I've been marred for some years & I hav been having problems with my husband,there is 1 of my freind at work whom we are so close with &i do share my marital problems with him,unfurtunatly he use that avenue &raped me &it continued that way.now that am divorce &repent i still can't take him out of my mind is it lawful 4 me 2 marry him?

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.

It is Islamically permissible for you to marry the man after the expiry of your waiting period provided that you both repent to Allaah The Almighty.

For more benefit on the marriage of those who have committed Zina (fornication or adultery), please refer to Fatwa 87377.

However, the conditions of a valid marriage should be observed, among which is the consent of the guardian and the presence of two witnesses.

For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 83629.

If marriage is facilitated with him, then this is well and good, otherwise, you should turn away from him and break off any relationship with him.

On the other hand, rape is a term that is usually used when being forced to commit Zina (fornication or adultery), but this does not happen in general except if there is some laxity on the part of the woman in dealing with the man, which lures him and this leads to rape.

Perhaps speaking to him about your problems with your husband led him to exploit the situation. Thus, your behavior may have been a cause and contributing factor to the rape, so you are obliged to repent and you should be careful of this in the future.

Finally, it should be noted is that forbidden mixing at the workplace is among the main reasons of temptation and corruption. Thus, if a woman is not driven to work by necessity, she is obliged to leave the job. Preserving one’s religion takes priority over everything else.

For more benefit on the conditions that apply to women at work, please refer to Fatwa 83607.

Allaah Knows best.