Fahasha (Lewdness and Obscenity)

The Arabic term ‘Fahasha’ is the plural of the word ‘Fuhsh’. Generally it is used to mean obscenity, lewdness, nakedness and prostitution but in the Quran and in the Ahadith of Muhammad, be Allah’s blessings and peace upon him, the term interprets many other far-reaching aspects of a depraved character. Indulgence in ‘fahasha’ spoils a person to such an extent that it rapidly breeds of a lot dire evils in his nature. Adultry, shameful acts of the people of the Prophet Lut (AS), nudeness, false calumny, marrying the woman who has been in the matrimony of one’s father, miserliness, theft, drinking wine and begging are some of the many disgraceful forms of the ‘fuhsh’ personality. (Tafheem-ul-Quran by Sayyed Abu Al-A’la Maududi) All are contemptible, but sSatan always exerts to involve in all types of ‘Fuhasha’. While pondering over the teachings of the Quran we find that the sexual intercourse of a man with a woman beyond the merital and legal relation is the ugliest kind of ‘fuhsh’.

The existence of the sexual desire is a part of human nature. The motive for its satisfaction, too, is not against the law of nature. Allah has created all His creatures in pairs for the same purpose. He Says:
“And of everything We have created pairs (sexes) that you remember.” (Adh-Dharyat 49) The couples are not of the same but of the opposite sex. The Quran makes this fact clear and says: “And that He creates couples, male and female.” (An-Najm: 45, Al-Qiamah: 39)

Hunger, sleep and sex are the most powerful instinctive forces which overcome both man and animals. Nature guides the animals to protect them-selves from being submerged in the marsh of temptations. There is a particular and limited time for the animal when sexual demands occur and they have recourse to their opposite sex for sexual fulfilling. When it is done, they forget to return to their females for sex. But man’s sexual desire is not confined to a specific weather, time and place. Allure of the opposite sex is his permanent problem.

The aim of man’s coming into existence is so exalted and important that he could not be left to indulge in temptations and keep serving his base desires. So a natural and wise way was indispensible to be found. Allah, the Creator, made two arrangements for the purpose. Man, by virtuous nature, has been made content and comfortable to have his legal wife and live a happy life with her. This partnership is not only for getting sexual satisfaction but for having a sincere, sympathizing and encouraging companion of life to stand by one’s side in pains and pleasures. It is, no doubt, a miraculous arrangement. Allah has mentioned it as one of His Signs (miracles). The Quran says:
“And among His Signs is this that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find repose in them, and He has put between you affection and mercy. Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people who reflect.” (Ar-Rum: 21)

Allah has not left the matter to depend on just a strong sense of belonging with the spouse in the nature of men and women. He made it compulsory to make the strong bond of companionship by law of marriage as a distinctive Sunnah of all the Prophets. Matrimonial rites have been made a part of religion. The Islamic law requires marriage to be held publically and not secretly. All the arrangements aim to save the earth from becoming a dirty pond of sexism. Satan had, from the very beginning, since Adam (AS) was ordered to leave Paradise and live on the face of the earth, undertaken the mission to corrupt man’s nature and push him away from the straight path. Sex has been always the biggest weapon of Satan to defeat and destroy man. ‘Fahsha’ and ‘Munkar’ are the major points of his perilous agenda of filling this earth with ‘Fasad’ (corruption). Most of the civilizations, which appeared on the earth with great splendor, met their horrible end only when Satan was successful in making them sink into sexism and hedonism.

Western civilization does have the power of scientific and technological knowledge at its back. Of course it has, with all its material wealth, bewitched the world. Yet, its moral depravity remains a fact. Materialism and sexism are the two pillars supporting this civilization. It holds the banner of rebellion against the Will of Allah, the Creator of the universe. It has risen high and touched the peaks of worldly progress with its material resources but the level of humanity has badly declined in its shadows. Man is no more the holder of the high status of the son of Adam, who was created of the best stature, was given the highest status of the one, before him prostrated the angels and who was sent on the earth as vicegerent of Allah. He is really reduced to the lowest of the lowest as told in the verse 5 of Surah At-Tin.

Woman is the easiest prey in the sex-hungry claws of protagonists of the culture developed there. She has been beguiled by the slogans of freedom from and equality with man. The toy of the freedom and equality paid the price of her chastity. She agreed to be a toy in the hands of the film makers and fashion designers. All that is ‘Fuhsh’, in the Law given by Allah, is their favorite. The western world has crossed all the limits of ‘Fuhsh' in hunger for sex, which has no end there. Every inch of the secret parts of woman has been revealed and exhibited by the print and electronic media. Every hedonistic method to play with the nude body of woman has been tried. Sex thirst not only unquenched but grows day bay day.

Here are only some points of what the last and final Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings upon him, had warned long ago of the signs of the Day of Judgment saying that The Time will approach when shameful acts of immodesty would be committed. Man would prefer to bring up pups instead of his own children. The number of the children born out of wedlock would grow. Adultery would be in such excess that man would lie with (an unmarried) woman in a shameful condition in the streets. (Tabrani)

And all that is happening in the shadow of the western culture. The matter has reached the same stage where once in the human history the people of the Prophet Lut (AS) were standing when they were struck with the destructive whip of the torment and were erased from the face of the earth. The Quran tells us about the result of their obstinate behavior.
“And (remember) Lut (Lot), when he said to his people: “Do you commit the worst sin such has none preceding you have committed in the ‘aalamin’ (the world of the mankind and jinn)? Verily you practice your lusts on men instead of women. Nay, but you are a people transgressing beyond bounds (by committing great sins)” (Al-A’raf: 80, 81)

When the group of people whom Lut (AS) repeatedly called to mend their ways and save their nature from going worst, rejected his sincere advice Allah’s Decision of destruction them came about. The Quran tells us about the result of their obstinate behavior:
"So when Our Commandment came, we turned (the town of Sodom whose ruins are probably sunk in the Dead Sea) upside down, and rained on them stones of baked clay, in well-arranged manner one after another, marked from your Lord; and they are not ever far from the Zalimin (transgressors, evildoers)” (Hud: 82, 83)

The incidents of history are being repeated. Different nations and groups of people in different parts, particularly at the north west of the globe, have taken turn to build their culture on the basis on which Aa’d, Thamud and the people of Lut had raised their culture. They brazenly stand as rebels against the Will and Guidance of Allah. Fahasha (shameful and immodest deeds) have become preference of their sinful natures. Man has failed to learn the lesson from the chapters of history serving as an admonition for the entire mankind. Do they think Allah will spare them from the calamity and disaster of the people of Lut?

Music and singing, claimed to be the soul’s nourishment, have become tools to promote sexism. The wordings of the songs, the tunes of the musical instruments and the dress and body language of male and female singers on the stage flare up the flames of sexual desires. We can easily observe how fans of the singers go out of their senses when they are in any musical show. Music and songs seem to intoxicate them more than drugs. In another Hadith the Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings upon him, recounted sixteen signs of the Day of Resurrection and two of them are that musical instruments and the demonstrations of singing by lady singers will be a phenomenon of the time. (Ahmed & Tirmidhi)

In the west ‘same sex marriages’ are being legal and constitutional validity. Parliaments are making laws to provide facilities to girls who want to become homogenous couples and guys who wish to hold ‘marriages’ with each other.

Fahasha has no limit in the west. Education, media and industrial giants in the world fully support and boost such ugly features of western culture. The governments, everywhere in the east and west, work as tools for promotion of the prevailing culture which has all ingredients of immodesty and immorality. In the Muslim world the patronage has been guaranteed to western culture by the ruling elites, in the name of enlightenment, liberalism and progressivism. The frenzied lovers of western culture in the Muslim countries are mostly from the privileged classes of the society. They are growing and in fact they are not small in number now in the Muslim world. Satan is jubilant to see advancements his parties are making.

All the Prophets had tried their best to make their people aware of Satan’s dirty and defiled agenda. In the Quran the believers have been especially advised again and again not to follow it. Allah says:
“O you who believe! Follow not the footsteps of Satan. And whosoever follows the steps of Satan, then verily, he commands Al-Fahasha (to commit indecency by illegal sexual intercourse), and Al-Munkar (all kinds of disbelief, evil and wicked deeds, idle talk and obscene pictures) and had it not been for the Grace of Allah and His Mercy on you, not one of you would ever have been pure from sins. But Allah purifies whom He wills, and Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower.” (An-Nur: 21)

It is Allah’s decision that all kinds of Fahasha or Fawahish are forbidden for ever. The Quran makes it clear:
“Say (O Muhammad) the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are Al-Fawahish, whether committed openly or secretly, sins, unrighteous oppression, joining partners with Allah for which He has given no authority, and saying things about Allah of which you have no knowledge.” (Al-A’raf: 33)

Modesty is in the nature of man. It defends him from being tainted with sins as long as he saves his nature moral corruption. One of the Ahadith (traditions) of the Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings upon him, tells us that ‘Modesty is whole goodness’ (Muslim) When virtue of modesty obliterated there remains nothing to restrain man from crossing the limits of Haraam (unlawful acts). It is wisely stated in a Hadith of the Holy Prophet (SAW): ‘When you have lost the virtue of modesty (Haya) then do whatever you want to do.” (Bukhari)

Allah wants the believers to preserve the virtue of modesty to be able to protect themselves from the Satanic storm of spurious ideologies, false beliefs, indecent tendencies and uncivilized behaviors which lead to Fawahish. They have been advised to keep away from Fawahish:
“Come not near to Al-Fawahish, whether committed openly or secretly…” (Al-An’am: 151)

Among the characteristics of an ideal personality mentioned in the Quran:
“(The people of Faith are) those who avoid the greatest sins and Al-Fawahish (illegal sexual intercourse) and when they are angry, they forgive.” (Ash-Shura: 37)

One of the traits of successful believers given in verses5, 6 of Surah Al-Muminun is about their sensitivity to the virtue of chastity:
“(Successful believers are those) who guard their chastity, except from their wives or (the lady) slaves that their right hand possess on, for then, they are free from blame. But whoever seeks beyond that, then those are transgressors.”

The Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings of Allah upon him, once explained the acts of nobility which will have great weight in the Scale on the Day of Judgment and said: “On the Day of Judgment nothing will be heavier in the Balance Scale than good moral character and Allah dislikes those who are shameless and are in the habit of lewd talk.” (Tirmidhi)

In another Hadith the Holy Prophet (SAW) was asked about the sound grounds for the entry of most of the people in Paradise. He replied: “Piety and high moral conduct.” Then replying to the question about the most of those who will be thrown in the Hellfire, he said: “(Safeguarding) the mouth and the private parts of the body (careless use of the tongue and indulging in foul talk and using unlawful means to get sexual satisfaction).” (Tirmidhi)

All the acts of Ibadah (adoration) [five times prayer, Zakat (paying alms at the prescribed rate), fasting in the month of Ramadhan and Hajj (making pilgrimage to Makkah on fixed dates with the fixed rituals], have the vital and multi-dimensional role in the life of a devoted Muslim. All of the Ibadat prove to be the shields, protecting the believers from the attacks of Satan. Salat (five times regular prayer) is the biggest means to keep the believers far from Fahasha. It is the best cure for moral diseases. Its significant remedial role to treat the sickness of human soul has been mentioned in the Quran as follows:
“Recite (O Mohammad!) what has been revealed to you of the Book (the Quran), and perform As-Salat (establishing five times regular prayers). Verily, As-Salat prevents from Al-Fahasha and Al-Munkar (all types of evils)…” (Al-Ankbut: 45)

One very alarming thing to be noticed is that many of the people, who pray regularly, are found involved in one or the other type of Fahasha. The question arises why do the prayers not prevent them from shameful deeds defined to be Fahash? And why do their prayers fail to save them from being trapped by Satan? Actually the fault does not lie with the prayers but with the people themselves. It is not only useless but ridiculous to keep just uttering the words without feeling of obedience and loyalty to Allah, the Most Exalted. Such prayers which do not create in believer the sense of servitude of Allah, are of no use. In some of the Ahadith the Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings upon him, with similar texts, such prayers have been disapproved.
“One whose prayer does not prevent him from being tainted with Al-Fahash and Al-Munkar, there is no prayer for him (no prayer is counted on his part as the act of Ibadah).” (Ibn Kathir and Shaukani in their Tafaseer (commentaries of the Quran)

The culture which Islam promoted under the guidance of Muhammad, be peace and blessings of Allah upon him, and during the caliphate of the four guided caliphs, has the perpetual and long lasting plan to establish whenever and wherever the opportunity presents itself, a society with the best of the moral values having modesty (Hayaa) in its roots. Its foundations are totally different from those of the existing western secular and spiritless culture. High morality, decency, purity and spirituality are the foundation stones of Islamic society and culture. The building of civilization raised on these foundations has the guarantee to live long and provide surety to humanity of a safe voyage on the track of history.