Indeed, Islam is not just a mere spiritual faith but rather it is a comprehensive ideology; nothing left out of it. It is a way of life for all humanity, Muslims and non-Muslims. Therefore, it is compulsory to confine ourselves fully to it. Allah (swt) told us in the Holy Qur’an:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ادْخُلُوا فِي السِّلْمِ كَافَّةً وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ ۚ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُبِينٌ
“O you who have believed, enter into Islam completely [and perfectly] and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.”
[Al-Baqarah: 208]
By the absence of this divine way of life and the existing ruling of the false capitalist ideology in the world has led to widespread indecency and evil among Muslims. Today, the capitalists have resorted to the use of internet, which is in our full access 24 hours a day to mislead our society by spreading adultery via pornography.
Pornography classified into two; the first one is the blue films, sexual explicit TV programmes etc.
The second is the live streaming either through the video call or telephone conversions where for a video call, the actor calls and directly act and in case of a telephone call you just listen to the lewd voice.
Pornography started in 1969 by Andy Warhol where his first film “The Blue Movie” was liked so much in the US. This film trended until 1984. At that time, they used to produce one film at a time as the actors were still unblemished and the materialistic capitalist measure was not deeply rotten yet and modest still existed; thus they condemned these films. Since capitalism is rampant today, they now produce very many films per day, which earn them $97 billion annually and thus leading to the increase of companies and actors in this industry. Modest, customs and traditions are now rendered obsolete and the initial condemnations have vanished and it has become a usual thing.
This situation has made our society sunk deep into these porn films to the extent of neither seeing evil nor feeling disgusted from them. Our Muslim youth have become addicts to pornography and if you are not watching it or having porn, video clips in your phone you a considered old-fashioned.
Watching pornography starts gradually until eventually gets out of control due to its addiction. This has led our children to sink in this immorality at home, in schools, at work even in social gatherings where you will see someone is engrossed in watching porn. Parents have seen that the only thing to make their children happy with is buy them phones and install for them Wi-Fi networks to enable them download games but after that they do not monitor which websites are they accessing, where even small kids do gain access to pornographic websites and watch the indecency. Our phones are full of the dirt, and if you were, you to get a chance to look at what is inside the youth’s phone you will not be able.
Pornography is haram (prohibited) to watch. It is inevitable for us to tackle this nightmare to liberate our youth and relatives in general.
Allah (swt) says:
قُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ وَيَحْفَظُوا فُرُوجَهُمْ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ أَزْكَىٰ لَهُمْ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا يَصْنَعُونَ
“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.”
[ An-Nur: 30]
وَقُل لِّلۡمُؤۡمِنَـٰتِ یَغۡضُضۡنَ مِنۡ أَبۡصَـٰرِهِنَّ وَیَحۡفَظۡنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلَا یُبۡدِینَ زِینَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنۡهَاۖ
“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.”
[An-Nur: 31]
And in a Hadith of Abdulrahman, the son of Abu Said al-Khudri, who narrated from his father that The Messenger (saw) said that; “Let a man not look at the nakedness (‘awrah) of another man and let a woman not look at the nakedness of another woman, and let a man not sleep with another man under the same blanket and let a woman not sleep with another woman under the same blanket”. (Sahih Muslim).
From these evidences, it is clear that watching pornography is haram (prohibited) without any doubt. It is immoral and we have no choice but to stay away from it.
It is immoral and unethical. Among the virtues of a Muslim is that he must guard and protect himself from such indecency and keep off the torment of the Hell fire (Jahannam) but secular capitalist ideology has made us see haram as being halal and vice versa. By persistence watching of this immorality makes someone do more nasty things worst of it is it incites someone to adultery and even develop rape and homosexual behaviors. As Allah (swt) told us:
وَلَا تَقۡرَبُوا۟ ٱلزِّنَىٰۤۖ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ فَـٰحِشَةࣰ وَسَاۤءَ سَبِیلࣰا
“And do not approach unlawful sexual intercourse. Indeed, it is ever an immorality and is evil as a way”.
[Surat Al-Isra’ 32]
So many marriages have broken up and true love between married couples has vanished by reducing the urge for intimacy between the husband and the wife, also by wanting to emulate what is in the blue movies contrary to the ideals of Islam. The survey carried out by the Wasserman organization in 2004 shows that the dissidents and those who are unfaithful to their marriages is due to their persistence in watching pornographic films. This survey is an eye opener to the married couples among the Ummah who are trapped and don’t know their way out of this evil to go back to the right path and abide by Islam in order to enable them save their marriages. For instance in the US alone, every five minutes ten children are raped despite enacting harsh legislation of life imprisonment. Allah (swt) says:
وَلَقَدۡ ذَرَأۡنَا لِجَهَنَّمَ كَثِیرࣰا مِّنَ ٱلۡجِنِّ وَٱلۡإِنسِۖ لَهُمۡ قُلُوبࣱ لَّا یَفۡقَهُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمۡ أَعۡیُنࣱ لَّا یُبۡصِرُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمۡ ءَاذَانࣱ لَّا یَسۡمَعُونَ بِهَاۤۚ أُو۟لَـٰۤىِٕكَ كَٱلۡأَنۡعَـٰمِ بَلۡ هُمۡ أَضَلُّۚ أُو۟لَـٰۤىِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡغَـٰفِلُونَ
“And We have certainly created for Hell many of the jinn and mankind. They have hearts with which they do not understand, they have eyes with which they do not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear. Those are like livestock; rather, they are more astray. It is they who are the heedless.”
[Al-A’raf: 179]
He who dwells in doing evil then he becomes like an animal but rather more than it. When alone craves to watch porn and when alone with someone only thinks about raping without considering age or the victim’s gender; even animals are at risk of being raped.
Pornography has destroyed our youth and relatives by refusing to marry and resorting to satisfy their procreation instincts through watching porn and consequently masturbation. One of the capitalist youth organizations talked nonsense and mischief by saying that there is huge need for children from the age of four years who are in primary schools to be taught how to masturbate so that they satisfy their instincts because often these children watch porn and after finishing watching their sexual drive is very high; and by lacking someone to satisfy their drive, the child is frustrated and feels unhappy. Therefore, the organization sees that all boys and girls be taught how to use their hands to satisfy themselves such that they say today it is essential for children in schools to be allocated this subject i.e. in other words is that it is one of the children’s rights!!!
Furthermore, as part of the war against Islam, the enemies of Islam are now resorting to using our girls to tarnish the image of Islam and the Islamic dress. Mia Khalifah a Muslim girl from Beirut Lebanon hit the headlines by joining the porn industry as an actress while encouraging Muslim girls to join and that they will be given a lucrative livelihood and protection like her who received very many death threats from her family should they come across her for disgracing them, but she never bothered when the West guaranteed her protection. She received a nickname ‘Hijab Pornstar’ i.e. a porn actress wearing a hijab – an Islamic dress – during her porn video shoots!!! Today, it has now become a trend for our girls to be recruited by the companies to act in these films where majority of them are from Indonesia and India.
Solution
It is inevitable to expose the capitalist rotten ideals as the catalyst of this evil. In addition, to stand firm to uproot it and restore an alternative ideology with sound social values which is compatible with man’s nature by recognizing his innate attribute of procreation, which requires satisfaction. Moreover, for it to be satisfied in a manner that brings tranquility it needs guidance and not set free and likewise it should be linked to its responsibility through marriage. This alternative ideology is Islam under its State the Khilafah upon the methodology of Prophethood.
In addition, since the Islamic ideology is built upon piety, the society confines all of its affairs by the criterion of halal and haram and its ultimate objective is attaining the pleasure of Allah (swt). Our youth will be encouraged to marry where practically the Khilafah state will make it easier for this marriage ritual by paying for dowry and family maintenance for those who cannot afford, and marriages will be full of happiness and blessings.
As for now in the absence of the State, the following are ways that can assist a porn addict to free himself for the evil addiction: –
- Asking for Forgiveness and Avoid Watching
The addict needs to fear Allah and willingly decide to keep of this behavior by acknowledging that Allah has forbidden it and should leave it and truly ask Allah for forgiveness, Allah will forgive him and convert his evil to righteousness. Likewise, he should draw closer to Allah through obligatory (Fardh) as we as voluntarily (Sunnah) rituals of worship and increase Remembrance.
- Solitary
Avoid being alone as loneliness is among the means of Satan to lure someone to evil including what he has been addicted to of porn films. Keep yourself busy to occupy your time.
- Pornographic Channels or Websites
As parents, we must be vigilant to our youth and avoid leaving them unmonitored. We should raise them with Islamic principles by making the Islamic creed (Aqeedah) as the reference of all their actions and teaching them every good or bad thing by linking them with their accountability to Allah. If we buy them phones for communication purposes, we should take extra caution by blocking online porn film channels or nude pornographic soaps to safeguard them from their obsession to them. This is also applicable to parents if they themselves are addicts.
- Bad Company
We and our children should keep off bad friends who infect us with evil including watching porn, as the Messenger (saw) said from the understanding (Mafhoum) of the Hadith “If you accompany a perfume maker you will benefit either by him giving you some of the perfume or by your clothes grasping some fragrance and if you accompany a black smith you will be affected either by you stinking from the smoke or by your clothes burning from the sparks”.
Mohammad Abdurahman Bates
Member of Hizb ut Tahrir Kenya