Ruling on one who committed zina with a non-Muslim woman when he was not married

Question

Praise be to Allah.

Firstly:

Zina is a major sin and one
of the worst crimes. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And come not near to
unlawful sex. Verily, it is a Faahishah (i.e. anything that transgresses its
limits: a great sin, and an evil way that leads one to hell unless Allaah
Forgives him)”

[al-Isra’ 17:32]

“And those who invoke
not any other ilaah (god) along with Allaah, nor kill such person as Allaah
has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse
__and whoever does this shall receive the punishment.

69. The torment will be
doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in
disgrace”

[al-Furqaan 25:68-69]

It makes no difference
whether zina is committed with a Muslim woman or a non-Muslim.

Secondly:

As for the punishment for
zina in this world, Allaah has enjoined the hadd punishment for it. Allaah
says concerning the hadd punishment of an unmarried zaani (i.e., one who has
not been previously married) (interpretation of the meaning):

“The fornicatress and
the fornicator, flog each of them with a hundred stripes. Let not pity
withhold you in their case, in a punishment prescribed by Allaah, if you
believe in Allaah and the Last Day. And let a party of the believers witness
their punishment”

[al-Noor 24:2].

As for the one who has
previously been married, the punishment is to be stoned to death, as it says
in the hadeeth narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh (3199) from the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who said: “For a
previously married person with a previously married person, one hundred
lashes and stoning.”

In this case too, it makes
no difference whether zina is committed with a Muslim woman or a
non-Muslim.

The seriousness of this
crime is not limited only to immediate punishment in this world, but the
punishment in the Hereafter is harsher and more severe. It says in the
hadeeth narrated by al-Bukhaari (7074) from Samurah ibn Jundub (may Allaah
be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: “Last night two persons came to me and woke me up, and set
off with me. … We went on and we came to something like a tannoor oven, in
which there were shouting and voices. We looked inside and we saw naked men
and women, towards whom flames were coming from the bottom of the oven. When
the flames reached them they made a noise. I said to them [the two angels],
‘Who are these people?’ … They said to me, ‘We will tell you… the naked men
and women in the structure like a tannoor oven are the adulterers and
adulteresses.”

What the one who has fallen
into this major sin must do is repent sincerely to Allaah, and keep away
from everything that may lead to this haraam or cause him to return to it.
Allaah rejoices over the repentance of sinners and accepts it from them.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say: O ‘Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against
themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of
Allaah, verily, Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft‑Forgiving, Most
Merciful”

[al-Zumar 39:53]

Ibn Katheer (may Allaah
have mercy on him) said: This verse is a call to all sinners, kaafirs and
others, to repent and turn to Allaah. It tells us that Allaah forgives all
sins for the one who repents to Him and turns away from them, no matter what
they are, even if they are many and are like the foam of the sea. End quote
from Tafseer Ibn Katheer (7/106)

And Allaah knows best.