Title: Is Fornication a Universally Recognized Moral Sin? Question: When the Koran says that shirk , murder and fornication lead one to eternal Hellfire, I pause and reflect on the gravity of these crimes. There is no doubt in my mind that murder, under most circumstances, is considered immoral by most human beings. Yet, having lived in the west, I don't think the same is true for fornication. There are many people who would consider the practice of theft, murder and even adultery immoral, but not fornication. So I don't think fornication can be seen as a universally (or just close to universally) recognized immoral act. Would it be correct to say that crimes leading us to eternal damnation (according to the Koran) need not have the approval of human beings as being universally acknowledged immoral acts? Jamal Ahmed Answer: A major difference between fornication and the other stated crimes is that in the case of most of the other crimes, there are clearly two parties to the crime - the aggressor and the aggrieved - while in the case of fornication none of the two parties directly involved in the crime can be called the aggrieved. Both parties are, in fact, aggressors. Thus, it can sometimes become quite difficult to fully appreciate the nature of the sin entailed in fornication. It should be understood that fornication is not a crime against an individual. On the contrary, it is, in fact, a crime against the society, as a whole. Fornication destabilizes the very foundations, upon which a stable society is built, which, in turn, is an essential requirement for the balanced growth and development of human beings. Fornication is clearly contrary to the values of Hayaa , loyalty and faithfulness and indulgence in it is, therefore, considered an extremely grave crime in all the Abrahamic revelations. In view of these facts, fornication has generally been considered an extremely grave moral crime in all those societies, which hold the spiritual cleansing of man in any importance. All practical deviations in modern-day societies and their consequent effects on the concepts of the individuals living in those societies should be viewed as deviations from the natural make-up of the human being. The apparent lack of appreciation of fornication as a grave moral crime in the present-day western societies is primarily because of the difference in the concept of 'fornication', which has been the result of a number of social and legislative factors in those societies. Due to a number of marriage and divorce-related laws and a number of other socio-cultural factors in the modern-day western societies, a new form of male-female relationship has evolved over time. Under this form of relationship, a man and a woman, who are not formally married to each other, live together with an implied agreement of loyalty, faithfulness and commitment with each other. The western societies do not consider such a relationship to fall within the ambit of fornication, as, in their view, it entails most of the elements of a normal marital relationship. In their revised and renewed concept of 'fornication', the western societies view only those relationships as 'fornication', which are of the nature of a one-night-stand or which disregard the value of commitment, loyalty and faithfulness with the regular partner of an individual. This generally accepted norm of the modern-day societies has greatly effected the concepts of the individuals living in those societies, in this respect. However, this revised view of 'fornication' is extremely limited in nature and completely disregards the importance of spiritual cleansing and piety in a person's life. Furthermore, it also seems that the general degeneration of the family structure in the modern-day western societies is also a natural corollary of the revised social norms in those societies. Nevertheless, it should be kept in mind that 'fornication' is undoubtedly considered a grave sin in all the Abrahamic religions and any practical deviations and perversions in the modern-day societies should be viewed as a disregard to the values that these revelations seek to develop in their adherents. I hope this helps. Regards, Moiz Amjad December 16, 2001