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Fatwa CenterIt is Forbidden to Talk about One’s Previous Sins unless there is a Legitimate Benefit
Question
Assalamu alaykum. Many preachers say about their life of jahiliyah in their books, lectures etc. But i know that it is not allowed to disclose ones previous sins. Is it ok?
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.
We are not aware exactly what you mean by the statement of those preachers whom you mentioned, about their days of ignorance. In any case, we will summarize the issue in the following points:
- In principle, it is forbidden to talk about one’s previous sins unless there is a legitimate benefit
–such as telling about a Shaykh who taught him how to get rid of the sin, because informing about this in this case is permissible; rather, it is good. But if speaking about the sin is in order to be proud of it and be rejoiced by mentioning it, then it is forbidden.
- It was reported in a narration that the Companions used to talk about the matters of the Jahiliyyah (Pre-Islamic Era of Ignorance) in the presence of the Prophet but it was in order to rebuke that, so that they would take heed and learn a lesson from it. It was narrated that Jaabir ibn Samrah 
said: The Prophet used to sit at the place where he observed the Fajr prayer till the sun rose, and once the sun had risen; he would stand, and they (his Companions) would talk about matters (pertaining to the days) of Ignorance, and they would laugh (on these matters) while the Prophet only smiled.” [Muslim]
- There is an apparent difference between speaking about what a person had done before Islam, such as Kufr and Shirk, which is known to all, and there is no blame about the doer, and between the repentant Muslim speaking about his previous sins, which are considered a shame and a blame on him –especially Zina (fornication and adultery) and its foreplay, and so on.
- There is almost no apparent benefit in telling one's previous sins by way of preaching and reminder. Even if it is assumed that there is a benefit, then it can be achieved by speaking about it without mentioning that the speaker himself had done them. If a preacher wants to give an admonition about a situation where he had abandoned the prayer, for example, let him say: I know a man who abandoned the prayer….., and not say: I abandoned the prayer….
- It should be noted that the preachers sometimes mention some matters which they were doing before they became religious, which is something that drives people away, but they are not forbidden in all cases, such as watching games, or playing with permissible matters so often, and so on. Mentioning such matters is not considered as disclosing one’s sins.
- Some preachers think that mentioning information about sins or stories of what people had committed –and what this involves of fun –is more beneficial to the people and has a greater impact on them, instead of Islamic preaching from the book of Allah and the Sunnah: this is an aberrant mistake. Rather, the most useful and beneficial sermons are those from the book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet ; these are largely enough. The reality proves that the harm of preaching with stories and happenings is greater than their benefit. Its good impact is small and soon disappears. Abu Zar'ah spoke eloquently when he said: “If one did not find a lesson in the Book of Allah, then there is no lesson in these books of Sufism.” It was also reported that Ibn Taymiyyah 
said: “Whoever thinks that people benefit more from something other than the Quran and the Sunnah, then he is indeed misguided.”
Allah knows best.
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