Zina: whose right is it?

Question

Question: Is zina a right of Allah (haqq Allah) or a right of the servant (haqq al-‘abd)? If it is a right of Allah, then in the case where someone committed zina with some woman, will he have to ask this woman for forgiveness after asking Allah for forgiveness, or not?

Answer

If he committed zina by force, without the woman’s consent, he should seek forgiveness from that woman as well; if she has a husband, he should ask the husband’s forgiveness too, even if not in plain words but in a roundabout, vague manner.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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