I have asked Allah for something haram. What should I do?

Question:
As Salaamu Alaykum

If a person is unsure whether he has made dua for something haram, what should he do? What are the consequences of making dua for something haram?

Answer:
Wa Alaykum salam

Thank you for your question.

The first question

The first step is to determine whether that which you have requested from Allah is haram. You can consult the scholars for advice. Seekersguidance offers a great question and answer service, and you are free to ask them.

What should I do?

Secondly, if you have asked for something haram, you should seek Allah’s pardon. The one who asks Allah to facilitate haram, knowing it is displeasing to Allah, should experience guilt and seek Allah’s pardon for his audacity.

Advice

However, one should remember that the doors of forgiveness are always open. Allah is our Creator, and He knows our weaknesses. His doors of repentance are always open, regardless of the crime.

A young man once went to the Messenger Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace), saying, “O Messenger of Allah, permit me to commit fornication.”

The companions became angry and upset with the young man. However, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) focused on guiding him. He did not say fornication is haram, and the one who commits it will burn in hell. Instead, he appealed to the young man’s intellect. He reasoned with him, saying,

“Would you like someone to commit fornication with your mother, your sister, or your aunt?” [Ahmad, Musnad]

Thus, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) wanted to impress upon him subtly and kindly that fornication is wrong. He emphasized that the religion of Islam and its teaching bring about the welfare of humanity in this world.

So, if you have asked Allah to facilitate haram for you, it is appropriate to seek His pardon. You should know that His doors are open.

And Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Abdurragmaan Khan

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdurragmaan received ijazah ’ammah from various luminaries, including but not restricted to: Habib Umar ibn Hafiz—a personality who affected him greatly and who has changed his relationship with Allah, Maulana Yusuf Karaan—the former Mufti of Cape Town; Habib ‘Ali al-Mashhur—the current Mufti of Tarim; Habib ‘Umar al-Jaylani—the Shafi‘i Mufti of Makkah; Sayyid Ahmad bin Abi Bakr al-Hibshi; Habib Kadhim as-Saqqaf; Shaykh Mahmud Sa’id Mamduh; Maulana Abdul Hafiz al-Makki; Shaykh Ala ad-Din al-Afghani; Maulana Fazlur Rahman al-Azami and Shaykh Yahya al-Gawthani amongst others.