Spiritual Disease and Its Cure by Imam Shams-ud-Deen Muhammad bin Abi Bakr bin Qayyim AlJ awziyyah

Fornication is a great evil which can destroy society . It is contrary to the benefit of the global values of preserving lineage, protecting chastity and the sanctity of individuals. It spreads animosity and enmity among people, as committing adultery affects other people's wives, mothers, sisters and daughters. It causes destruction to human society, and therefore comes after the evil of killing in terms of the grade of its evil. Imam Ahmad said: "I don't know a greater evil after killing (an innocent person) than adultery. Allah ~ affirmed its unlawfulness, saying: ( Those who do not invoke any other god along with Allah, nor kill such person as Allah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse - and whoever does this shall receive the punishment. The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace, except those repent) 7 So Allah ~ has compared adultery with polytheism and killing people (without a just cause), and made the recompense for such evil act an eternal abode and double punishment in Hell , if the person does not give up such behaviour with sincere repentance, having good faith and performing good deeds . Allah ~ has said: (Do not come near adultery, verily it is a great sin and an evil way.) 8 This great sin is abhorred by common sense, and even many animals repel it, as it was reported in Sahib Al- Bukhari, on the authority of Amru bin Maymun Al-Awdy who said: "During the pre-Islamic period of ignorance I saw a she-monkey surrounded by a number of monkeys. They were all stoning it to death along with the monkey who had committed unauthorised sexual intercourse." Allah ~ states that among the ways for a person to succeed in the Hereafter is to preserve his/her chastity: ( Successful indeed are the believers, those who offer their Salat with all solemnity and full submissiveness, and those who turn away from falsehood, and those who pay Zakat, and those who guard their chastity, except from their wives or the slaves which their right hands possess - for then, they are free from blame; but whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the transgressors) 1 As Allah ~ said, Man was created very impatient; he is irritable when evil affects him, and when good affects him, he is niggardly, except those whom Allah ~ has singled out, again , in the following Verse: ( those who guard their chastity (i.e. private parts from illegal sexual acts), except from their wives or (the women slaves) whom their right hands possess - for then they are not blameworthy. But whosoever seeks beyond that, then it is those who are trespassers.)2