret habit is an abhorrent and haraam action on the part of both males and females. We have discussed the ruling on that and how to deal with it in the answers to questions no. 329 and 101539. Secondly: What you have done of praying against yourself and asking that you not be helped to succeed in obtaining high grades is something that was not appropriate, because it was praying for something bad for oneself. Falling behind in your studies is not a good thing; rather it would lead to serious negative consequences. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) forbade the Muslim to pray against himself. It was narrated that Umm Salamah said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Do not pray against yourselves except for good things, for the angels says ameen to whatever you say.” Narrated by Muslim, 920 Muslim also narrated (3014) from Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Do not pray against yourselves, do not pray against your children, and do not pray against your wealth, lest that coincide with an hour when Allah is asked for something and He responds to you.” Thirdly: If a person swears to do an act of disobedience then he does it, what he is required to do is offer expiation for the oath he swore. This expiation is not expiation for the sin he committed; rather it is expiation for the oath that he swore. As for the sin, what he has to do is repent sincerely from it. Part of his repentance is regretting what he did in the past and resolving not to do it again. See the answer to question no. 103424 Thus, if a person swears against himself with the aim of encouraging himself to do something or preventing himself from doing something, as appears to be the case in your question, then it comes under the ruling on oaths, and if he broke it then he must offer expiation for it. Shaykh Khaalid al-Mushayqih (may Allah preserve him) was asked: What is the ruling on one who says, “Insha Allah I should die if I do such and such?” or he said “May such and such befall me if I do this thing?” when he knows that he wants to go back to it and he said that in a moment of anger? Is this regarded as being the same as an oath? May Allah reward you with good. He replied: Firstly, it is forbidden for a person to pray against himself… Secondly, if a person prayed against himself in this manner, intending to encourage himself to do something or prevent himself from doing something, or to confirm something or to say that something was a lie, then the oath was broken, then he must offer expiation for breaking an oath (kafaarat yameen). For example, if he said, “If I do not go, may I fall ill or die,” then he did not go. In that case he has to offer expiation for breaking an oath. End quote from Fataawa ash-Shaykh, 2/145. And Allah knows best.

What is your response to the one who says that so long as the Muslim has an atom’s weight of faith in his heart, he will enter Paradise even if he commits zina during his lifetime?
What do you say to the wife who betrays her husband by committing the immoral act of zina for the sake of sexual pleasure?.

Praise be to Allaah.
The belief of Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah is that those who commit major sins are subject to the will of Allah. If Allah wills, He will punish them, and if He wills, He will forgive them, and if they are punished, they will not remain in Hell forever. This is what is indicated by the mutawaatir texts of the Qur’aan and Sunnah, such as the verse in which Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with him in worship, but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He pleases, and whoever sets up partners with Allah in worship, he has indeed invented a tremendous sin”

[an-Nisa’ 4:48].

Al-Bukhaari (18) and Muslim (1709) narrated from ‘Ubaadah ibn as-Saamit that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, when a number of his companions were around him: “Swear allegiance to me, pledging that you will not associate anything with Allah, you will not steal, you will not commit zina, you will not kill your children, you will not fabricate lies against one another, and you will not disobey in anything that is right and proper. Whoever among you fulfils that, his reward will be with Allah, and whoever does any of those things and is punished for it in this world, that will be expiation for him. Whoever does any of those things then Allaah conceals him, his case will rest with Allaah: if He wills He will forgive him and if He wills He will punish him.” So we swore allegiance to him on that basis.

Al-Bukhaari (44) and Muslim (193) narrated from Anas that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever says Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah and has in his heart goodness the weight of a grain of barley will be brought out of Hell, then whoever says Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah and has in his heart goodness the weight of a grain of wheat will be brought out of Hell, then whoever says Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah and has in his heart goodness the weight of an atom (or a small ant) will be brought out of Hell.”

Abu ‘Abdullah said: Abaan narrated to us: Qataadah narrated to us: Anas narrated to us from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) “faith” instead of “goodness”.

This does not mean that we may be heedless or reckless with regard to sin. The sinner may be faced with a bad end or loss of faith. Hence one of the Salaf said: Sins are the harbingers of kufr.

Moreover, no one takes the idea of the punishment of Hell lightly except the negligent fool who does not know what Hell is or what the punishment of Allah is, or that one dip in the Fire will make him forget the greatest pleasure in this world.

There are reports concerning the punishment and humiliation of those who commit zina, that instil fear in the heart and mind and would stop anyone thinking of zina. These reports include the following:

Al-Bukhaari (1386) narrated that Samurah ibn Jundub said: When the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had prayed, he would turn to us and say: “Who among you saw a dream last night?” If anyone had seen a dream, he would tell him and say whatever Allah willed. One day he said: “Did any of you see a dream last night?” We said: No. He said: “But last night I dreamt that two men came to me and they took me by the hand and led me out to the holy land. … Then we moved on to a hole like a tannoor (a kind of oven) that was narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. A fire was lit underneath it, and when it came close they rose up until they almost came out, and when it died down they went back into it. In it were naked men and women. I said: Who are these? They said: Move on. So we moved on.”

According to another report narrated by al-Bukhaari (7047): “… So we went on, and came to something like a tannoor (a kind of oven).  – I [the narrator] think he said: In it there was much noise and voices. We looked into it and saw naked men and women. A flame of fire was reaching them from underneath, and when it reached them, they cried out loudly. I said to them, ‘Who are these?’ They said to me, ‘Move on, move on.’ … ‘As for the naked men and women whom you saw in a structure that resembled an oven, they are the adulterers and adulteresses.’”

And he said: “When a man commits zina, faith departs from him and hovers like a cloud over him, then when he stops that, faith returns to him.”

Narrated by Abu Dawood (4690), at-Tirmidhi (2625). Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.

See also the answer to question no. 15934

Then it may be said here to the one who has a heart: what kind of believer is this who is content to let the most precious thing he has depart from him, namely faith, when he does not know whether Allah will restore it to him as it was or take it away from him, in return for a moment of pleasure that will soon pass?

If a woman betrays her husband, she has combined adultery, wrongdoing and treachery towards her husband, all of which are grave major sins. How does she know that she will be able to repent or that Allah will accept her repentance? Indeed she does not know whether she will be able to die as a believer or not. We ask Allah to keep us safe and sound.

Because zina is so abhorrent and is so grave a sin, Allah has made the hadd punishment for the previously married person who commits zina stoning to death.

We ask Allah to keep us safe and to save us and protect us and you and all the Muslims from these sins.

And Allah knows best.