The Preservation of Honor, Family and Lineage (1/2)

The family unit is the basis of a healthy society and this can only be maintained by upholding the sanctity of marriage. For the preservation of moral purity among all men, women and children in the society Islam strictly prohibits adultery, fornication and homosexuality. Islam concurs with previous divine religions in this prohibition but goes further by banning many acts that may lead to committing this sin, like immodest dress and free mixing of the sexes in public or private quarters. These manners and precautions cut the avenues towards temptations. Allah the Almighty says in the Glorious Qur'an:

“Nor come near to unlawful sex. Verily it is a great sin, and an evil way.” (Surah Al-Isra’, 17:32)

And He, the Exalted says:

“Say (O Muhammad): "Come, I will recite what  Allah has prohibited you from": join not anything as  equal with  Him;  be  good  to  your  parents;  kill  not   your children because of poverty - We provide sustenance for you and for them - come not near to  shameful deeds, whether open or secret; take not life,  which Allah has made sacred, except by way of justice and law: thus does He command you, that you may learn wisdom.”  (Surah Al-An’am, 6:151)

Abdullah ibn Mas'ood (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that he said: O Messenger of Allah, which sin is gravest to Allah? He said: “That you make others to be equal to Allah even though (He Alone) has created you.” I then asked: And then what? He said: “To kill your child fearing that he will eat along with you.” I then said: And then what? He said: “To fornicate or have adultery with your neighbor’s wife.” Then the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) recited the following verses of the Qur’an (reaffirming what he just said):

“And those who invoke not with Allah any other  god, nor slay such life which Allah has made sacred, except for just cause, nor commit fornication - and  whoever does this shall meet (the due reward of his)  sin.  The torment   will   be   doubled   to   him   on   the   Day   of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace. Unless he repents, believes, and works righteous deeds, for those Allah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allah is Oft-forgiving Most Merciful.” (Surah Al-Furqan, 25:68-70)[1] 

The punishment of flogging is legislated for a previously unwed male or female who commit fornication. Allah, the Exalted, states in the Glorious Qur'an:

“The   woman   and   the   man   guilty   of   adultery   or fornication, flog each of them with a hundred stripes: let not  compassion  move  you  in  their  case,  in  a  matter prescribed by Allah, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day:  and  let  a  party  of  the  Believers  witness  their punishment.” (Surah An-Nur, 24:2)

As for the married male or female who commits adultery while being married or after divorcing one’s spouse, the penalty for such a criminal is like in the Torah scriptures: stoning to death. To apply this punishment, the judge must either have the full confession, or the testimony of four trustworthy eyewitnesses who testify that they clearly saw sexual penetration.

Confession means that the crime is confessed openly by the adulterer/fornicator before the Muslim Judge or ruler. The confession must be repeated four times to remove any doubt. In the  case  of  testimony,  four  trustworthy,  honest  and  sound people must  report to  the Muslim  judge or ruler seeing  the actual sexual penetration of the fornicators or adulterers, a scenario that is very rare under normal circumstances.

The  early  history  of  Islam  recorded  a  few  instances  of confession  of  the  crime  of  adultery wherein  the  individuals openly confessed their crime because their strong faith in Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) propelled them to the desire for sincere repentance  and purification. As the traditions make clear, Allah will not punish someone  twice  for  the  same  crime,  and  they wanted  to  be protected  from  having  the  punishment  in  the  Hereafter.  It should be noted that if sexual penetration and intercourse does not fully take place - if a person, for instance only kisses, hugs or touches – then there is no application of the punishment.

The penalty of false accusation for those who do not produce evidence to support their claims and accusations is eighty lashes, and a further punishment is that their testimony is thereafter rejected. As Allah says in the Glorious Qur'an:

“And those who accuse chaste women, and produce not four witnesses, (to support their allegations), flog them with eighty stripes; and reject their testimony ever after: for such men are disobedient.” (Surah An-Nur, 24:4)

Mockery  and  derogatory  words  and  deeds  that  violate  the honor,  dignity  and  respect  of  others  in  the  community  are strictly prohibited, as Allah says in the Glorious Qur'an:

“O you who believe! Let not some men among you mock others: it may be that the (latter) are better  than the (former): nor let some women mock others:  it may be that the (latter) are better than the (former): nor defame nor be sarcastic to each other, nor call  each other by (offensive) nicknames: ill-seeming is a  name connoting wickedness, (to be used of one) after he has believed: and those who do not desist are (indeed) doing wrong. O you who believe! Avoid suspicion as much (as possible): for suspicion in some cases is a sin:  and spy not on each other, nor speak ill of each other behind their backs. Would  any  of  you  like  to  eat  the  flesh  of  his  dead brother? Nay, you would abhor it. However, fear Allah: for Allah is Oft-Returning, Most-Merciful.” (Surah Al-Hujurat, 49:11-12)

Another verse of the Glorious Qur'an sates:

“But if any one earns a fault or a sin and throws it on to one that is innocent, he carries (on himself) (both) a falsehood and a flagrant sin.” (Surah An-Nisa’, 4:112)

Islam safeguards the sanctity of reproduction for the maintenance of the human race on earth. The human race is entrusted with the guardianship of the entire earth and the representation of divine wisdom to serve as the vicegerent of the Almighty Allah on earth. Destroying the means of reproduction by any means or tampering with it in any way for no legitimate reason is an unlawful practice according to Islam. The Almighty Allah states in the Glorious Qur'an:

“When  he  turns  away  his  aim  is  to  spread  mischief everywhere through  the earth  and  destroy  crops  and cattle. But Allah loves not mischief.” (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:205)

Islam considers deliberate abortion of the fetus after four months a premeditated act of murder tantamount to infanticide that entitles punishment for all who participate. Unintentional abortion may require blood-money substitution for the aborted fetus and fasting for two consecutive months in repentance to Allah, if caused by accident or manslaughter.

Many hadiths recommend a Muslim to get marry and seek offspring. Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) said,

“Marry a woman who is loving and can bear many children, for verily I will display your outnumbering of the other nations on the Day of Requital (due to the large number of my followers).”[2]

(Continued)