Abdul Muqit Chowdhury :
Islam, proclaimed as ‘Deen’, is the complete of life. It includes all human instincts. Thus carnal desires are also within its injunctions. It has been legal through marriage only.
We should have a clear conception of the
prohibited activities during the fasting hours. We know about conjugal (sexual) life from the Holy Quran. The related verse prohibits eating, drinking and gratifying sexual appetite during fasting time, while these are allowed after breaking the fast till having meal of Sahri for the next day’s fasting :
“Permitted to you on the night of the fasts is the approach to your wives. They are your garments and ye are their garments. God knoweth what ye used to do secretly among yourselves : but He turned to you and forgave you; so now associate with them, and seek what God hath ordained for you and eat and drink until the white thread of dawn appear to you distinct from its black thread …..” (Sura Baqara 2:187, The Holy Quran : Translation and Commentary by Allama Yusuf Ali)
Allama Yusuf Ali comments in this conext : “The question of sex is always delicate to handle, here we are told that even in such matters, a clear, open and honest course is better than fraud or self-deception.
The sex instinct is classed with eating and drinking, an animality to be restrained, but not to be ashamed of. The three things are prohibited during the fast by day, but permitted after the fast is broken at night till the next fast commences.”
That is “until the white thread” as mentioned in the Holy Quran.
He comments on “so now associate with them, and seek what God hath ordained for you” with the following explanation : “There is difference of opinion as to the exact meaning of this. I would connect this as a parallel clause with the clause “eat and drink”, which follows, all three being governed by “until the white thread” etc. That is, all three things must stop when the fast begins again in the early morning. Or it may mean : What is permitted is well enough, but seek the higher things ordained for you.”
Islam, proclaimed as ‘Deen’, is the complete of life. It includes all human instincts. Thus carnal desires are also within its injunctions. It has been legal through marriage only.
We should have a clear conception of the
prohibited activities during the fasting hours. We know about conjugal (sexual) life from the Holy Quran. The related verse prohibits eating, drinking and gratifying sexual appetite during fasting time, while these are allowed after breaking the fast till having meal of Sahri for the next day’s fasting :
“Permitted to you on the night of the fasts is the approach to your wives. They are your garments and ye are their garments. God knoweth what ye used to do secretly among yourselves : but He turned to you and forgave you; so now associate with them, and seek what God hath ordained for you and eat and drink until the white thread of dawn appear to you distinct from its black thread …..” (Sura Baqara 2:187, The Holy Quran : Translation and Commentary by Allama Yusuf Ali)
Allama Yusuf Ali comments in this conext : “The question of sex is always delicate to handle, here we are told that even in such matters, a clear, open and honest course is better than fraud or self-deception.
The sex instinct is classed with eating and drinking, an animality to be restrained, but not to be ashamed of. The three things are prohibited during the fast by day, but permitted after the fast is broken at night till the next fast commences.”
That is “until the white thread” as mentioned in the Holy Quran.
He comments on “so now associate with them, and seek what God hath ordained for you” with the following explanation : “There is difference of opinion as to the exact meaning of this. I would connect this as a parallel clause with the clause “eat and drink”, which follows, all three being governed by “until the white thread” etc. That is, all three things must stop when the fast begins again in the early morning. Or it may mean : What is permitted is well enough, but seek the higher things ordained for you.”
