Question
I have a friend who recently confessed of having done sex with a number of male individuals. She claimed that she was unable to say no the individuals and thus committed this grave sin. Now at present time she is asking for forgiveness and offers 5 times a day and is doing everything in her power to get the forgiveness from ALLAH..but what my question is that even if Allah forgives her for her sins, it has been my observation that all sinners especially people who have committed such BIG sins have been punished in this life as well even if they are ashamed of there wrong doings. some gets married to bad women/men or some can not produce children, or things like these. I am scared for her , for i think her past and her sins will have an effect on her future and Allah will forgive her for she has asked for forgiveness from her heart, but she will be punished in some other way…is there any proof in the quran or hadith or anywhere of such way of punishment.?
Answer
You said: “Now at present time she is asking for forgiveness and offers 5 times a day and is doing everything in her power to get the forgiveness from ALLAH … even if Allah forgives her.”
The things you mentioned about your friend are all indications of a real repentance. God says in the Qur’an that he accepts repentance of his servants when it is for real (39:53), that he in fact likes those who repent (2:222) and that he even changes the evil effect of sin to blessing effect after repentance (25:70).
I therefore do not find it appropriate to refer to repentance of a person by saying: “even if Allah forgives her”. I prefer to say “Insha’Allah Allah (swt) forgives her and me as well”.
You asked whether there is any evidence in the Qur’an or Hadith that one who commits sin will be punished in this world.
In the Qur’an (as far as I can see) punishment in this world is literally and primarily promised to the Kuffar (those who reject the truth even when it is made clear by God through His messengers). An example of many verses in which this punishment is mentioned is:
As for those who have rejected (Kuffar), I will punish them severely in this world as well as in the hereafter. (3:56)
Besides Rejecters (Kuffar), other cases where punishment in this world is mentioned in the Qur’an are the following two (one can argue that even these two are related to Kuffar):
For those who love that slander should be spread concerning those who believe, theirs will be a painful punishment in the world and the Hereafter. Allah knows while you do not know. (24:19)
And who is more unjust than him who hinders God’s remembrance in places made for His worship and tries to desert these? And it was only suitable for them to enter these (places), fearing (God). They are disgraced in this world and shall face a huge punishment in the hereafter. (3:114)
There are no verses in the Qur’an suggesting that committing sin, per se, will result in punishment in the world (let alone when a person repents).
In the Ahadith, we have an indication that difficulties for believers can result in their sins being erased in the hereafter:
حدثنا أبو بكر بن أبي شيبة وأبو كريب قالا حدثنا أبو أسامة عن الوليد بن كثير عن محمد بن عمرو بن عطاء عن عطاء بن يسار عن أبي سعيد وأبي هريرة أنهما سمعا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول ثم ما يصيب المؤمن من وصب ولا نصب ولا سقم ولا حزن حتى الهم يهمه إلا كفر به من سيئاته
Abu Sa’id and abu Huraira reported that they heard Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Never a believer is stricken with discomfort, hardship or illness, grief or even with mental worry that his sins are not expiated for him. (Muslim – Book 032, Hadith Number 6242).
The above however does not mean that whenever a believer commits a sin he/she will then suffer in this world. Rather, it means that God (with His extreme mercy) considers sufferings of believers in this world as expiation for their sins. Looking at it from this perspective these sufferings are in fact doors to God’s mercy.
The conclusion from the above is that your observation that all sinners have been punished in this world does not lead to any general rule and that even if you find that a believer is going through a difficulty you can think positively about this by hoping that this results in the believer’s sins being compensated by God who is the most merciful.
Abdullah Rahim