Assalaamu Alaikum, my dear brother in Islam. I need your help. I have a problem, a problem that I cannot control and I don’t know what to do. The problem I have is watching porn and masturbation. I know this act is a shameful act, but i do not know what to do.I have tried waking the entire night,praying the night Salah, and making dua to Allah to help me. I cannot control this habit, and I feel as though it has become an addiction to me, and is causing my heart to lose its Iman. Please help me brother, give me a zikr to do, anything that can help me overcome this problem. I stayed away from watching these Haraam stuff during Ramadan, but as soon as Ramadan was over, I continued, please help me and tell me what can I do to stop this problem, to help me stop watching porn and masturbating. Please tell me what can I do. Jazaakallah.
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Alhamdulillah, we commend you on your sincerity and good intentions to give up the filthy and heinous sins of watching pornography and masturbation.
Kindly refer to the following article on pornography addiction:
Pornography is a technological form of adultery and fornication and a major sin.
It is even worse than fornicating with an animal or even worse than fornicating with a corpse.
An animal is a living creation; a corpse is also a creation, albeit dead.
Pornography exhibits pictures. There is no life at all in them.
Imagine a lifeless object playing havoc in one’s heart, mind and soul. The eyes are polluted with the evil that’s on the screen. The mind and soul reacts to those lifeless pictures.
If one engages in an illicit relationship with a corpse, what’s the difference between that and lifeless pictures?
How low can we stoop to allow lifeless pictures to control and fulfill our passions?
Furthermore, pornography addiction could be worse than drug addiction. A drug addict could be rehabilitated and detoxified.
Over time, the effects of drugs come out of his system.
In the case of a porn addict, the sight of porn pictures may remain in his heart and mind for a long time. At times, the sight remains whilst in Salaah or in other forms of Ibadat.
In the case of a married person, while being physical with the spouse, the mental state is being controlled by the pornographic sights.
The negative consequences of pornography are too many to mention.
In brief, it robs one of true human values and spirituality.
The real life and essence of Eemaan is lost. If a person is sincere in making Tawba from this evil act, he can be rehabilitated according to his level of sincerity.
One should not be despondent and never despair.
People who fornicated at night clubs and casinos made Tawba and became the Walis of Allah. Why can’t you?
The biggest question to ask yourself is what if the angel of death comes while seeing this….
We advise you to immediately undertake the following remedial measures to solve your addiction:
1. Restrict your internet usage to the bare minimum and only out of need and necessity.
2. Use the computer in a common place when people are around you.
3. Request some elderly person who you respect, your parents, your wife or any other person to invigilate you when you are using the internet.
4. Imagine the disgrace and shame that will overcome you if your wife, parents or teacher comes to know of the filthy act that you have done. Where would you hide your face if the entire public comes to know of the sin that you are involved in?
5. Before you sleep every night, think about death and how you will be buried in the grave with no-one to assist you and help you. Imagine Ghusl (pre-burial bathing)being done to you, you will then be enshrouded with the Kafn, people will be crying, the Janaza Salaah will be performed and then your body will be carried to the graveyard and then you will be buried in the depths of the ground. Who will be there to assist you on that day? Every day, take out some time before you go to sleep and think about death. Insha’Allah, this will remove the ghaflat (heedlessness) from your Nafs.
6. Keep yourself occupied at all times. Keep a Tasbeeh(rosary) in your pocket and whenever you have time and you are not really doing anything, take out your Tasbeeh (rosary) and make Dhikr. Remember that “An idle mind is a devils workshop”.
Remain firm and resolute in your quest. Never give up hope. Always, keep trying. Never give way to the subtle whisperings of Shaytaan. At first, refraining from sins might be extremely difficult, but after constant struggle and punishing of the Nafs, the Nafs will finally become tamed and then you will feel pleasure in refraining from sins. Insha’Allah, one day Allah (Ta’ala) will open up his treasures of Ma’rifat and Mahabbah to you. Aameen.
Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) says:
و الذين جاهدوا فينا لنهدينهم سبلنا
“And those who strive to attain our pleasure; we shall definitely guide them to our paths” (Al- Qur’an, 29: 69)
In the above verse, Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) promises those who make an effort to gain the love of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala). The promise of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) will definitely come to pass, there can be no doubt about that. All that is required is that we continue striving in this path and we will surely attain the Ma’rifat of Allah (Ta’ala).
Kindly refer to the following link for details on curing masturbation:
http://www.askimam.org/public/question_detail/19499
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Ismail Desai,
Student Darul Iftaa
Durban, South Africa
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.