The Qur’an (6:151) states: “… Do not go near shameful acts, whether they are open or secret;…” Since Allah has urged us to take good care of our families, He has also impressed upon us the need to maintain the family foundation, which is the basis of society. This equates with purity, decency and chastity. Hence, we are forbidden to commit all types of indecency, whether openly or secretly. No family can survive and no community can prosper if they sink into shameful indecency, whether open or secret. Purity, cleanliness and chastity are the basic essentials for the healthy living of both the family and the community. Those who like to see indecency spread throughout the community are the ones who try to weaken the structure of the family and to bring about the collapse of society.
The word al-fawahish is the plural form of fahishah and the words fahsh, fahsha and fahisha are all usually translated into English as immodest, indecent or shameful acts. In the terminology of the Qur’an and Hadith, these words are used to denote every evil act the vicious and disorderly effects of which reach far and wide. This is the meaning given by Imam Raghib al-Isfahani in Mufradat al-Qur’an and Ibn Kathir in An-Nihayah. The prohibition of obscenity, indecency, adultery, fornication, or disgrace or evil of any description appears time and again in the Qur’an, for example, in Surah An-Nahl, it is said: “He forbids you from the indecent and the evil”(16:90) and, in Surah Al-A’raaf, it is said: “My Lord has forbidden indecent deeds”(7:33). Thus, In the Qur’an all extra-marital sexual relationships, sodomy, nudity, false accusations of adultery, and taking of one’s wife as a woman who had been married to one’s father, are specifically reckoned as “shameful acts” (fawahish). In a Hadith, theft, taking intoxicating drinks and begging have been characterized as fawahish, as have many other brazenly indecent acts.
So, in this general sense of the word used by the Qur’an, included are all grave sins, whether related to words or deeds, whether committed openly or secretly, in fact, all actions which are counter to good and right and all acts which are counter to modesty and shame. That is why this word is generally used in the sense of shameful deeds. In this ayah of the Qur’an, it has been stressed that one should not go even near to what are “shameful acts.” If this is taken in a broad and general sense, it will become inclusive of all evil traits and sins, whether of speech, or those of hands and feet and the heart. And if it is taken in the commonly and widely understood sense, that is, in the sense of immodesty, then, it would be referring to shameful acts, their preliminaries and their means and motives.
The term is also frequently used to denote a particular type of indecency, namely adultery and fornication. It is most probably in this sense that the term is used here. The present context is one of itemising certain forbidden beliefs and practices. Adultery is the one particularly meant here. Going by the general meaning of the word, we should remember that, murder and the squandering of an orphan’s property are both indecencies, but associating partners with Allah is the greatest indecency of all. Hence, giving the term ‘indecency’ the narrower sense of adultery in this context is perhaps more fitting. It also explains why the plural form is used here. The crime of adultery is normally preceded by actions and circumstances that are also indecent. Clothing which is too revealing, nasty behaviour, uninhibited flirtation with the opposite sex, shameless behaviour, speech and laughter, deliberate temptation and inviting adornments are all indecencies, leading to the ultimate one of adultery. All these may be brought into the open or kept secret. Some may be entertained within oneself, while others are expressed in words and actions. They all work together to destroy the structure of the family and to weaken the community from within. In addition, they leave their stains on people’s consciences and limit their concerns to what is trivial and dismal.
Because all these indecencies have their own attraction and temptation, the ayah tells us not to go near them. Staying away from them is the best way to avoid the preliminaries and attractions which could weaken one’s resolve. Hence, to cast a second, penetrative look at a woman, after the first casual one, is forbidden, while mixing between men and women is kept within the limits of what is necessary. Wearing too many adornments, even using perfumes when going out are forbidden for women. Tempting movements and loud laughter are also disallowed in a pure Islamic social life. Those who provide all types of temptation and attraction, trying to unleash wild desires, utilising verbal expression, pictures, films, stories, mixed camps as well as other methods of communication have a certain objective in mind. We know the purpose of their schemes, and we know what they would love to do with this religion and what they try to do to the life of the family and the community. Islam does not like people to expose themselves to attraction as it only makes resistance harder. Islam believes in taking protective measures before there is any need to inflict punishments. It protects consciences, feelings and senses. Allah knows His creation best and He helps protect them, for He is compassionate and all-knowing.
In short, this ayah, in terms of the real sense of al-fawahish, encompasses all outward and inward sins – and, in terms of the commonly held view, it is inclusive of all open and secret methods of immodesty, indecency and act of shame. Then, the command given in this matter is that one should not go even near things like that. The insistence on “Do not go near shameful acts” means that one should abstain from even going to a place when there is an apprehension that such a visit would cause the visitor to be smeared with sin, and that one should also abstain from the deeds which lead to ways of sin. In a Hadith, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) has been reported to have said: “It is not unlikely that one who keeps roaming around prohibited place might enter it as well.”
Three offences, associating partners with Allah, adultery and murder are frequently mentioned in the Qur’an in quick succession as things to avoid. This is because they are, in a sense, crimes of murder. The first, associating partners with Allah, murders sound human nature, while the second, adultery, is a murder of the community, and the third is a murder of individuals. The community which allows adultery to spread is a dead community, heading straight for destruction. Narrated Abdullah bin Masud: Allah’s Messenger said, “None has more sense of ghaira than Allah, and for this He has forbidden shameful sins whether committed openly or secretly, and none loves to be praised more than Allah does, and this is why He Praises Himself.” (Sahih Bukhari)