Saturday, April 19, 2014

Ugly Evil Zina (Fornication, Adultery): Lower Your Gaze and Guard Your Modesty

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.
وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا۟ ٱلزِّنَىٰٓ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ فَـٰحِشَةً وَسَآءَ سَبِيلًا ﴿٣٢

And do not approach unlawful sexual intercourse. Indeed, it is ever an immorality and is evil as a way. (32)
[Qur'an, Al-Isra' 17:32]

When Allah forbids something it is for our own good to stay away from it and if we ignore His command, it will surely hurt us in this life before the next. Zina (fornication, adultery) has been forbidden. So stay far away from anything that could lead to zina at all costs.

Zina is a shame, gross and immodest. Whoever is denuded of modesty is denuded of human nobility itself and is rendered incapable of distinguishing the good from the bad. This is more succinctly said in a Hadith: "When goes your sense of shame (that could become a barrier against evil), so then, you will do what you will."

Therefore, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam declared sense of shame (haya') as a division of faith (Iman). [Bukhari]

Zina generates limitless social disorder the consequences of which sometimes destroy whole groups of people. In our day all sorts of crimes have increased. If investigated, the reason behind a lot of them would turn out to be some man or woman who did it. Though, this crime is not directly related to the rights of the servants of Allah but it may have been mentioned here as part of other rights taken up at this place for the reason that this crime is contagious. It brings other crimes along which disturb the rights of the servants of Allah through loss of lives and properties.

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam had warned us that if fornication becomes prevalent in a culture, then prepare yourself for a wrath of Allah. And the wrath is in the children born out of wedlock. Just look at all the crimes and violence we hear everyday committed by youths. Majority of them don't know who and where their fathers are and they are filled with rage.

Children have the right to have fathers, the right to lineage. So Islam came to preserve that right through the prohibition of fornication and through the guidelines of Shari'ah and proper marriage.

Islam has the crime of zina to be more serious than any other crime. Then, it has also fixed its punishment as the harshest of all crimes because this one is a carrier of hundreds of crimes.

With the sexual imagery that is now invading our lives from just about every media outlet, many people are battling serious problems with lust. Remember, our physical bodies have not been made for sexual immorality, but have been made specifically to worship Allah alone. It is a great sin to have any kind of sexual activity outside the sanctity of marriage.

It appears in Hadith that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam said, "The heavens and the earth, the seven of them each, curse the married person who commits adultery. And the strong stench which spreads out from the private parts of such people will embarrass even the people condemned to Hell and thus there in Hell they will be suffering from the punishment of fire and disgrace both."

In another Hadith from Sayyidna Abu Hurairah, it has been reported that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam said, "A fornicator when fornicating is not a believer. A thief when stealing is not a believer. And a drunkard while drinking is not a believer." [Bukhari and Muslim] Its explanation, as it appears in the report of Abu Dawud, says: At the time those committing such crimes are practically involved in it, Iman (faith) leaves their heart and comes out, and when they turn away from it, Iman returns back in. (Mazhari)

We can learn a great lesson from the story of Barsisa, a pious worshipper of the time of Bani Israel, as what zina can do to oneself. He fell into zina because he took the first step of not lowering his gaze at a woman. One thing led to another, one sin led to another, until he committed disbelief and shirk, which what shaytan is planning for all of us to end our lives at so he can have all of children of Adam as his companions in Hell for eternity. We seek refuge with Allah from accursed Shaytan and save us from the torment of Fire.

Shaytan will never make you sin directly, he will always trick you using Waswasah and he is more patient than any of us. So we should always seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan. Never take any sin lightly, even it is considered minor. And never think you have enough knowledge or are strong enough to take on Shaytan. This is why the Scholars of Islam are the ones with the most Taqwa, fear of Allah. So reflect on the story, if Shaytan told Barsisa to prostrate to him in the beginning, Barsisa would have said no immediately, but Shaytan has a plan in hand it was a step by step policy that made Barsisa finally fell into the his tricks and commit Kufr.

Therefore, it is important to lower our gazes. It prevents the poisoned arrows (of the shaytan), which may lead to one's doom, from reaching the heart. Letting the gaze wander brings darkness to the heart, distracts and weakens the heart and keeps it far from Allah and creates alienation between a person and his Lord. There is nothing more harmful to a person than letting his gaze wander. Thus Allah Almighty orders the believers to lower their gazes.

Lower Your Gaze (from looking at forbidden things), The Order

Allah Almighty says,
قُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا۟ مِنْ أَبْصَـٰرِهِمْ وَيَحْفَظُوا۟ فُرُوجَهُمْ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ أَزْكَىٰ لَهُمْ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّـهَ خَبِيرٌۢ بِمَا يَصْنَعُونَ ﴿٣٠﴾ وَقُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَـٰرِهِنَّ وَيَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا ۖ وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَىٰ جُيُوبِهِنَّ ۖ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ ءَابَآئِهِنَّ أَوْ ءَابَآءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَآئِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَآءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ إِخْوَٰنِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِىٓ إِخْوَٰنِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِىٓ أَخَوَٰتِهِنَّ أَوْ نِسَآئِهِنَّ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَـٰنُهُنَّ أَوِ ٱلتَّـٰبِعِينَ غَيْرِ أُو۟لِى ٱلْإِرْبَةِ مِنَ ٱلرِّجَالِ أَوِ ٱلطِّفْلِ ٱلَّذِينَ لَمْ يَظْهَرُوا۟ عَلَىٰ عَوْرَٰتِ ٱلنِّسَآءِ ۖ وَلَا يَضْرِبْنَ بِأَرْجُلِهِنَّ لِيُعْلَمَ مَا يُخْفِينَ مِن زِينَتِهِنَّ ۚ وَتُوبُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّـهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ﴿٣١

Tell the believing men to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts. That is purer for them. Indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what they do. (30)

And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests and not expose their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, their brothers' sons, their sisters' sons, their women, that which their right hands possess, or those male attendants having no physical desire, or children who are not yet aware of the private aspects of women. And let them not stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their adornment. And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed. (31)
[Qur'an, An-Noor 24:30-31]

Narrated Abu Said Al Khudri: The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wassallam) said, "Beware! Avoid sitting on the roads." They (the people) said, "O Allah's Messenger! We can't help sitting (on the roads) as these are (our places) where we have talks." The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wassallam) said, "If you refuse but to sit, then pay the road its right." They said, "What is the right of the road, O Allah's Messenger" He said, "Lowering your gaze, refraining from harming others, returning greeting, and enjoining what is good, and forbidding what is evil." [Bukhari and Muslim]

Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah: I asked Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wassallam) about the sudden glance (that is cast) on the face (of a non-Mahram). He commanded me that I should turn away my eyes. [Muslim]

Narrated Abu Sa'id al-Khudri: The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wassallam) said: A man should not look at the private parts of another man, and a woman should not look at the private parts of another woman. [Abu Dawood]

Narrated Abdullah: We were with the Prophet while we were young and had no wealth whatever. So Allah's Messenger said, "O young people! Whoever among you can marry, should marry, because it helps him lower his gaze and guard his modesty (i.e. his private parts from committing illegal sexual intercourse etc.), and whoever is not able to marry, should fast, as fasting diminishes his sexual power." [Muslim]

Those who are doomed in this world and in the next are only doomed because they ignore Allah's commands.

May Allah protect us and our families from disobedience and increase us in provision both spiritually and physically and make us die in complete submission to Him. Ameen.

Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

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