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fa-mani btaghā warāʾa dhālika fa-ʾulāʾika humu l-ʿādūna
but whoever seeks [anything] beyond that—it is they who are transgressors),
— Ali Quli Qarai
23Al-Mu’minūnالمؤمنونVerse 7 of 118
The Believers23. Al-Mu’minūnالمؤمنون
Al Mu’minūn
The Believers
MeccanVerse 7 of 118
Surah al-Mu’minun - Verses 5-7
5. “And those who guard their private parts, ”
6. “Save from their wives or the (slaves) that their right hands possess, for then verily they are not blameworthy, ”
7. “But whoso craves beyond that, such are transgressors, ”
Since the sexual instinct can be the one most likely to be misused, self-preservation against this needs piety, austerity and strong faith. In this verse emphasis is put on this subject. The verse says:
“And those who guard their private parts, ”
The verse implies that the fourth attribute of the believers is chastity, which is self-control and abstinence from every kind of sexual impropriety. It means that they guard themselves from lewdness and only have intercourse with their wives and slave women, in which there is no blame. It says:
“Save from their wives of the (slaves) that their right hands possess, for then verily they are not blameworthy, ”
In the seventh verse The Holy Qur’an continues saying:
“But whoso craves beyond that, such are transgressors.”
Using the phrase, ‘guarding private parts’ in this verse refers to the fact that if there is no constant and unflinching control over the tendencies towards sexual misconduct, there will be the danger that its deviations and excesses can overwhelm the individual and even the society. The word ‘wives’ in the verse includes both permanent and temporary wives, although some Sunni interpreters have made a mistake here, while the concerning jurisprudents and the interpreters of the Qur’an have identified this mistake in their books of commentary and in the book on the legal issues of An-Nikah.
Using the Qur’anic phrase /qayra malumin/ (they are not blameworthy), most likely, refers to the wrong idea among the deviated Christians that consider every kind of sexual intercourse against human dignity and that its absolute abundance is a virtue. They see any form of marriage to be inimical to reaching full spiritual realization to the extent that Catholic priests, monks and nuns remain celibate all their lives. They think marriage is something against this spiritual rank. (Though it is mostly in apparent and secret a group of them behave differently.)
At any rate, it is impossible to accept that Allah would create such a powerful instinct in man as part of the wisdom of creation and men prohibit it totally or count it as against the dignity of man. Indeed, the unnaturalness of this attitude has resulted in many members of these very Christian orders resorting to multifarious surreptitious ways to satisfy their sexual instincts.53 One does not need to be reminded that the legality of having sexual relations with a wife is circumscribed under some certain conditions such as menstruation and the like.
Furthermore, the legality of such relationships with slave-girls has numerous conditions that are mentioned in the books of jurisprudence. It is not the case that every slave-girl is lawful for her owner and the same conditions that apply to wives can also apply to them in some cases. Finally, we would like to draw your attention to some narrations regarding this issue:
1) Abdullah Sinan has narrated that Imam Sadiq (as) said:
“Indeed woman is a collar you put around your neck and bind yourself by it. Thus, you should look at her closely and think carefully about who is going to take control of you and finally where she is going to lead you. Be aware that a bad woman cannot be compared with a good one for a good woman is more priceless than gold, silver or any precious gem, and a bad woman has no value at all, she is not even equal to the soil, for the soil is indeed better than her.” 54
2) Ibrahim Karkhy said,
“I told Imam Sadiq (as) that my wife, who was in agreement with me about the affairs of life, had died and that now I want to marry another woman. The Imam told me: ‘Think well and see where you put your heart and soul and who will be your partner in your possessions and will be aware of your beliefs and secrets. If you intend to get married, select a maiden who is characterized by honour and good morals and who is from a family that you know is good, chaste, and honest.”
3) Ali-ibn-Salim narrated that Imam Sadiq (as) said:
“Certainly one whose punishment on the Day of Resurrection is more severe than others is a man who puts his seed in the womb of a woman who is unlawful for him.” 55
4) Zurarah has narrated that Imam Baqir (as) said:
“Allah is not worshipped by any prayer higher than protecting the stomach and private parts from what is unlawful.” 56
5) The Prophet (S) said:
“The cause that would send my people to Hell is mostly the two hollow limbs, one of which is the stomach and the other is the pudendum (meaning fornication and the lack of chastity).” 57
Footnotes