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Is it permissible to marry a repentant woman who previously committed fornication, taking into consideration verse 3 of Surat An-Nur, the woman's special situation as the sole provider for her family, and the fear of falling into [the sin of] "And as for the orphan, do not oppress [him]" in the event of breaking off the engagement?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If a girl repents with sincere repentance, there is no harm in marrying her, based on the general saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: "Repentance erases what came before it," and his saying: "We have not seen for two who love each other anything better than marriage." The verse in Surat An-Nur does not absolutely prohibit marrying a fornicatress, but rather if she has not repented. Your marriage to her is not obligatory, but it is preferable not to break off the engagement and abandon marrying her without a valid excuse. She is not considered an orphan if she is an adult. If marriage to her is not feasible, then cut off all ties with her, as it is forbidden to have a relationship with a non-mahram woman except within the framework of a valid marriage.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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