Why adultery is prohibited in Islam?

Society Religion & Philosophy
21

PCG,

I dont know if that comment ‘why do we even pray namaz’ was directed at me, however I do remember making that comment sometime (maybe to you or someone else), the fact is, at the heart of following ANY belief system lies obedience.. if we are to logically justify everything and THEN decide what to follow, it kinda rules out the need for relevation..

That said and done, we all try to justify or come to terms with certain religious guidelines which we dont like/cant understand etc. I know I do that an awful lot. And when we do manage to understand the wisdom of the Creator’s commands (such as you stated the wisdom in the command for namaz, and the prohibition of Adultery), it affirms our faith, and when we cant understand the wisdom, we have firm belief that it is indeed something which is meant for our betterment.

I do understand when you say that Islaam is much more than orders, it is a way of life. At the same time, if a command of Allah is made clear to us, we must obey it without questioning, simply because its a command of the Creator, and the intellect of the creation itself is limited.

I WILL request you to read the following ayaahs of the Quraan, and maybe it’ll help. The emphasis is on ‘We hear, and we obey’.

infact to keep the post short, I’ll just give you a link.

(2.284 - 285)](http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/002.qmt.html#002.285)
(4.46)](http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/004.qmt.html#004.046) (This one needs to be read carefully)
(5.7)](http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/005.qmt.html#005.007)
(24.51)](http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/024.qmt.html#024.051)

and Allah alone knows best.

Anyhow I’m not here to have an argument.. understanding of religion comes with time, and I’m sure you have a much better understanding than I do, just wanted to point out that ‘hearing and obeying’ is a part of Islaam, and not something coolbreeze had made up.

Faisal pra, sorry for kickin yer topic off topic.. however there hadn’t been much interest in the topic other than some side comments so hopefully you wouldn’t mind!

22

Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious (Al quran 6:125)

Beautiful Words. I love those words.

I know that comment has nothing to do with the subject.

I just wanted to express that I think there great beauty in Islam.

Would that all could concentrate on the beauty.

23

reading through this, one thing does become crystal clear to me:

what we call Koran couldn't have been a single consistent effort. I see people quoting left and right, inflammatory and downright nasty stuff as well as others quoting great noble notions such as "invite all and discuss gently".

meaning, it would be really wrong to follow the alleged edicts of Allah as listed in Koran indiscriminately and blindly. may be somebody added the nasty stuff in. may be somebody misinterpreted it to you...

24

Nothing has been added or altered in the Quran, since the time it has been revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (Sallalah o Alaihai Wassalam). This is a firm belief of all muslims.

Some verses in the Quran are revealed for specific context, and it is very important to understand the context while quoting or interpreting the verses. Arabic itself is a very complex language.

25

Ammarr, my point was that God just didn't make up rules on a whim, there were reasons for these rules.

And if we're to follow them faithfully, it helps to know the reasoning behind the rule. This doesn't mean that by asking why something is the way it is you're automatically breaking the "we hear, we obey" rule. It just means you're going a step further on the intellectual ladder to try and understand and appreciate.

26

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Faisal: *
Nothing has been added or altered in the Quran, since the time it has been revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (Sallalah o Alaihai Wassalam). This is a firm belief of all muslims.

Some verses in the Quran are revealed for specific context, and it is very important to understand the context while quoting or interpreting the verses. Arabic itself is a very complex language.
[/QUOTE]

therein lies another problem - I bet only a fraction of muslims can understand the words in Quron, with or or without context, by 1st hand reading. given that aren't you running the risk of buying the fiery interpretations of the imams with ulterior agenda?

this problem exists to a smaller extend in all religious works - so my final point on this is: if we're going to make religion a big deal / part of our life, shouldn't we first make sure we undertand the thing instead of falling prey to monsters and bigots interpreting to you?

27

PCG:

There is no harm in figuring out the reason for a specific ruling. However, if there is a clear commandment in the Quran, and you are unable to figure out its reason, the fault lies with you, not with the commandment. You can not say that we should not follow the commandment because there seems to be no reason (or the reason is outdated and inapplicable).

You can most certainly say that "I will not be following this commandment, bcz I will be myself answering my own actions on the Day of Judgement", but just bcz we are unable to comprehend the reasoning behind a particular ruling does not make it inapplicable.

balram:

There is no doubt, that understanding Quran should be the first step for every true muslim (learning Arabic should therefore be even more of a priority).

28

faisal, please don't get irritated if I seem to be repeating myself. so if you're agreeing that only a fraction of muslims really understand what's in there, how can Quron be running their lives? In other words, how do the majority that doesn't get it, believe it? they're obviously either blind faithing it or exessively relying on the imams. now isn't that what led to the entire madrassa mud slinging and extremism acts and perceptions?

so my point is this: what would be lost if the islamic clergy get together and publish an offical english version of what they think is the real Quron. Then we can all read it and decide whether the nasty stuff is in or out.

29

balram, i'm sorry, but I dont think you have a clue as to what you're talking about.

  1. There are lots of English translations of the Quran. No one should have a problem finding them - they're everywhere.

  2. Its not the job of the clergy (there is no such thing as Islamic clergy in the first place) or some mullah or some aalim or anyone to GIVE you an English translation or to force you to get one. That's your perogative.

Faisal:

  1. I never disputed that the ruling on adultery is wrong. The point of the thread is WHY is adultery prohibited. I provided some rationales that come to my mind regarding the ill effects of adultery. I'm sure there are plenty more reasons out there, but dont knock us muslims who are trying to seek answers. If we're blocked from doing that, then you'll soon find Islam losing followers rather than gaining.
30

if you don't have an official english version, then you're going to have this sort of problems. Person A believes interpretation A that tells him to make peace with the neigbor. B on the other hand interprets it differently and goes on a suicide mission to bring peace to the neigbor in a different way.

31

PCG,

Don't get me wrong. I am not disputing that we should not seek for reasons, its just that not finding a "good enough" reason should not be an excuse for not following a commandment.

You will also notice, that this particular thread is indeed seeking intelligent and logical answers, which go one step ahead of "it is stated in the Quran, so the case is closed". Yours was perhaps one of the most focused reply on this topic. I reproduce:

[quote]
Likewise, prohibition of Adultery has its rationales:

  1. You are hurting your spouse. The pain is absolutely horrid to find out your spouse cheated on you. To the point that it can affect the mental/physical health of the victimized spouse. How can such a crime go unpunished?

  2. YOU PROMISE to be faithful when you got married, and u break this promise. This is morally wrong and such a clear ishaara as to what your character is.

  3. Self-control is a big concept in Islam, which I'm afraid doesn't get a lot of attention. If you can't control yourself to stick with your spouse, that shows you're of weak faith and weak character.

  4. Think about the life of the person you cheated with. They've got a spouse - this hurts their spouse too --- so now two victims of a crime.
    If there is no other spouse, well, you've screwed up the reputation of a perfectly good virgin, or at least who people thought of as a virgin. Not good, cuz now people might not want to marry them. Another life ruined.
    [/quote]

So, you conclude that Adultery should be a punishable crime under Islamic jurisprudence? It is not one of those things where Allah will offer His decision, on the day of Judgement. It is something where the Islamic state is supposed to take action and punish the culprits?

32

Let's take a look at these...

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by PyariCgudia: *

Likewise, prohibition of Adultery has its rationales:
[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE]
*1. You are hurting your spouse. The pain is absolutely horrid to find out your spouse cheated on you. To the point that it can affect the mental/physical health of the victimized spouse. How can such a crime go unpunished?
[/QUOTE]

It is between you and your spouse. The state should not have any jurisprudence in familial relationships. Can sharia measure how much hurt does this cause? The pain thresholds of the individual. The sadistic or masochistic nature of the relationship. If it can then I would love to know how. If it can't then...it needs to stay out of people's life.

[QUOTE]
*2. YOU PROMISE to be faithful when you got married, and u break this promise. This is morally wrong and such a clear ishaara as to what your character is.

[/QUOTE]

What if both spouses cheat? What is the punishment for that? Is it mentioned in the Koran?

[QUOTE]
*3. Self-control is a big concept in Islam, which I'm afraid doesn't get a lot of attention. If you can't control yourself to stick with your spouse, that shows you're of weak faith and weak character.

[/QUOTE]

Self control is part of ever religion. It is as much a physical virtue as a moral one. There are sex addicts as there are drug addicts. Nymphs have been around since time immemorial. What about those whoa re addicted? If they have a problem they should be helped not given a hundred lashes.

  1. Think about the life of the person you cheated with. They've got a spouse - this hurts their spouse too --- so now two victims of a crime. If there is no other spouse, well, you've screwed up the reputation of a perfectly good virgin, or at least who people thought of as a virgin. Not good, cuz now people might not want to marry them. Another life ruined. [/QUOTE]

It is between the husband and the wife. Simple concept. The foundation for the wedding probably wasn't that strong if it means one or the other cheats. And the fact that it is virgin....this is the most idiotic thing. It takes two to tango, the virgin is also to blame. Plus, the blame lies more on the closed minded society that reveres single women that are virgins over non-virgins. No life is ruined.

Hmm...I'm sure there is plenty of thought-provoking reasons that I just can't come up with right now. I think the one of victimized spouses is what cuts the cake though. Causing harm to another person is very punishable. I dont think you will be able to come up with many unpunished acts in Islam that involve the hurting of an innocent individual.
[/QUOTE]

Causing psychological harm to another person is wrong. Whether you should be stoned for it is completely ridiculous.

I think Koran is right when it advises people that adultery is wrong. But it is used to stone people or give lashings for such trangression.

To me the beauty lies in the message of the koran not the implementaiton.

33

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by balram: *
reading through this, one thing does become crystal clear to me:

what we call Koran couldn't have been a single consistent effort. I see people quoting left and right, inflammatory and downright nasty stuff as well as others quoting great noble notions such as "invite all and discuss gently".

meaning, it would be really wrong to follow the alleged edicts of Allah as listed in Koran indiscriminately and blindly. may be somebody added the nasty stuff in. may be somebody misinterpreted it to you...
[/QUOTE]

u need help dude..u dont know basics about Islam and r trying to give that tall claims..its accepted all over the world that Quran is the only wholly scripture that didnt changed at all.. all the rest religions have changed knowledge..

34

assume for the moment you're right (you're not, but let's pretend you are):

so what's great about something that doesn't change? when Quron was written there was no electricity. if Edison was following the 'unchange' there wouldn't be any of electrical appliances today. Yet you're using a computer (unles you're gonna quote a hadith with a trick to post in GS without a computer). - or did you just disobey an edict?

or may be you'll say Quron is about more deeper things and doesn't concern itself with material advances and changes?

35

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by balram: *
assume for the moment you're right (you're not, but let's pretend you are):

so what's great about something that doesn't change? when Quron was written there was no electricity. if Edison was following the 'unchange' there wouldn't be any of electrical appliances today. Yet you're using a computer (unles you're gonna quote a hadith with a trick to post in GS without a computer). - or did you just disobey an edict?

or may be you'll say Quron is about more deeper things and doesn't concern itself with material advances and changes?
[/QUOTE]

Balram or Balthakery ur ok! which area of India r u! I havent seen such an ....