Ninth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)

Maulana Nasiruddin, the prayer-leader of Qazi Shafi,¹ asked for the explanation of this tradition: God said: 'If a person commits fornication with a woman and afterwards marries her, then both of them remain fornicators always. The Venerable Master said: The act of intercourse committed by them before their marriage is unlawful. After they get married, that act of fornication is not invalidated because it did not take place after marriage. Thus, they will remain forever stained by the sin of fornication. If they repent, however, that sin will not be raised again, but not the removal of the very act of fornication for, if the Qazi finds out about it, he will punish them to the limit, even though they have repented.

The Helpless One said: What is the divine ordinance with regard to a sin which falls within the boundary of what is predestined? Should a person conceal it, or reveal it before the local authority so that he may punish him to the extent of the Law? He replied: It is allowed to reveal it, but there is a better resolution, namely, to conceal the sin but repent it.

In the meantime, one of those present in the assembly asked: If he conceals it and repents and has not been punished fully here, will he be thoroughly punished in the next life? He replied: No, since he concealed it and repented it, the pain and punishment which were due in retribution were remitted. It is related that Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, said that, since God Almighty had concealed something in this life, even though He could have revealed it, it is to be hoped that, by virtue of His benevolence, He will not disgrace and defame him in the next.

Maulana Nasiruddin, the prayer-leader of Qazi Shafi,¹ asked for the explanation of this tradition: God said: 'If a person commits fornication with a woman and afterwards marries her, then both of them remain fornicators always. The Venerable Master said: The act of intercourse committed by them before their marriage is unlawful. After they get married, that act of fornication is not invalidated because it did not take place after marriage. Thus, they will remain forever stained by the sin of fornication. If they repent, however, that sin will not be raised again, but not the removal of the very act of fornication for, if the Qazi finds out about it, he will punish them to the limit, even though they have repented.

The Helpless One said: What is the divine ordinance with regard to a sin which falls within the boundary of what is predestined? Should a person conceal it, or reveal it before the local authority so that he may punish him to the extent of the Law? He replied: It is allowed to reveal it, but there is a better resolution, namely, to conceal the sin but repent it.

In the meantime, one of those present in the assembly asked: If he conceals it and repents and has not been punished fully here, will he be thoroughly punished in the next life? He replied: No, since he concealed it and repented it, the pain and punishment which were due in retribution were remitted. It is related that Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, said that, since God Almighty had concealed something in this life, even though He could have revealed it, it is to be hoped that, by virtue of His benevolence, He will not disgrace and defame him in the next.