Wa ‘Alaikum Salaam,

 

Yes, indeed, this woman has committed a big sin and must repent for what she has done. She must repent to Allah (swt) with sincerity, truly feeling sorry for the sin she has committed, and take every measure she can to ensure that it will never happen again. Allah (swt) is the Most Forgiving and will forgive any sin if the person repents and stays away from committing the sin every again. Should be confident in Allah’s (swt) forgiveness but should not become complacent.

 

The mistake has already been made and there is nothing that can be done to erase it, but there will inevitably be consequences, beginning with the guilt that she is feeling now. That feeling of guilt towards both her husband and Allah (swt) should provide some kind of motivation at least to abstain from such an act again as well as doing everything she can to ensure that it doesn’t even get to the point where it would be possible.

 

Allah (swt) gives us spouses to have our various needs met, and often there are times when one spouse will feel like they are not having some kind of need met, be it emotional or physical. his might lead them seeking to have this need met elsewhere. If we are to live by Islamic principles, then this should never happen. If there are issues in a marriage where such needs aren’t being met, then their needs to be conversation between the couple. If they are unable to do so, then they can seek an outside party to mediate for them, but this conversation needs to take place to ensure each partner is having their needs met in the appropriate way by the other partner. If this does not happen, then this is what leads to affairs. I know you state that this is necessarily the case here but is commonly the cause of affairs so is useful to keep in mind for the future if such an issue should arise that makes either partner feel the need to search outside of the marital relationship.

 

Aside from seeking assistance and talking about issues within the marriage it is also important for both parties to ensure that they adhere to Islamic rulings that prevent such things from happening, i.e. free mixing. Islamically, men and women who are not halal for each other should never be alone together, because Shaytan becomes the third party and, in cases like this, tempts them to commit a sin with each other. If men and women adhere to this ruling and never allow themselves to be alone together, then the situation of an affair becomes physically impossible. If this woman is truly repentant and does everything she can to ensure that she is never alone with a non-mahram male again in the future then an affair can never happen again and Allah (swt) can be sure that she truly is repentant for her previous sin.

 

May Allah (swt) forgive her and guide her on the straight path.