Salaam Alaykun Sheikh, Is it true that when a person fornicates or engages in adultry his supplications will be rejected for 40 years consecutively (i.e. from the day he committed this sin)? This belief is often found in India, so is there any authenticity in Shari'ah regarding this opinion? Jazaak ALLAHu Khair.

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

There is no doubt that Zina (fornication or adultery) is one of the grave major sins and we have already clarified this in Fataawa 85254 and 84637.

As regards the belief that you mentioned in the question, then we do not know any Sharee’ah evidence for it.

Indeed, a Hadeeth Qudsi that is reported by Abu Nu’aym in “Al-Hilyah”, and by Ibn ‘Adiyy in his book “Al-Kaamil Fi Dhu’afaa’ Ar-Rijaal” reads: “There is no Muslim who supplicates with a supplication except that Allaah answers his supplication, except a Zaaninyah (fornicatoress/adulteress) who earns a living from committing Zina (fornication/adultery) or a tithe collector.”

Ibn ‘Adiyy said about this Hadeeth: “The wording of this Hadeeth is not preserved and its defect is not from Handhalah, but it is from Abu Qataadah who was the person who narrated from him, and his name is Abdullaah Ibn Waaqid Al-Harraani and he is not trustworthy.”

However, you should know that disobedience may be a reason for the non-acceptance of the supplication but this does not mean that this will necessarily happen. As regards specifying forty years and the like for the non-acceptance of the supplication of a fornicator [or adulterer], then there is no evidence for it.

Any way, a Muslim is obliged to avoid Zina and the introductory steps that lead to it, like staying in seclusion with a non-Mahram woman, forbidden looking and the like. A person who is afflicted by any of these sins is obliged to take the initiative to repent before a Muslim regrets when it is too late. For more benefit on the conditions of repentance, please refer to Fataawa 86527 and 87903.

Allaah Knows best.