Discovering that one's wife is not a virgin


Question:

If a man marries a young woman and then finds that she is not a virgin, what should he do?

Answer:

This may be due to several reasons; virginity may be lost due to other reasons than Zina (sexual intercourse outside marriage), so he should think well of her if she is apparently good and righteous. She may have committed Zina and then repented, regretted this act and became virtuous; this will not harm him. Besides, the hymen may be removed due to the intensity of menstruation, as proved by the physicians or due to a jump. It is not necessarily that the hymen is removed by Zina. If she claimed that her hymen was removed due to a reason other than Zina, there is no harm on him. Similarly, if she said that she lost her virginity because she was raped by force, there is no harm on him in this case as well, if she had one menses after the accident. Besides, if she said that she committed Zina and then repented and regretted and that she did this out of foolishness and ignorance but now repented and regretted, this does not harm him as well. He should not disclose this and should keep her secret. If he thinks that she is true and became virtuous, he should keep her; otherwise, he could divorce her, but not reveal her fault. He should not disclose what may cause Fitnah (sedition) and evil.