Vile women are for vile men

Question

Assalamu Aleykum! I was studying a marriage/divorce fiqh and one situation got into my mind and I couldn't find any answers to it in the internet, so I thought it will be heplful to ask it here and get an answer, so if anyone gets into this situation they will know an answer.

So my question is about the 26th ayat of surah "An-Nur" and everything around it. I know that a sinful man can't marry sinful woman (and vice verca). But my question is, what if the situation is like this (I will say only for one side, but obviously it can be vice versa situation too):

A women who commited adultery in the past, when she wasn't religious and didn't know much about Islam, but was technically a muslim (was born in the muslim family), wants to marry a good man (who didn't commit such sins), but she's saying that she started studying Islam and repented after that, can a man marry her in such situation?

Because I've read somewhere that it's possible for him to marry her, but someone is also saying that it's not, can someone provide arguments on what's the strongest position? And also what will happen if he marries her? Because for him, he still didn't commit any sins because the marriage is halal, but he married to a sinful woman, what's the hukm in such situation? Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

In the situation where one of them has committed zina in the past but has repented and has given up this bad habit, then she/he is no longer considered a vile person or an adulterer/fornicator. So marriage would be acceptable to both of them since none of them are currently participating in zina and if they did, they have repented and stopped.

For the particular situation that you have described, you should look at Quran 24:3 and it's commentaries to answer your question.

The adulterer shall marry none but an adulteress or idolatress, and the adulteress shall marry none but an adulterer or idolater. And that is forbidden to the believers.

^{Study Quran 24:3}

In the tafsir Tafhim al-Qur'an 24:3, it says:

That is, only an adulterous woman is a fit match for an adulterous man who has not repented, or an idolatrous woman. No believing, virtuous woman can be a match for hull. It is forbidden for the Believers that they should give their daughters in marriage to such wicked people knowing them to be so. Similarly the tit match for adulterous women (who have not repented) can only be adulterous or idolatrous men; they are not fit for any righteous Believer. It is forbidden for the Believers that they should marry women who are known to possess immoral character. This thing applies to those men and women who persist in their evil ways, and not to those who repent and reform themselves, for after repentance and reformation they will no longer be regarded as "adulterous."

So if a person who committed zina has sincerely repented and gave up the habit, then that person is acceptable for marriage to believers as that person is not considered vile or adulterous anymore.