Committing a sin unknowingly

Wa Alaikum Assalaam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh,

We praise Allah for granting you the ability to recognise your mistake and the sincere desire to turn back to Him. This is a sign of true īmān. May Allah accept your repentance and make you steadfast.

1. Are you sinful for having introduced and assisted your friend in this wrongdoing?

Yes, you are sinful for two reasons:

• Your own action: Using a fake identity to communicate with non-maḥram women is ḥarām. It involves lying, deception, and potentially leads to fitnah (sins of the heart, illicit relationships, and violating the sanctity of marriage). The Qur’ān commands:
  “And do not approach immoralities – what is apparent of them and what is concealed.” (Sūrat al-An‘ām 6:151)
  The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever deceives us is not from us.” (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 101)

• Helping your friend: Assisting someone in sin is itself a grave sin. Allah says:
  “And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression.” (Sūrat al-Mā’idah 5:2)
  Ibn ‘Ābidīn (d. 1252 AH) writes in Radd al-Muḥtār (6/384): “If a person facilitates a sin for another, he shares in the sin of that action as long as the sin continues to be committed due to his facilitation.”
  Therefore, by creating a fake profile for your friend, you became a partner in his initial sin and any subsequent sins that directly result from that account.

2. If you sincerely repent, completely abandon this behaviour, and advise your friend to stop, can you hope that Allah will accept your repentance?

Yes, absolutely. Allah’s mercy is vast, and He accepts the repentance of those who turn to Him sincerely. The conditions of tawbah (repentance) are:

1. Immediately cease the sin.
2. Feel deep regret and shame.
3. Resolve never to return to it.
4. If the sin involved the rights of others (e.g., deception, slander, financial loss), one must restore those rights or seek forgiveness from those wronged.

Since you have already decided to delete the account and regret your actions, the first three conditions are fulfilled. Regarding the fourth condition – you used a fake identity and may have deceived some women. If you cannot identify them or contact them without causing greater harm, then sincere repentance and abundant istighfār will suffice. The scholars of the Ḥanafī school state that if it is impossible to reach the wronged party, one should make du‘ā for their forgiveness and give charity on their behalf. (See Fatāwā ‘Usmānī, 2/164; Imdād al-Fatāwā, 4/239)

Allah says:
“Say: O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.” (Sūrat al-Zumar 39:53)

Thus, if you repent sincerely and abandon the sin completely, you can be hopeful of Allah’s acceptance.

3. If you advise your friend to stop but he continues, will you still share in the sin of his future actions?

No, you will not share in the sin of his future actions if you have sincerely advised him and cut off your own involvement. The principle in the Ḥanafī school is that a person is only sinful for his own actions and for what he directly causes or facilitates. Once you have repented and urged your friend to stop, you are not responsible for his persistence.

The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to those who follow him, without anything being diminished from their rewards. And whoever calls to misguidance will have a sin similar to those who follow him, without anything being diminished from their sins.” (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 2674)

This ḥadīth applies to the one who initiates the misguidance. You initiated the sin for your friend, so you already bear the sin for that initiation. However, if he continues independently after you have repented and advised him, the ongoing sin is his own, and you are not liable for it. Nevertheless, it is your ongoing duty to advise him gently and repeatedly, as the Prophet ﷺ said: “The religion is sincere advice.” (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 55)

4. What additional steps should you take to seek Allah’s forgiveness and rectify the mistake?

Based on the teachings of the Qur’ān, Sunnah, and Ḥanafī jurisprudence:

• Perform a sincere tawbah with all its conditions (as mentioned above). Make a firm intention never to return to this sin.
• Increase in istighfār (seeking forgiveness) – especially the Prophet’s ﷺ prayer: “Astaghfirullāha rabbī min kulli dhanbin wa atūbu ilayh” (I seek forgiveness from Allah, my Lord, from every sin and I turn to Him in repentance). Recite this abundantly.
• Perform two rak‘ahs of Ṣalāt al-Tawbah (the prayer of repentance). The Prophet ﷺ said: “There is no servant who commits a sin, then performs ablution (wuḍū) well, then prays two rak‘ahs, then seeks forgiveness from Allah, except that Allah forgives him.” (Sunan Abī Dāwūd, 1521)
• Give charity (ṣadaqah) as a means of expiating sins. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Charity extinguishes sin as water extinguishes fire.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhī, 2616)
• Replace the sin with good deeds. Delete the fake accounts, and if possible, use social media positively – share Islamic reminders, beneficial knowledge, or simply stay away from fitnah. Allah says: “Indeed, good deeds remove evil deeds.” (Sūrat Hūd 11:114)
• Make du‘ā for your friend and continue to advise him with wisdom and kindness. If he refuses, you are not obliged to keep company with him in a way that may harm your faith.
• Strengthen your connection with your wife and family. Spend quality time with them, and remind yourself of the blessings of a lawful relationship.

Summary of Rulings

| Question | Islamic Ruling | |----------|----------------| | Sin for assisting friend? | Yes – you share in the sin of the initial sin and its direct consequences. | | Can repentance be accepted? | Yes – if conditions are met, Allah’s mercy is vast. | | Share in friend’s future sins after advice? | No – you are free from his independent actions after sincere repentance and advice. | | Additional steps? | Istighfār, ṣalāt al-tawbah, charity, good deeds, and further sincere du‘ā. |

We pray that Allah accepts your repentance, forgives you and your friend, and grants you both steadfastness upon the truth. May He protect you from the allurements of this world and the whispers of Shayṭān.

Jazākallāhu Khayran for reaching out.

Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.