Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
I married through arranged marriage. But my spouse turned out to be an ugly man. I am not physically attracted to him. Can I think of someone else in bed?
In the Name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
The fuqaha dealt with this issue. In short, it is not allowed and would be sinful.
Ibn Abidin said in his Radd al-Muhtar (“al-Hashiya”):
“If one has intercourse with one’s wife, while thinking about a strange woman… Ibn al-Hajj al-Maliki said, [in his al-Madkhal], “It is unlawful, because it is a form of zina. Our scholars [=the Malikis] said that the one who takes a glass of water to drink from, and then brings to mind that it is wine, then it is unlawful for him to drink it.”
The principles of our school [=the Hanafi school] would indicate its impermissibility too, because thinking about that strange woman during intercourse is to actively think about sinning… and the author of Tabyin al-Maharim [a reliable Hanafi text about the lawful and prohibited] quoted Ibn al-Hajj al-Maliki and agreed with him.” [Radd al-Muhtar: 5: 372, summarized]
Alone gives success.
Walaikum assalam,
Faraz Rabbani.