"[Ey Muhammad], mo'minlarga ayting: nigohlarini past tutsinlar va iffatlarini saqlasinlar. Bu ular uchun pokroqdir. Albatta, Alloh ular qilayotgan ishlardan xabardordir. Mo'minalarga ham ayting: nigohlarini past tutsinlar va iffatlarini saqlasinlar…208"

Tell [O Muhammad] the believing men to lower their gaze and guard their chastity. That is purer for them. Certainly, Allah is fully aware of whatever they do. And also tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their chastity…208

Bu surada, ya'ni "an-Nur" (Nur) surasida, iffatga da'vat zino va fohishalikni taqiqlabgina qolmay, ularga olib boradigan yo'lni oldindan to'sadigan xulq-atvor qoidalarini ham belgilaydi. Bunday qoidalarni hurmat qilmaydigan tsivilizatsiyalar ko'pincha qaytarib bo'lmas darajadagi tanazzulga yuz tutadi. Ularning buzuqligi his-tuyg'ularini yo'q qiladi va ular tez orada fohishalikning faqat yomon oqibatga emas, balki oldini olish kerak bo'lgan yomon yo'lning o'zi ekanligini anglab yetadilar.

The call to chastity in this Qur’anic chapter entitled al-Nūr (the Light) not only prohibited fornication and adultery but outlined a code of conduct to preempt the slippery slope leading to them. Civilizations that do not respect such codes often spiral downward to points of no return. Their licentiousness destroys their sensibilities, and they soon discover that fornication is an evil path—not just an evil end—that needs to be preempted.

Allohu taolo aytdi: "Zino qilishga yaqinlashmanglar."

As Allah said, “And do not approach unlawful sexual intercourse.

Albatta, bu fahshdir va yo'l sifatida ham yomondir.209

Indeed, it is ever an immorality and is evil as a way.”209

Bu boshlanishi zinodan boshlanishi mumkin, so‘ng jinsiy yo‘nalishni o‘z shaxsiyatining markaziy qismiga aylantirish, keyin esa barcha jinsiy ifoda shakllarini, hatto pedofiliya, hayvonlar bilan jinsiy aloqa va murdalar bilan jinsiy aloqani qabul qilish bilan davom etishi mumkin. Shu nuqtai nazardan qaraganda, bu oyat qanday boshlanishiga yangicha qadrlash paydo bo‘ladi: “Zinoga yaqinlashmang”, go‘yo u unga hatto yaqinlashganlarni ham yutib yuboradigan yovvoyi olov kabi. Jinsiy erkinliklar qanchalik keng tarqalmasin, mafkuraviy qarashlaridan qat’i nazar, turli sohalardagi mutaxassislar jinsiy yo‘l bilan yuqadigan kasalliklarning oldini olishda tiyilish va nikoh sadoqatining rolini tan olishadi.

It may begin with extramarital relations, then making sexual orientation the central part of one’s identity, followed by the acceptance of all forms of sexual expression, even pedophilia, bestiality, and necrophilia. From that vantage point, a newfound appreciation surfaces for how this verse begins: “Do not approach fornication,” as if it were a wild blaze that will engulf those who even come close to it. Despite how common sexual freedoms have become, you will still find experts from across the ideological spectrum acknowledging the roles of abstinence and marital fidelity in preventing sexually transmitted diseases.

Islam mitigates this threat in another way as well: by emphasizing the family system. Fornication is not merely an invitation to bodily disease; it reflects a selfish mentality that has no concern for the families it destroys, the children who are born deprived of love and care, the millions of late-term abortions, the prison systems that we pay for collectively, and the like.210 Islam establishes safeguards against all of this, chastity and social responsibility among them. Fornication even affects the elderly, who die alone and dejected, for those whose parents are not married or whose father is unknown will naturally be further severed from their grandparents. As a result, the elderly find themselves abandoned in their vulnerable old age, a time that usually requires the presence of the extended family to shoulder the load together. The Prophet ﷺ highlighted these dangers on many occasions; for example, when he told the young man who struggled with lust, "Would you accept fornication for your mother, your sister, your daughter…?"211

Another way Islam mitigates this threat is by emphasizing the family system. Fornication is not just an invitation to bodily disease but represents a selfish mentality that has no care for the families it destroys, the children that are born deprived of love and care, the millions of late-term abortions, the prison systems that we pay for collectively, and the like.210 Islam installs safeguards against all this, chastity and social responsibility among them. Fornication even affects the elderly who die alone and dejected, for those whose parents are not married or unknown to the child will naturally be further severed from their grandparents. As a result, the elderly find themselves abandoned in their vulnerable old age—a time that usually requires the presence of the extended family to shoulder the load together. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم highlighted these dangers on many occasions; for example, telling the young man who struggled with lust, “Would you accept fornication for your mother, your sister, your daughter…?”211