True Repentance and Avoidance of Illicit Relations
18-12-2003 | IslamWeb
Question:
I was wondering, my girlfriend fell under the influence of Shaitan. One day her boyfriend convinced her to have sex with her. She says that they did not have intercourse, but somehow he took her virginity by just entering first part of his manhood. So does that mean she had sex without intercourse? I truly care for her and want her to ask for forgiveness. She is really low in spirit after knowing that she did something extremely wrong. What can I do to help her?
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
Islam forbids all illicit relations between men and women who are not Mahram to each other. The reason for this prohibition is to prevent them from indulging in forbidden acts like Zina (fornication or adultery). In fact, Zina is the inevitable result of such relations. The example of this girl and this boy is clear evidence of this.
So, it is incumbent upon all Muslims to avoid such relations and to seek lawful ways; i.e. marriage, which Allah has legalized and established among people.
So, it is the duty of the dear sister who asked the question to advise her friend reminding her of Allah and of the bad consequences of her act in this life and the Hereafter. She should also tell her to repent to Allah seeking His Forgiveness from this terrible sin.
Finally, she should help her friend adhere to righteous deeds and should supplicate Allah for her to guide her to the right path.
As for what the person who commits Zina should do, he/she should conceal himself and repent to Allah. ‘Ubadah Ibn As-Saamit 
narrated: “We were once sitting with the Prophet who said: “You make a pledge to me that you do not make partners with Allah, do not steal, do not kill the life that Allah has forbidden except for just cause. Any of you who fulfills this pledge, his/her reward is with Allah. And any of you who commits any of the above and was punished for it, then that (punishment) is an expiation from that sin. And any of you who commits any of the above and Allah covers him/her, then his/her issue is with Allah who forgives him if He so wishes or punishes him if He so wishes.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
So, the Prophet made the Hudood (plural of Hadd – corporal punishment imposed by Islamic Law) as expiations that purify the person from any of these major sins he committed. He also made it clear that the person who committed any of the major sins and Allah concealed his/her sin and the person did not get the appropriate retributive punishment nor did he/she repent, Allah will do to him/her what they deserve or forgive them.
Allah Says (what means): {Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills.} [Quran 4:48]
But if the person repents, Allah forgives him/her no matter how great his/her sin was. Says (what means): {And he who repents and does righteousness does indeed turn to Allah with [accepted] repentance.} [Quran 25:71]
On the other hand, Zina means letting the glans penis (the front small rounded part of the man's sexual organ) enter the vagina. So, what this girl did is Zina and she should repent from it and seek forgiveness from Allah. She should also have firm resolution not to commit it again and should give it up completely.
May Allah protect all Muslims from evil acts.
Allah knows best.