Please advise on any practical steps that can be undertaken to stop masturbation.
بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم
Answer
The following are some steps that will assist:
- Constantly remind yourself that a person is obliged to follows the commands of Allah and give account for his actions in the hereafter. Allah is watching at all times. Keep your mind occupied with the constant remembrance of Allah.
- Supplicate to Allah Almighty and ask Him to grant you the tawfīq (ability) to abstain from all sins. Without Allah’s tawfīq and assistance, a person is powerless. Allah Almighty says, “And your Lord says: Call upon Me, I will respond to you” (40:60).
- Turn to Allah and repent sincerely. Repentance (Tawbah) is to have remorse over the sin, abstain from it, and have a firm intention not to commit the sin in the future. Allah Almighty says, “Say: O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful” (39:53).
- Organise a routine and keep yourself occupied at all times in beneficial worldly or religious matters. In your free time, spend time in the Masjid and worship Allah.
- Avoid remaining alone as much as possible. Avoid taking long showers.
- Remain in the company of pious and righteous people as much as possible and stay away from bad friends particularly those who suffer from the same problem. Allah Almighty says, “O those who believe, fear Allah and be with those who are truthful” (9:119).
- Keep your gaze low at all times. Avoid looking at those who are not maḥram and also at unlawful images. Avoid watching TV and unnecessarily browsing the internet. Allah Almighty says, “Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and protect their private parts. That is purer for them. Verily, Allah is all-aware of what they do” (24:30).
- Arrange your marriage to a pious woman as quickly as possible.
- Fast continuously and eat less. The Prophetﷺ said, “O young people, whoever can marry, should marry, because it lowers the gaze and guards the private parts and whoever is not able to (marry), should fast, as it will diminish the desire for him” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 1905).
- Practice on the etiquettes of sleeping; sleep in the state of ablution on your right side and read the supplications until you fall asleep. Organise and fix your sleep times, do not oversleep, strengthen your will power. Avoid touching your private parts except to clean yourself in the toilet.
Allah knows best
Yusuf Shabbir
28 Rabīʿ al-Thānī 1440 / 4 January 2019