Does the noble verse "The fornicator does not marry except a [female] fornicator or polytheist, and none marries [the female fornicator] except a [male] fornicator or polytheist" mean that if someone commits fornication, then repents and marries, his wife will be a fornicator, or does repentance allow him to start anew and not be considered a fornicator? And does the same ruling apply to someone who repents and abstains physically from fornication but still desires it in his heart?

The interpretation of the verse: (The fornicator does not marry except a [female] fornicator or polytheist, and none marries a [female] fornicator except a fornicator or polytheist, and that has been forbidden to the believers) has been detailed in previous fatwas. The verse speaks of unrepentant male and female fornicators.

If the fornicator, male or female, repents, then the verse does not include them, because "the one who repents from a sin is like one who has no sin," but this is conditional on sincere repentance, such as regret and a firm resolve not to return to the sin.

The unrepentant fornicator fears that his wife will become like him, and this is a matter of retribution matching the deed, as mentioned by Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Muflih.

The Qur’an is only to be interpreted with knowledge, and it is not permissible to interpret it with mere opinion or conjecture.