“And do not approach fornication, verily it is an indecency and an evil way.

“And do not approach fornication, verily it is an indecency and an evil way.” Illegitimate sexual relationship (fornication) paves the way for numerous individual, social, and familial corruptions which follow the act and, therefore, it is forbidden in Islam, and in the Qur’an it has been mentioned alongside such capital sins as paganism, murder, and theft.

It is for this very reason that this noble verse refers to fornication as an indecent behaviour and recommends not to approach the act of fornication which is a heinous act and an evil way.” It does not state: “Do not fornicate” but it says: “Do not approach fornication.” Here is a delicate allusion made to the fact that involvement in the heinous act of fornication usually requires certain pre-requisites which predispose one for the act in a gradual manner.

The verse says: “And do not approach fornication, verily it is an indecency and an evil way.” The act of ‘voyeurism’ is one of such pre-requisites. ‘Nudity’ and ‘unveiling’ of oneself are other steps preceding the act. The prevalence of counter-didactic books, misleading films, corruption-inciting publications and also centers for corruption, are all serving as the preliminary steps for such an act.

Moreover, associating of men and women in private, that is, of those who are not bound to be together by lawful marriage is another factor leading to the act of fornication. And finally, distancing of the young from marriage as well as imposing of severe unreasonable demands by the two sides in connection with marriage both provide the grounds for ‘approximation to fornication’, which has been dissuaded in a concise sentence in the above verse.

In Islamic quotations, each also has separately been dissuaded. In the meantime, other issues which are at stake in fornication consist of absence of commitment and duty with regard to the survival of generations, lack of education for the children, and absence of fatherly love and motherly affection for the child, which totally disappear. Fornication also wipes out and disrupts the foundations of the laws of inheritance, the consequences of which make it impossible to locate the true inheritors.