Islam set restraints that govern Muslims’ sexual relations. It forbids any extramarital sexual affairs. These affairs represent obscenity. They smear man’s purity. They tarnish his soul and derail him from the straight path. This contradicts man’s interest in life.
Limits of Sexual Relations
Allah, the Most Exalted did not want man to live his sexual instincts in a chaotic manner. He should not instantly respond to any incidental state. Such states come and go without any real impact on his life. Allah wanted man to live his sexual instincts as part of deep human relations. This way, he would experience serenity, stability, and tranquility. It integrates materialism with spirituality. This achieves a balanced order that governs his relations. He satiates his sexual needs in a calm and stable ambience. This ambience is flourished with love and mercy. At the same time, a small society starts to form from this spiritual and physical relation. Marriage and parenthood come together to form a family. This family provides all the love, kindness, and affection necessary for human bonding. It also determines each one’s responsibility. Each person plays his role in life. This forms the first tutor. It teaches how to shoulder general responsibilities. This comes after training in the private realm.
Extramarital affairs represent obscenity. They smear man’s purity.
Marriage in Islam is not a mere partnership or contractual life. It is the unity of a joint spiritual and materialistic life. Allah expressed this in the following Ayah:
"They are clothing for you and you are clothing for them." Surah Al-Baqarah (2:187).
This is the basis Islam wanted social relations to be founded on. He made the sexual craving in the woman’s and man’s body a force. This force propels each of them to communicate with the other. It helps them get to know each other more. Consequently, it seals the relation with a sacred bond. Thus, he satiates both his yearning and his desires. He leads a sweet, soft, and open life. In this way, the sexual need is no longer subjected to the demands of the moment. It turns into a movement in life that embodies much affection and great responsibilities. The sexual instinct is no longer man’s primary concern in life. It turns into a mere natural need, just like other natural needs. These needs roam within the circle of responsibilities in reality. Thus, the state of fantasy ceases to exist. It paves the way for the realistic aspect of the psychological conception of the instinct’s call. It is mentioned in Nahjul Balaghah that Imam Ali (a.s.) was once sitting with his companions. They gazed at a beautiful woman as she passed by. The Imam said: "The eyes of these men are covetous, and this glancing is the cause of their becoming covetous. Whenever anyone of you sees a woman who attracts him, he should meet his wife because she is a woman like his wife." With this saying, the Imam implied that sex is a natural need. Man should perform it within the legitimate sphere of marriage. He should stay away from fantasies that could arouse him. Marriage in Islam is not a mere partnership. It is the unit of a joint spiritual and materialistic life. This is the basis Islam wanted social life to be founded on.
How Islam Regards Adultery and Marriage
In light of the aforementioned, adultery represents a deviation from the straight path. The straight path satisfies man’s sexual desires within the sphere of marriage. Adultery is a cause of negative ambiences. These ambiences could destabilize man’s emotions. They disrupt his general conditions. They create many psychological complexes. He stands perplexed between his need to satiate his sexual desires and his need for stability. Moreover, it leads to the mixing of lineage and the destruction of families. This happens after losing any sense of emotional solidarity and spiritual blessings. It loses intimate ambiences where family members feel a state of spiritual unity. This unity is based on solidarity and compassion. It is based on the sense of responsibility. It is based on a unified course towards the future through cooperation. This cooperation is founded on fixed bases.
Marriage is what Islam regards as the only way to satiate one’s sexual desires. It might entail certain emotional disadvantages or life restraints. This is at the level of the individual and the society. It could lead to complicated problems in the couple’s life. However, when we study the positive results accomplished by marriage throughout history, we notice a comprehensive human system. This system maintained much balance, stability, and tranquility in man’s life. This is despite the situations, legislations, and traditions that differ. They vary with primitive or civilized peoples in their practice. Although marriage throughout history might have inflicted injustice on the wife or husband, it produced a system. This system governs family human relations in their various forms of unity. It founded a dynamic live model for other relations within the wide social circle. This is especially true if the individual got used to shouldering his responsibilities within the private and intimate circles. He would continue to do so in his wider general life.
Although adultery might have some positive aspects, it instantly fulfills one’s emotional tendencies. It burns feelings and instinctive sexual hunger. This hunger could be satiated in one way or another. It involves indulging in fantasies incited by physical beauty or spiritual harmony. Its negative results are limitless. It could create many problems and complexes. It causes emotional deprivation and spiritual anxiety. This is especially true for the woman. She naturally yearns for emotional and physical stability. She might lose her picture as a human. She becomes a picture in man’s fantasy. She is a means of satiating his whims and desires. This is away from her human characteristics. These characteristics portray her as a human who thinks, works, and takes part in building life.
If we make a comparison between the advantages and disadvantages, we will find that the advantages of marriage far exceed the advantages of adultery. The disadvantages of adultery surpass those of marriage. Thus, if man cannot reach a flawless system, he should choose a system whose benefits surpass its damages. This is due to the limitedness of reality. His life would then take the straight path towards integration, balance, and righteousness.
Source: Interpretations inspired from the Holy Quran
Islam set restraints that govern Muslims’ sexual relations. It forbids any extramarital sexual affairs. These affairs represent obscenity. They smear man’s purity. They tarnish his soul and derail him from the straight path. This contradicts man’s interest in life.
Limits of Sexual Relations
Allah, the Most Exalted did not want man to live his sexual instincts in a chaotic manner. He should not instantly respond to any incidental state. Such states come and go without any real impact on his life. Allah wanted man to live his sexual instincts as part of deep human relations. This way, he would experience serenity, stability, and tranquility. It integrates materialism with spirituality. This achieves a balanced order that governs his relations. He satiates his sexual needs in a calm and stable ambience. This ambience is flourished with love and mercy. At the same time, a small society starts to form from this spiritual and physical relation. Marriage and parenthood come together to form a family. This family provides all the love, kindness, and affection necessary for human bonding. It also determines each one’s responsibility. Each person plays his role in life. This forms the first tutor. It teaches how to shoulder general responsibilities. This comes after training in the private realm.
Extramarital affairs represent obscenity. They smear man’s purity.
Marriage in Islam is not a mere partnership or contractual life. It is the unity of a joint spiritual and materialistic life. Allah expressed this in the following Ayah:
"They are clothing for you and you are clothing for them." Surah Al-Baqarah (2:187).
This is the basis Islam wanted social relations to be founded on. He made the sexual craving in the woman’s and man’s body a force. This force propels each of them to communicate with the other. It helps them get to know each other more. Consequently, it seals the relation with a sacred bond. Thus, he satiates both his yearning and his desires. He leads a sweet, soft, and open life. In this way, the sexual need is no longer subjected to the demands of the moment. It turns into a movement in life that embodies much affection and great responsibilities. The sexual instinct is no longer man’s primary concern in life. It turns into a mere natural need, just like other natural needs. These needs roam within the circle of responsibilities in reality. Thus, the state of fantasy ceases to exist. It paves the way for the realistic aspect of the psychological conception of the instinct’s call. It is mentioned in Nahjul Balaghah that Imam Ali (a.s.) was once sitting with his companions. They gazed at a beautiful woman as she passed by. The Imam said: "The eyes of these men are covetous, and this glancing is the cause of their becoming covetous. Whenever anyone of you sees a woman who attracts him, he should meet his wife because she is a woman like his wife." With this saying, the Imam implied that sex is a natural need. Man should perform it within the legitimate sphere of marriage. He should stay away from fantasies that could arouse him. Marriage in Islam is not a mere partnership. It is the unit of a joint spiritual and materialistic life. This is the basis Islam wanted social life to be founded on.
How Islam Regards Adultery and Marriage
In light of the aforementioned, adultery represents a deviation from the straight path. The straight path satisfies man’s sexual desires within the sphere of marriage. Adultery is a cause of negative ambiences. These ambiences could destabilize man’s emotions. They disrupt his general conditions. They create many psychological complexes. He stands perplexed between his need to satiate his sexual desires and his need for stability. Moreover, it leads to the mixing of lineage and the destruction of families. This happens after losing any sense of emotional solidarity and spiritual blessings. It loses intimate ambiences where family members feel a state of spiritual unity. This unity is based on solidarity and compassion. It is based on the sense of responsibility. It is based on a unified course towards the future through cooperation. This cooperation is founded on fixed bases.
Marriage is what Islam regards as the only way to satiate one’s sexual desires. It might entail certain emotional disadvantages or life restraints. This is at the level of the individual and the society. It could lead to complicated problems in the couple’s life. However, when we study the positive results accomplished by marriage throughout history, we notice a comprehensive human system. This system maintained much balance, stability, and tranquility in man’s life. This is despite the situations, legislations, and traditions that differ. They vary with primitive or civilized peoples in their practice. Although marriage throughout history might have inflicted injustice on the wife or husband, it produced a system. This system governs family human relations in their various forms of unity. It founded a dynamic live model for other relations within the wide social circle. This is especially true if the individual got used to shouldering his responsibilities within the private and intimate circles. He would continue to do so in his wider general life.
Although adultery might have some positive aspects, it instantly fulfills one’s emotional tendencies. It burns feelings and instinctive sexual hunger. This hunger could be satiated in one way or another. It involves indulging in fantasies incited by physical beauty or spiritual harmony. Its negative results are limitless. It could create many problems and complexes. It causes emotional deprivation and spiritual anxiety. This is especially true for the woman. She naturally yearns for emotional and physical stability. She might lose her picture as a human. She becomes a picture in man’s fantasy. She is a means of satiating his whims and desires. This is away from her human characteristics. These characteristics portray her as a human who thinks, works, and takes part in building life.
If we make a comparison between the advantages and disadvantages, we will find that the advantages of marriage far exceed the advantages of adultery. The disadvantages of adultery surpass those of marriage. Thus, if man cannot reach a flawless system, he should choose a system whose benefits surpass its damages. This is due to the limitedness of reality. His life would then take the straight path towards integration, balance, and righteousness.
Source: Interpretations inspired from the Holy Quran