What is the ruling on marrying a man who committed adultery with another woman? And does the Almighty's saying, "The fornicator does not marry except a fornicatress or a polytheist," mean that she will be considered a fornicatress or a polytheist if she marries him? And how can she be sure of his repentance?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
Adultery is a heinous sin, and it is not permissible for a chaste woman to marry an adulterer unless his repentance becomes evident, though there is a difference of opinion among scholars on this matter. His repentance is confirmed by the strong presumption of his seeking forgiveness, regretting his actions, and abstaining from indecency. Thus, repentance from a sin is achieved through seeking forgiveness, feeling remorse, and refraining from that sin. As for a woman who married an adulterer before his repentance, she has committed something forbidden, but she is not considered an adulteress or a polytheist.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/104821
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 104821
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy