From Abu Hurairah Radiyallahu’anhu. *Rasulullah (ﷺ) said, “ The amount of fornication that is destined for the progenies of Adam, they will commit it.*
The fornication of eyes is to look passionately;
The fornication of ears is to hear lusty things;
The fornication of tongue is to talk about lusty things;
The fornication of hands is to hold lustily;
The fornication of legs is to walk for it;
The fornication of heart is to desire for it; The private parts will either complete it or restrain from it.
*[Al-Targheeb wa Al-Tarheeb: Muslim, Bukhari, Abu Dawood and Nis’ai]*
In another tradition quoted by Abu Dawood and Muslim, “ Hands commit fornication by holding, legs commit fornication by walking towards it and kissing is the fornication of mouth”.
*Explanatory Note:* This Hadith is of great significance. It deals with the following three aspects of the issue.
*1. The bottom line is this that man should not allow to nurture lusty thoughts in the heart. If he sustains it, nothing can stop him from committing the sin. If the heart is the breeding ground of ill feelings, the rest parts of the body will strive to attain it. Therefore, the first and the foremost thing is to keep the heart clean.*
*2. This Hadith does not mean that the man is destined to commit fornication. But it tells that if the Iman is not properly cemented and polished, man cannot protect himself from committing fornication and other sins.*
*3. The forehand steps of fornication [as mentioned in this Hadith] also fall in the same category. Rasulullah (ﷺ) has prohibited to talk, to look and to hear lustily with women. If man can protect himself from lusty behavior, he can protect himself from committing fornication. It must be crystal clear that accountability lies also in nurturing ill feelings.*
