In today’s extremely digital age, pornographic content is everywhere. You can access it from anywhere at any time. Anyone with a basic smartphone and decent internet connection can easily access porn on the internet. All it takes is just one click.
Pornography has become so popular today. That out of the 400 million internet searches that are made daily around the world, 1 in 8 of them is for porn. Humankind has dived so deep into the various sexual temptations of life, pornography has been one of the effective tools used in keeping youths out of morality, decency, and productivity. It also shuns them from being visionary and committed to worthwhile and good causes. Non-Muslims may be the main giants behind the industry. But sadly, Muslims are equally consumers of pornography as non-Muslims.
Is Porn Haram?
The teachings of Allah (ta’ala) Have made it abundantly clear that anything and everything to do with pornography is considered haram for a practising Muslim. Allah The Almighty says (what means), “Say: The things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are, shameful deeds whether open or secret.” (Quran 7:33)
Faahishah is translated to “shameful deeds”, it refers to every bad deed that is noticeably ugly to human beings. In many places in the Quran, it is clearly mentioned that Zina, adultery, and fornication are all considered faahishah.
In Islam, it’s fundamental that promoting sex in the public domain is prohibited. Except when it’s for the good cause, for troubled married couples, or for righteous educational purposes. This is because it instigates those who can’t afford marriage to commit harassment, fornication, and worst still; rape. Thus, Islam commands us to stay clear from anything that could lead us to zinā (fornication/adultery). For that, Allah (ta’ala) says in Sūrah al-Isrā’ (17:32): “Do not even approach fornication for it is an outrageous act and an evil way.”
It’s important you understand that Islam does not prohibit sex. Neither does it discourage it. It rather prohibits unlawful sex, regardless, whether it happens with the agreement of the parties involved or not. Islam discourages acts and sex that promotes evil, immorality, and transgression on earth. Means that influence the decision to fall into pornography include commercial adverts (in the TV, newspapers, magazines, and others), and the free and easy accessibility to the Internet.
Moreover, research shows that watching such porn movies results in numerous diseases of the soul, hardening of the heart, abstaining from what is lawful, i.e. having sexual intercourse with one’s wife, having the audacity to commit immorality and sins, and being rather lax regarding committing such wrongdoings.
What Do The Scholars Have To Say?
Scholars stated that the Muslim man looking lustfully at a non-Mahram woman, especially when there is a probability of his being tempted, is a grave sin.
Imaam Ibn Hajar Al-Haytami said, “The grave sin number 242 is looking lustfully at a non-Mahram woman with the fear of falling into a sinful act.”
In fact, if looking lustfully at a non-Mahram woman with the fear of falling into a sinful act is a grave sin, then watching porn movies, a fortiori, is a grave sin; these obscene movies enable the viewer to see non-Mahram women’s ‘Awrahs that he cannot see anywhere else except with difficultly. Additionally, the viewer sees such obscene scenes over and over again, which has evil repercussions; when one watches such porn movies, it often leads to sexual arousal and this drives the viewer to commit countless sins such as masturbation and fornication.
Imaam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal said, “Pornographic pictures and movies are haram. Muslims should not watch, sell or make such movies. The Prophet, peace, and blessings be upon him, is reported to have said: ‘The eyes commit adultery, the tongue commits adultery, the hands commit adultery, the feet commit adultery and then the private parts confirm it or deny it.”
This means that watching pornographic movies, listening to such songs, or singing them, using one’s hands and feet for this purpose are all sins that are related to Zina, and then the final act of Zina takes place through haram intercourse.
How To Break Free From Porn Addiction as a Muslim
With porn being available on the internet 24/7, it can be extremely hard to not give in to the temptation of clicking on it once or twice. If you’ve developed the habit of watching porn and are now feeling guilty and ashamed, do not be too harsh on yourself. We are all human after all. We are bound to make mistakes. Here is how you can break free from this problem once and for all.
Seek Forgiveness and Repent
“Every son of Adam sins and the best of the sinners are the repentant.” (Jami at-Tirmidhi)
Allah The All-Mighty forgives every sin that is committed by a Muslim if there is true repentance. If you’ve committed a sin, then the first step is to repent and ask for forgiveness in front of Allah. This step is unskippable. You can’t quit porn without first asking for forgiveness from the Almighty. You will not succeed in this journey without him by your side.
Repenting wholeheartedly means you acknowledge your sin and as for forgiveness, hoping to never commit this evil act again. Yo ask Allah for help and show that you’re ready to accept his help. Remember that He has said that He will not change the condition of people except they change what is in them. So, for Him to turn your heart away from porn addiction, you need to sincerely repent and make a promise to walk away from your addiction.
Educate Yourself with Islamic Knowledge
One of the users of our porn blocking app suggested this tip. According to them, the desire to really break free from porn addiction started when they started seeking more Islamic knowledge. They enrolled in a course to learn Arabic and started memorizing the Holy Qur’an. The more you know about your faith, the closer you seek to get to your creator, and the easier it becomes for you to rein in destructive desires.
A person who seeks knowledge for the sake of Allah (ta’ala) finds the knowledge more beneficial for their soul. Try to commit yourself to memorize the Qur’an and revising the chapters that you have memorized so that your time, heart and energy is consumed by the words of Allah (ta’ala) instead of porn.
Do Good Deeds
“Have taqwa (fear) of Allah wherever you may be, and follow up a bad deed with a good deed which will wipe it out”. (Hadith Nawawi)
Following a bad deed with a good deed is a means of purifying ourselves. The good deed wipes out the bad deed as if you never committed it. This helps you feel even better about the past that you are trying to leave behind. Taking up more good deeds as you try to break free of pornography addiction also has another benefit. It turns your heart from that is which unlawful, to that which is lawful and rewarding.
So, a good step towards breaking free of porn is to take up good deeds. Deeds that redirect your love heart towards that which is good for you.
Ensure Porn Doesn’t Enter Your Life
To ensure this you might need some help from modern technology. The easiest way to make this happen is to install a porn blocker on your phone/computer. You can check out this article that will provide you with a step by step guide on how to install a porn blocker. It only takes a few minutes to install and can save you from a lot of trouble in the future.
Also, make an effort to cut off all ties with peers who have been a negative influence on you. Surround yourself with people who have strong rooted faith in Deen. Then your chances of straying away from Deen will be way less.
Ask Allah The Almighty for strength and forgiveness and he will guide you in the right direction. Don’t lose faith in yourself, he hasn’t. Repent wholeheartedly and you’ll come out the other side stronger.
