As a child, Mustafa prayed and fasted diligently. When he was sixteen, he became interested in girls. Occasionally he would have dirty thoughts. He didn’t want to commit sin, so he tried to get rid of his dirty thoughts. But this was difficult. When a boy hits puberty, testosterone come out, and lust is a constant battle. What did he have to do?
Islam’s Solution: Men Can’t Look at Women
Islam taught to lower the gaze and refrain from looking at that which God has forbidden. “ . . . say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; . . . “ (Qs 24:31).
In many Muslim countries, one way to do this is to separate men from women. Boys and girls have separate schools. In Saudi Arabia, on certain days only, women can go to the mall, while men go the other days.
Another strategy is to force women to wear hijabs. The intention is to keep men from seeing women’s bodies.
Other Solutions: Nikah Mut’ah and Pornography
Another solution is nikahmut’ah, or temporary marriage. “… it is lawful for you to marry other women if you pay their dower, . . . If you marry them for the appointed time you must pay their dowries…” (Qs 4:24). Some Muslim leaders legalize this type of marriage. They think it allows men to satisfy their sexual desires without committing sin. But other Muslim leaders see it as a form of prostitution.
Some think looking at pornography is not a sin and satisfies men’s sexual desires. But Isa Al-Masih said, “… anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (The Injil, Matthew 5:28).
Isa Al-Masih’s Solution: Love God
Isa Al-Masih has a very different solution for lust. He gave the first and most important law, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (The Injil, Matthew 25:37).
If someone focuses on loving God, he will conquer his lust. Many men have difficulty loving God because they feel He is far away from them. But God is actually very close to us. He wants to help us with our sin nature. God pours His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Injil, Romans 5:5) and also teaches us self-control, which is a fruit of the Spirit (Injil, Galatians 5:22). Turn to Him, and He will take away your lustful desires.
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