Adultery: Its Prevalence and Destructive Effects on Society (Part 8)
The True Status of Women
The truth is that Islam presented a comprehensive family law to society at a time when the warmth of the family unit had disintegrated and the purposes of marriage had been forgotten. In married life, the tranquility and stability essential to living were absent. The spirit of cooperation and mutual sympathy had vanished, and the love and compassion that once bonded families no longer existed. Society had fallen to such a level that modesty and honor were no longer valued.
Women in the Noble Religion of Islam
It was in such circumstances that Islam emerged, casting the light of its guidance into the darkness of ignorance and self-worship. A new dawn of prosperity rose for women and all the oppressed, granting them a chance to assert their dignity. Extremism and neglect were abolished, and Islam brought human beings to their natural state of balance. Everyone was given their rightful due, and for the first time, women were able to demand their rights. Islam did not allow any negligence in establishing women’s rights and systematically eliminated all sources of corruption. It regulated marital relations, established the rights of both spouses, held men accountable, and created a pleasant and secure environment for women. Women were no longer seen as cursed, but as symbols of mercy. Monastic celibacy and abstention from marriage were abolished, and marriage was deemed essential.
The Qur’an made its first proclamation on this matter in these words: «یٰا أَیُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِی خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ نَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًا كَثِیرًا وَنِسَاءً» Translation: “O mankind! Be conscious of your Lord, who created you from a single soul and created from it its mate and spread from both many men and women. So be mindful of Allah, through whom you ask one another, and of the wombs. Indeed, Allah is ever watching over you.”
In summary, men and women originate from the same source, and there is no inherent reason for one to be superior to the other. The only difference between them lies in their sexual desires—and nothing more. This verse also refutes the views of those who considered marital relations as degrading to human dignity and who promoted celibacy and distance from women. It clearly affirms that men and women should take pride in their marital relationship and that men must fear God regarding the rights of women.
Chastity and honor are immense and invaluable treasures—no wealth in the world can compare to them. Chastity is so precious that it is worth sacrificing material wealth for its protection, not selling it to earn money. Who could possibly be content for a Muslim mother or sister to abandon a life of dignity and honor and become immoral, living in shame and disgrace? Should she lose her chastity and dignity just to gain worthless money and live a life of humiliation? Naturally, only someone who has already lost all sense of honor and protective jealousy (ghayrah) could accept such a thing.
Islam eradicated the customs of pre-Islamic ignorance, such as when a husband would send his wife to another man in the hope of conceiving a child from noble lineage, or when nine men would share a woman, or when temporary sexual relations between men and women were practiced. As narrated in a hadith of Umm al-Mu’minīn Ayesha: «فلما بعث محمد بالحق هدم نکاح الجاهلیة الا نکاح الناس الیوم» Translation: “When Muhammad was sent with the truth, he abolished all the marriage customs of the Jahiliyyah, except the one practiced today.”
Islam did not only abolish the Arab customs of ignorance; it also prohibited every means that could harm chastity and honor and lead to moral corruption—such as illegitimate offspring, disputes, the breakdown of family bonds, and the loss of peace and security in family life. The Qur’an clearly declares: «وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا الزَّنَا اِنَّهُ كَانَ فَاحِشَةً وَ سَاءَ سَبِیلا» Translation: “And do not come near to adultery. Indeed, it is a shameful deed and an evil path.”
The Qur’an didn’t just prohibit adultery—it forbade even approaching it. That is, all the causes and precursors that lead to it (known as dawā‘i al-zinā) must also be avoided. If we reflect on the wording of this noble verse, we find subtle and profound meanings even within its brief expression. For instance, the natural disgust toward adultery is captured by the word “fāḥishah” (shameful act), and the destructive consequences of adultery—such as mixed lineages, discord, loss of honor, and numerous other evils—are summarized by the phrase “sā’a sabīlā” (an evil path).
The Prophet’s (PBUH) Advice to a Young Man
Imam Ahmad ibn Ḥanbal (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates in his Musnad, from Abu Umamah: A young man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, “O Messenger of Allah, permit me to commit adultery.” The Companions (Sahaba) were shocked by his request and scolded him. But the Prophet (peace be upon him) gently asked the young man to come closer and asked him: “Do you have a mother?” “Yes,” the youth replied.
“Would you like someone to commit adultery with your mother?”
“No, O Messenger of Allah.”
“Then know that others do not like this for their mothers either.
Would you like it for your daughter?”
“No, O Messenger of Allah.”
“Would you accept it for your sister?”
“No, O Messenger of Allah.”
“For your paternal aunt?”
“No, O Messenger of Allah.”
“For your maternal aunt?”
“No, O Messenger of Allah.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) then said, “Then others do not want this for their female relatives either. Now, can you find a woman who is not someone’s mother, daughter, sister, aunt, or niece?”
Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) placed his blessed hand on the young man’s chest and made the following supplication: «اللهم اغفر ذنبه و طهر قلبه و احصن فرجه» Translation: “O Allah, forgive his sin, purify his heart, and protect his chastity.”
The narrator says the Prophet’s prayer had such a deep effect that the young man never again had any inclination toward that act.
What profound advice the Messenger of Allah gave! “Is there a woman who is not someone’s mother, sister, or aunt?” So how can someone who would not accept such a thing for his own close female relatives commit it with others’?
To stress the importance of chastity and the prohibition of adultery, the Prophet (peace be upon him), when taking pledges of allegiance (bay‘ah) from women, would include a pledge to abstain from adultery and safeguard their chastity. The Qur’an records the words of this pledge: «یا أَیهَا النَّبِی إِذَا جَاءَكَ الْمُؤْمِنَاتُ یبَایعْنَكَ عَلَى أَنْ لَا یشْرِكْنَ بِاللَّهِ شَیئًا وَلَا یسْرِقْنَ وَلَا یزْنِینَ وَلَا یقْتُلْنَ أَوْلَادَهُنَّ وَلَا یأْتِینَ بِبُهْتَانٍ یفْتَرِینَهُ بَینَ أَیدِیهِنَّ وَأَرْجُلِهِنَّ وَلَا یعْصِینَكَ فِی مَعْرُوفٍ فَبَایعْهُنَّ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُنَّ اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِیمٌ» Translation: “O Prophet! When believing women come to you to pledge that they will not associate anything with Allah, nor steal, nor commit adultery, nor kill their children, nor slander others, nor disobey you in what is right—then accept their pledge and seek forgiveness from Allah for them. Surely, Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
Adultery is not only an immoral act in itself; it is also the root of many other social evils. When adultery spreads in a society, conflicts and bloodshed increase, moral standards collapse, national honor is destroyed, public safety is threatened, and the society faces major health crises. Young people, in particular, fall victim to dangerous, contagious diseases, and life becomes a nightmare of suffering. It is due to such terrible consequences that Allah, in the Qur’an, ranks adultery among the gravest of sins—right after murder—even though its harm is no less severe than that of taking a life.
