In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving

All praise is due to Allah. Peace and blessings be upon him His Messenger Muhammad.

Frist, with regard to the `iddah (waiting period), there are scholarly discussions concerning the observance of `iddah for an illegitimate intercourse, on the one hand, and concerning the overlapping of waiting periods when such intercourse takes place during an existing waiting period. In my opinion, this woman needs to wait three menstrual periods after the illegitimate intercourse. If she proves pregnant after this intercourse, then her waiting period ends with the deliverance her baby.

Second, Out of His grace, Allah, the All-Merciful, has opened the gate of repentance wide for all those who repent sincerely and earnestly to Him no matter how grave their sins are. In the Qur’an we read, “Say, [O Prophet]: O My servants! Those [of you] who have committed [sins in great] excess against their own souls, never despond of the mercy of God! For, indeed, God forgives sins, one and all. Indeed, it is He [alone] who is the All-Forgiving, the Mercy-Giving.” (Az-Zumar 39:53) Sincere repentance means a) to regret what one has done, b) to quit it immediately, and c) to have strong resolve that this will never happen again.

This woman has to repent sincerely to Allah as indicated above and to earnestly ask Allah for forgiveness resolving to start a new period of chastity and purity. She needs also to increase her good deeds to wipe out bad ones. After mentioning a number of grave sins and the punishment that awaits those who commit them, Allah (exalted is He) said, “Except for whoever repents, and believes, and does righteous deeds. For [the likes of] them, then, God will substitute their misdeeds with good deeds. And ever is God  all-forgiving, mercy-giving.” Al-Furqan 25:70)

In fact, her marriage with that man who shared this illegitimate sexual relation with her will not be valid unless they both repent sincerely to Allah.

Almighty Allah knows best.