Islam is the second-largest religion in the world with about 1.57 billion followers. Islam is based on the teachings and normative examples of Hazrat Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). He is the last prophet of Allah, Who is One and Non-comparable. Islam is the religion of pure and righteous. Islam guides its believers away from sins and teaches self-control over evil desires.
Islam forbids its believers from committing a number of sins, one of which is having a relationship before marriage. There are a number of reasons why it is forbidden in Islam. It’s not only forbidden in Islam but in a number of other religions, too. Even in the Bible, having a relationship before marriage is a sin. And here are the reasons why.
Protection for Women
Before Islam, women were treated as objects of pleasure and misused continuously. Women were made victims of premarital sexual acts against their will and were disgraced in society. No men married such women but eyed them hungrily and with bad intentions. Women had no protection for themselves in the society.
And even in today’s modern and advanced era, women are harassed and asked to share their bodies with men without a relationship. This degrades a woman and, to stop such acts, Islam forbids a man to touch any woman other than his wife and provides protection to women’s bodies and self-esteem, allowing them to live with dignity.
Punishments for adultery and pre-marital relations
Islam forbids its believers to have a relationship, homosexual or with the same gender, of any kind before marriage, as pre-marital relationships are only for a married couple. This keeps the relationship pure, and self-esteem is maintained between the partners. In cases of pre-marital relationships, both men and woman are equally guilty and given the same punishment.
“The woman and the man guilty of adultery or fornication, – flog each of them with a hundred stripes: Let not compassion move you in their case, in a matter prescribed by Allah, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day: and let a party of the Believers witness their punishment” (Sura al-Nur 24:2).
Quality Of Commitment
Dating is forbidden in Islam because it doesn’t provide the couple with a proper meaningful relationship. In Islam, commitment means marriage, and if a guy has feelings for a girl, he should approach her parents for marital affairs as this shows the clear intentions of the guy and his commitment to the girl. The image of the girl is secured in society, and after marriage, the relationship between them is unquestionable and pure. No voices could be raised against the girl’s character, and no one would think the guy’s family dishonest.
Society And Family
If a guy and a girl keep a relationship before marriage, even if non-sexual, there is no promise of right intentions. The guy may be fooling her just to get a sexual relationship with her over time.
Islam forbids such relationships, as they destroy the values and ethics of any society. A bad deed is always followed as a herd of sheep walking into a well. Such relationships not only affect the couple but their families, too. Parents are regarded as ineffective.
Value Of Relationship
Today the phenomena of dating and premarital relationships have cursed the young generation and left them emotionally messed up. Looks are considered more than inner beauty and relationships are immature. Even the mature ones are based on such weak threads they break with just a snap of the door.
Marriage is a huge commitment and requires serious thoughts and proper work, and you can’t get a divorce because you don’t feel the love any more. You try to recreate it. This is why Islam promotes marriage and prohibits dating, as it diminishes the real value of relationships and leaves them hollow and empty.
Respect For Women
In Islam, women in marriages are considered good women of society. They’re idealized by other single young women. They teach young women the prospects of faithfulness, purity till marriage and commitment to a single man, which is a testing task of one’s patience and tolerance.
