Watching Adult Films During Ramadan Fasting, Cancelled or Not?

Kapanlagi.com - Fasting is a human effort to control desires. The wisdom or lesson of fasting should be understood by someone who is fasting, which is la'allakum tattaqun. So, what if someone watches adult videos while fasting?

Someone who is fasting should understand that the worship they are doing is related to their spiritual quality. Watching adult videos while fasting is considered an activity to be avoided because it refers to adultery.

However, further explanation is needed to explain the ruling on watching adult videos while fasting. To find out whether your fasting is invalidated or not, read the information from various sources below.

1. The Relationship Between Watching Adult Films and Adultery

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Everyone is encouraged to avoid watching adult videos during fasting. This is related to controlling one's sexual desires while fasting. Even when discussing the prohibition of kissing between husband and wife, Imam An-Nawawi measures the action based on its effect, which can arouse sexual desires (which nullify the reward of fasting) and lead to ejaculation (which nullifies fasting).

It means, "The consideration is to what extent the action arouses sexual desires and is feared to result in ejaculation and orgasm" (See Imam An-Nawawi, Al-Majmu 'Syarhul Muhadzdzab, [Cairo, Al-Maktabah At-Taufiqiyyah: 2010 AD], vol. VI, page 323).

Watching adult films during fasting falls into the category of an action that one cannot resist looking at. The Hadith of Bukhari and Muslim state that Muslims should avoid the act of adultery at all times, not just during Ramadan. Adultery has many forms, not just watching adult videos during fasting. The Hadith states:

"Indeed, Allah has set boundaries for adultery for the children of Adam. Those boundaries are adultery of the eyes through looking (which is forbidden), adultery of the tongue through speaking (lying), and adultery of desire through imagining (forbidden stimuli of sexual desire). While the genitals allow or deny all of that. "(HR.Bukhari and Muslim).

This hadith explains that watching adult videos while fasting falls under the category of adultery of the eyes. Whether accompanied by lust or not, watching adult videos is still considered adultery, and it is a sin that can ruin fasting practices.

However, once again, the purpose of fasting is to control carnal desires and as much as possible, a person is prohibited from violating that. Whether fasting is accepted or not is Allah's affair.

2. Fasting as an Effort to Control Desire

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Those who fast are strongly encouraged to control their desires for various types of lust. Avoiding the activity of watching adult videos while fasting is an effort to control or resist the lustful desires that dominate oneself. Self-control from lust is the secret and ultimate goal of fasting as prescribed by Allah.

"He (the one who fasts) restrains himself from desires." Self-control is the secret and greatest goal of fasting," (See Imam An-Nawawi, 2005 M/1425-1426 H: II/253).

For scholars, the law of fasting and the wisdom behind it should not be separated so that the fasting practices of society do not become dry and far from the spirit or wisdom of fasting, as explained by Imam An-Nawawi:

"Self-control from lust during the month of Ramadan is highly recommended. This is the secret and greatest goal of fasting. It has been explained that a person who fasts distances themselves from backbiting, bad speech, cursing each other, insulting each other, and other words that do not contain goodness," (See Imam An-Nawawi, 2010 M: VI/345).

Imam Taqiyuddin Al-Hishni in the book Kifayatul Akhyar asserts that self-control from eating, drinking, and sexual relations is the minimum limit that cannot be compromised and must be fulfilled by those who fast. However, fasting practices are not enough with just the fulfillment of these minimum limits to pursue rewards and wisdom of fasting.

"Know that those who fast are strongly advised to guard their mouths from lying, backbiting, and other prohibited things as stated in the hadith in Bukhari, 'Whoever does not leave lying speech and practices deceit, then Allah has no need for his fasting in which he refrains from food and drink,'" (See Imam Taqiyuddin Al-Hishni, Kifayatul Akhyar, [Darul Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, 2001 M/1422 H], page 290).

3. Explanation of the Law of Watching Adult Films During Fasting

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From the explanation regarding the relationship between watching adult videos during fasting and adultery, as well as its connection to the wisdom of fasting as a control of desire, surely you have understood that watching adult videos during fasting should be avoided.

Another emphasis regarding self-control from desires comes from Imam Qaliyubi in his book hasyiyah. Fulfilling desires (which fall under the category of not invalidating fasting) mostly does not ruin the act of fasting. However, fulfilling those desires distances a person from the wisdom of fasting that is intended by the fasting itself.

"In essence, self-control from desires refers to actions that do not invalidate fasting, such as smelling pleasant plants, looking at them, and touching them because they are part of pleasures that are not relevant to the wisdom of fasting." (Hasyiyah Qaliyubi wa Umairah).

From various explanations, we can conclude that the study of fasting is not only about discussing things that invalidate fasting such as eating, drinking, and sexual intercourse, but also about discussing other important points related to things that invalidate the reward and diminish the quality of someone's reward, such as looking with desire and having reprehensible behavior. Thus, the issue of fasting is not only about whether fasting is valid or not (minimal requirement).

Instead, the issue of fasting also concerns the extent of a person's effort in pursuing the wisdom of fasting, which is to control oneself from sights with desire such as watching adult videos; and from reprehensible behavior such as using vulgar and obscene language, which ruins the reward and quality of the respective fasting. Wallahu a'lam.

That is the explanation regarding the ruling of watching adult videos during fasting and its connection to adultery and the wisdom of fasting itself.

(kpl/ans)