It is not cheating if wife conceals her past sins from husband
Fatwa No: 196083

Question

As'salam'mu'a'lay'kum Recently (according to the the opinions of many [I have changed my view on the topic and accepted these opinions, but I have questions]) I have discovered it is wrong for a suitor to question a woman's past (sins) if she has repented, and that she and others should not disclose, whether they are asked about it or not. To me this sounds similar to deception. I do not say the woman (who has repented) should be punished for this, for she is only concealing her faults, however it almost seems deceptive. My question is: 1. If a man marries a woman with past (e.g. she had boyfriends, and engaged in promiscuous behavior and is not a virgin), without having known of this past (because of the reason above, [that one and others has to conceal their own and others sins they have repented for, and not disclose them]) will he be compensated or rewarded with good deeds, EVEN if he never found out, and never finds out after the marriage? (Since to me it seems like he has been [legally] deceived, even though he doesn't know it)

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

If the woman has done what is permissible in her regard to do; rather, what she is obliged to do, which is concealing her sins and not informing anybody about it, whether a husband or someone else, then this is not considered as cheating.

However, a person who proposes to marry a woman has Islamically the right to condition that she be virgin, and if she is not virgin, then he may invalidate the marriage as we clarified in Fatwa 127885.

Also, for more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 84052, 86058 and 146547.

As regards the husband being rewarded, then this may happen if he finds something in his heart but he avoids asking about it as pursuant to the Islamic Sharee’ah, or that he knew about it but he kept quiet and concealed the matter for the Sake of Allaah. But if this is not the case [if there is no reason for suspicion], then there might not be an Islamic reason for him being rewarded, unless Allaah wills.

Allaah Knows best.

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