158.

١٥٨. عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُمَا أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ:

«لَا يَخْلُوَنَّ رَجُلٌ بِامْرَأَةٍ وَلَا تُسَافِرَنَّ امْرَأَةٌ إِلَّا وَمَعَهَا مَحْرَمٌ» فَقَامَ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ:

«يَا رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ اكْتُتِبْتُ فِي غَزْوَةِ كَذَا وَكَذَا وَخَرَجَتِ امْرَأَتِي حَاجَّةً؟» قَالَ:

«اذْهَبْ فَحُجَّ مَعَ امْرَأَتِكَ».

158. Ibn Abbas (r.anhuma) narrated that the Noble Prophet (pbuh) said:

“It is not permissible for a man to be alone with a woman, and no lady should travel except with a mahram (i.e. her husband or a person whom she cannot marry in any case for ever; e.g. her father, brother, etc.)”

Then a man got up and said:

“O Apostle of Allah! I have enlisted in the army for such and such ghazwa and my wife is proceeding for Hajj.”

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said to him:

“Go, and perform the Hajj with your wife.” (Bukhari, Jihad, 140; Nikah, 111; Muslim, Hajj, 424; Ahmad, I, 222. Also see Tirmidhi, Rada, 15-17; Fitan, 7)

Explanations:

Adultery has been considered as wrong and immoral all along by human intelligence, by moral and legal systems, and by the Abrahamic religions. And it is one of the major sins in Islam.

Allah loves His servants a lot and does not want them to fall into this wicked situation. As expressed in our first hadith, there is no one else angrier than Allah when someone commits adultery. As anyone does not like and becomes sad when someone from his relatives commits adultery, Allah the Almighty wishes even more to protect His servants from falling into wrong deeds. He does not want His servants to become distant from Him by getting into sins. For this reason, He strictly prohibited these acts and threatened those who commit them and informed that they will be punished severely. Due to His mercy, Almighty Allah informs us about the sins and their punishments in advance in order for us to get preventive actions and do not to fall into them.

Adultery is such a wicked sin that Allah the Almighty prohibited even to get close to it not to mention committing it.

It is commanded in the noble verses of Qur’an as:

وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا الْفَوَاحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ

 “… come not close to shameful deeds whether open or secret.” (Al-An‘am; 6:151)

وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا الزِّنٰىۤ اِنَّهُ كَانَ فَاحِشَةً وَسَاۤءَ سَب۪يلًا

“Nor come close to adultery: for it is a shameful (deed) and an evil, opening the road (to other evils).” (Al-Isra; 17:32)

In other words, one must stay away all kinds of things that may lead to adultery.[1]

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said “If you but knew what I know, you would laugh less and weep more” after informing us how angry Allah the Almighty gets in case of adultery. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) meant that “If you knew the wisdom and reasons behind the commands of Allah and the punishments in case of disobedience and the worries of the Day of Judgment, you would laugh less and weep more thinking about these grand matters all the time.”

Allah the Almighty Who is jealous of His servants from sins wants them to be chaste and modest. There are many noble verses of Qur’an pointing out this fact.[2] Preserving the chastity and modesty is listed among the most important characteristics of Muslim men and women. (Al-Mu’minun; 23:5, Al-Nur; 24:30-31; Al-Furqan; 25:68; (Al-Ahzab; 33:35)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh), who used to seek refuge in Allah from his body parts gravitating towards evil and committing a sin because of them,[3] gave the following good news to his followers:

“Whoever can guarantee (the chastity of) what is between his two jaw-bones and what is between his two legs (i.e. his tongue and his private parts), I guarantee Paradise for him.” (Bukhari, Ar-Riqaq, 23)

The following is an exemplary one, in which the Prophet reasonably explained why one should keep his chastity to a young person who was about to commit a sin:

Abu Umama (r.a.) narrated:

“A young person came approached to the Prophet and asked:

“O the Messenger of Allah! Will you give me permission for adultery?”

People around him advanced on him and scorned him saying “Be quiet, be quiet!”

The Prophet said:

“Come closer!”

The young man came closer to Prophet and sat down.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked him:

“Would you like this to happen to your mother?”

The young man said:

“May Allah sacrifice me on your way the Messenger of Allah, I swear to Allah I would not want this to happen to her!”

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:

“Others would not like this to happen to their mothers either.”

Then, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked the same question regarding his daughter, sister, maternal aunt, and paternal aunt. The young man answered to all:

“May Allah sacrifice me on your way the Messenger of Allah, I swear to Allah I would not want this to happen to her!”

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) reminded him that “others would not like this to happen her either” after each question. At the end of the talk, he put his blessed hands on him and prayed as:

“O my Lord! Please forgive his sins and purify his heart and protect his chastity!”

Henceforth, the young man never inclined to do that action.” (Ahmad, V, 256-257; Haythami, I, 129)

On the other hand, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) used to take a vow of obedience from people to stay away from adultery and the deeds that may lead to adultery and to protect their chastity. Aisha (r.anha) narrated:

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) used to take a vow of obedience just in words (not by shaking hands) and ask them to comply with the conditions given in the following verse:

“O Prophet! When believing women come to you to take the oath of allegiance to you, that they will not associate in worship any other thing whatever with Allah, that they will not steal, that they will not commit adultery (or fornication), that they will not kill their children, that they will not utter slander, intentionally forging falsehood, and that they will not disobey thee in any just matter, then do you receive their allegiance, and pray to Allah for the forgiveness (of their sins): for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Al-Mumtahinah; 60:12)

To the women who accept these conditions, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) used to say:

“Now I took your vow.” I swear to Allah, his hands never touched the hands of a woman when taking their vows. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) only took the vows in words as:

“I took your vow based on the conditions stated in this noble verse. (Bukhari, Tafsir al-Nabi, 60/2; Ahmad, VI, 270)[4]

Abu Shahm (r.a.) narrated an exemplary memory about this topic:

In Medina, a young girl passed by me. I hold from her collar and then let her go. The next morning, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was taking vows of obedience. I went him too. He did not take my vow and said:

“Did the one who held and pulled the collar come?”

I said:

“I swear to Allah that I will not do it again.”

Upon this the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) took my vow. (Ahmad, V, 294)

As another preventive measure for adultery, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) also prohibited earning money from it.[5] Money paid or taken for fornication, as a corresponding value of modesty and chastity of humans, the most honorable of all creatures, is prohibited (haram). As expressed in a hadith, the money earned in this way is “wicked and all evil.” (Muslim, Musakat, 41; Abu Dawud, Kitab Al-Buyu, 38; Tirmidhi, Kitab Al-Buyu, 46)

On the other hand, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) discouraged his followers from adultery by explaining its spiritual and material dangers. In one of his noble sayings, it is expressed that adultery endangers the most valuable blessing, namely faith:

“Whoever commits adultery, faith exits him, stays on him like a cloud. When he repents from it and quits it completely, faith returns him again.” (Abu Dawud, Kitab Al-Sunnah, 15/4690; Tirmidhi, Iman, 11/2625; Hakim, I, 72/56)

In another hadith, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) explained the material dangers of adultery and said:

“When adultery and prostitution become widespread and finally begin to be committed publicly in a nation, plague or other illnesses that never happened before spread in that nation.” (Ibn Majah, Fiten, 22; Hakim, IV, 583/8623)

It is narrated from Ibn Abbas (r.anhuma) as:

“…If adultery becomes widespread in a society, deaths will increase in that society…” (Muwatta, Jihad, 26; Ibn Majah, Fitan, 22)

Adultery causes bloodline to mix up, families, relations with relatives, neighbors, and friends to break up and moral and spiritual values to be shaken to the foundation. It disregards the honor and dignity of people by making them slaves of their carnal pleasures.

There are also many dangers of adultery to one’s health. Illnesses such as syphilitic and gonorrhea are among the transmissible illnesses usually seen in those who fell into the marsh of adultery. The deadly illness AIDS, to which today’s medical world could not find a cure, is usually transmitted by adultery.

Those who commit adultery are so wicked and evil people that Allah the Almighty will call the Day of Judgment on them. As the Prophet (pbuh) informed us, towards the end of the world, those Muslims who protect themselves from the instigations of antichrist (Dajjal) and gog and magog and who live a happy life will all die as a result of a divine fate. “…would take the life of every Muslim and only the wicked would survive who would commit adultery like asses and the Last Hour would come to them.” (Muslim, Fitan, 110. Also see Tirmidhi, Fitan, 59/2240; Ibn Majah, Fitan, 33)

Thus, one must stay away from every word, act, thought, and means that brings him closer to adultery in order to be saved from the anger of Almighty Allah and from being afflicted with such harms. As a matter of fact, words and acts are considered according to their consequences, the things that lead to forbidden acts are also forbidden (haram) and the things that lead to necessary acts (wajib) are also necessary. For this reason, the acts that may lead to adultery such as evil gazing, listening, speaking, reading, and smelling are also forbidden. In this case, when one unintentionally sees something forbidden, one must turn his eyes away and should not be carried away with the attraction of the sin. Indeed, in our second hadith, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) commands that when one sets his eyes on something forbidden, he must turn away his eyes immediately and should not look back again. Almighty Allah forgives the unintended and sudden first seeing, but considers the second look which is done intentionally as sin.

Jarir b. Abdullah (r.a.) reported:

I asked the Prophet about the sudden glance (that is cast) on the face (of a stranger woman). He commanded me:

“You should turn away your eyes immediately!” (Muslim, Kitab Al-Adab 45. Also see Abu Dawud, Kitab Al-Nikah, 43; Tirmidhi, Adab, 28)

That is because to look (at something which is sinful to look at) is the misconduct (adultery) of the eye and it is a sin.  In the same manner, the adultery of the ear is to listen, the adultery of the tongue is to utter (what it is unlawful to utter), the adultery of the hand is to touch, the adultery of feet are to go to adultery, and the adultery of the heart and soul is to wish and long for (adultery). (Bukhari, Isti’dhan 12, Al-Qadar,  9; Muslim, Al-Qadar 20-21. Also see Abu Dawud, Kitab Al-Nikah, 43)

By forbidding these acts, Islam prevents major sins from happening. In Islamic Law, this is called “Sad al-Dharia” or “the principle of closing the door to evil.”

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:

“Every eye commits adultery when it looks (at something which is sinful to look at). When a woman wears a perfume and passes through a place where men are gathered, she too is considered as committed adultery.”[6] (Tirmidhi, Adab, 35/2786; Abu Dawud, Kitab Al-Tarajjul, 7/4173; Nasai, Kitab Al-Libas wa al-Zinah, 35)

Almighty Allah said:

“Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: And Allah is well acquainted with all that they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty…” (Al-Nur; 24:30-31)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) expresses the harm of unnecessary looks for the heart as:

“Looking at what is forbidden is one of the poisonous arrows of demon. Whoever quits this for the sake of Allah, Allah blesses him with such a faith that he will experience its sweetness in his heart.”  (Hakim, IV, 349/7875; Haythami, VIII, 63)

Eyes are the windows of the heart. When eyes look at wrong things, the brain gets negatively influenced by it and becomes busy with sinful acts. Thus, it causes heart to darken and to be spirituality ruined.

Thus, saving oneself from the poisonous arrows of demon by controlling his inner soul is a great gain for a believer. In our third hadith, we are given the good news that this will be rewarded with the reward of a worship that gives peace to heart. In other words, Almighty Allah considers this simple act as a worship since it is important in terms of preventing a major sin. This is one of the manifestations of His mercy and affection towards His subjects.

In another noble hadith, the virtue of the eye that avoids looking at forbidden things is expressed as:

“There are three kinds of people whose eyes will never see the Hell. The eye that is on guard duty in the way of Allah; the eye that cries because of the fear of Allah; and the eye that avoids looking at the forbidden.” (Haythami, V, 288)

Our forth hadith puts believers under protection by prohibiting another wrong deed that opens the door of adultery. It is to be alone with a woman who is not a close relative and with whom there is nothing preventing a person from getting married to her. One must strictly avoid being alone or staying with women whose close relatives such as her husband, mother, father, son, siblings, aunt, or milk-sibling are not with her. If there are close relatives of a man such as his sister, daughter, aunt, or maternal aunt are with him, it is also considered as if the stranger woman has her close relatives with her. In the same manner, women should pay extra attention not to be alone with stranger men. That is because as the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:

“When a man is left in private with a stranger woman, for sure the third one there is Satan.” (Tirmidhi, Rada, 16/1171; Fitan, 7/2165; Ahmad, I, 18, 26)

When the wives of the Prophet (pbuh) needed to ask something from strange men or needed to tell them something, they had to do this from behind a curtain or a wall. (Al-Ahzab; 33:53) Even though this was an order for the wives of the Prophet, it can also be followed by the rest of the Muslim women as much as possible.

One important fact that is overlooked today is this: One should not be alone with his brother’s wife (sister-in-law). The close relatives of the husband such as the children of the siblings, uncle and the children of the uncle are the same in terms of this rule.

One day the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:

“Avoid going next to women (whose intimate relatives are not with her!)”

Upon this, one person from Ansar asked:

“O the Messenger of Allah!  What would you say about the male relatives of the husband (al-hamwu)?”

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:

“Being alone with them is like death.” (Bukhari, Nikah, 111; Muslim, Salam, 20; Tirmidhi, Rada, 16/1171)

The word “al-hamwu” means husband’s close relatives such as his brother, cousins, uncles, and the children of his uncles.

Since these kinds of close relatives always have the opportunity of easily visiting one’s house, they face with more dangers in this respect. For this reason, they have to be extra careful about this matter and should avoid being alone with them. These people may have very good intentions. However, Islam tightly closes the doors of possible dangers so that people do not get harmed and face with troubles after all. As a matter of fact, the situations of the families who did not pay attention to this fact and became miserable in the end are known to all. On the other hand, it is impossible to stop the bad-mouthing of others.

In the second part of our hadith, it is commanded for women not to travel unless they have a close relative with them. The Prophet had sent one of his noble companions to go to Hajj with his wife instead of going for a military expedition (jihad), and this is enough to show the importance of the principle.



[1] In order to prevent sins Islam pays attention to amelioration of feelings, circumstances, and means that may lead people to sinful acts. For this reason, first of all it takes some measures at the primary stages such as for men and women to cover certain parts of their bodies, to avoid suggestive acts, for stranger men and women (who are legally allowed to get married) to avoid being alone, to prevent nastiness and suggestiveness in the society. This is the reason why Islam criticizes suggestive words, looks, and close relations as they may lead to adultery. Apart from these, Islam assigns families and societies with the duties of raising and nurturing kids, not postponing the age of marriage unless it is necessary, easing marriage process, and keeping the moral and religious values of the society alive.

As it can be understood from these, the goal of Islam is not to punish criminals but to ensure secure and peaceful living environment for people by preventing the suitable circumstances for crimes to take place. Islam is based on the principle of “preventing sins” rather than “punishing sins.”  For this reason, throughout the Islamic history, the punishment for adultery has been seen rarely.

In spite of all these preventive measures taken by Islam, the punishment of those who commit sinful acts is real justice and mercy for both the individual and the society. (Al-Nur; 24:2)  Due to the punishment, the sinner saves himself from wasting his eternal life by getting used to commit sinful acts and receiving even harsher punishment in the Hereafter. The other members of the society get discouraged from sinning by learning some lessons from the punishment of the sinner.

[2] For example See An-Nisa; 4:25; Al-Maida; 5:5; Al-Anbiya; 21:91; An-Nur; 24;4, 23; Al-Tahrim; 66:12.

[3] Abu Dawud, Witr, 32/1551; Tirmidhi, Daawat, 74/3492. Also see Muslim, Dhikr, 72; Nasai, Istiadha, 4, 10, 11, 28. Since it is not possible for our Prophet (pbuh) to commit sinful acts, here his aim is to teach his followers how to say prayers.

[4] The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) strictly avoided shaking hands with women when taking their vows (Bukhari, Talaq, 20) and said:

“I do not shake hands with women!” (Ibn Majah, Jihad, 43)

[5] Bukhari, Buyu, 25, 113; Ijara, 20; Talaq, 51; Tibb, 46; Libas, 86, 96; Muslim, Musaqat, 40. Also see Abu Dawud, Buyu, 26, 63; Tirmidhi, Buyu, 46, 49, 50; Nikah, 37; Tibb, 23; Nasai, Sayd, 15; Buyu, 91, 92, 94; Ibn Majah, Tijarah, 9.

[6] Women should avoid walking, wearing perfume, and talking to men in a provocative way. They should not draw the attention of men by striking their feet when walking. Allah prohibits these kinds of acts and says:

“…and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments.” (An-Nur; 24:31) (Ornaments such as feet rings).

“…if you do fear (Allah), be not too complacent of speech, lest one in whose heart is a disease should be moved with desire: but speak you a speech (that is) just. And stay quietly in your houses, and make not a dazzling display, like that of the former times of ignorance; and establish regular Prayer, and give regular charity; and obey Allah and His Messenger…” (al-Ahzab; 33:32-33)

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