ZINA OF THE EYES, ZINA OF THE HANDS, ZINA OF THE FEET AND ZINA OF THE HEART

Reading Time: 8 minutes

فَزِنَا الْعَيْنَيْنِ النَّظَرُ وَزِنَا اللِّسَانِ النُّطْقُ وَالنَّفْسُ تَمَنّٰى وَتَشْتَهِي وَالْفَرْجُ يُصَدِّقُ ذٰلِكَ أَوْ يُكَذِّبُه وَفِي الرِّوَايَةِ الثَّانِيَةِ … فَالْعَيْنَانِ زِنَاهُمَا النَّظَرُ

 وَالْأُذُنَانِ زِنَاهُمَا الِاسْتِمَاعُ وَاللِّسَانُ زِنَاهُ الْكَلَامُ وَالْيَدُ زِنَاهَا الْبَطْشُ وَالرِّجْلُ زِنَاهَا الْخُطٰى وَالْقَلْبُ يَهْوٰى وَيَتَمَنّٰى وَيُصَدِّقُ ذٰلِكَ الْفَرْجُ وَيُكَذِّبُه

شرح النووي على مسلم (16/ 205):

This is one of the most profound and comprehensive Hadeeths of Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam). It unveils the spiritual reality of human actions, showing us, that sin is not merely a physical act, but a journey that begins in the heart and travels through every limb and sense. This Hadeeth is a complete map of the soul’s battle with desire, and it serves as a piercing wake-up call for every believer.

Let us unpack this treasure, exploring every word and every nuance, and draw from it the lessons that will protect our hearts, our eyes, our ears, and our very souls.

The Text of the Hadeeth

Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said:

“The Zina (fornication/adultery) of the eyes is the gaze; the Zina of the tongue is speech; the soul desires and longs, and the private parts either confirm that or deny it.”

In another narration:

“The two eyes, their Zina is the gaze; the two ears, their Zina is listening; the tongue, its Zina is speech; the hand, its Zina is grasping; the foot, its Zina is walking; and the heart desires and longs, and the private parts either confirm that or deny it.”

(Sharhun-Nawawi ‘ala Muslim, 16/205)

The Core Concept: Zina Beyond the Physical Act

When we hear the word “Zina,” we typically think of the physical act of adultery or fornication. Nabi (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam), in this Hadeeth, expands our understanding dramatically. He teaches us that Zina is not just one act; it is a spectrum of sins, each committed by a different part of the body.

This is a critical spiritual lesson: Sin rarely happens suddenly. It is almost always the culmination of a series of smaller sins—a glance, a thought, a word, a step, a listening ear. Each of these is a “Zina” of its own kind, and they collectively lead to the ultimate act.

Our Nabi (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) is warning us: Do not underestimate the small sins. They are not small at all. They are the gates through which the larger sins enter.

Breaking Down the Hadeeth: The Zina of Each Limb

Let us now journey through each part of the body, understanding the specific sin associated with it and how it contributes to the spiritual disease of Zina.

1. The Zina of the Eyes: The Gaze

“The Zina of the eyes is the gaze.”

The eyes are the windows to the soul. They are also the primary gateway through which temptation enters the heart.

• The Reality: When a person looks at a non-Mahram with desire, with a second glance, with a lingering look, the eyes are committing their form of Zina. Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said elsewhere: “The glance is a poisoned arrow of Shaytaan.” (Tabaraani).
• The Wisdom: The gaze is the first step. It ignites desire. It plants seeds in the heart that grow into longing, then into speech, then into action. By guarding the gaze, we cut off Zina at its very root.
• For Women: This Hadeeth is equally applicable to women. A woman’s eyes also commit Zina when she gazes at a non-Mahram man with desire. Modesty is not just about covering; it is also about lowering the gaze.

2. The Zina of the Ears: Listening

“The two ears, their Zina is listening.”

The ears are a direct pathway to the heart. What we hear shapes our desires, our thoughts, and our actions.

• The Reality: Listening to flirtatious speech, to lewd jokes, to songs that incite desire, to the voice of a non-Mahram in a way that stirs attraction—all of this is the Zina of the ears.
• The Wisdom: Nabi (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) is teaching us to guard what we listen to. The haraam music we play, the podcasts we consume, the illicit conversations we engage in—all of it feeds our desires. A heart that is filled with forbidden sounds is a heart that is vulnerable to sin.

3. The Zina of the Tongue: Speech

“The tongue, its Zina is speech.”

The tongue is one of the most powerful organs of the body. It can build or destroy, praise or slander, speak truth or spread falsehood.

• The Reality: The Zina of the tongue includes flirtatious talk, suggestive remarks, spreading rumours about relationships, speaking in a soft, alluring voice to a non-Mahram, or engaging in any speech that is sexually charged or leads towards sin.
• The Wisdom: Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) warned that a person may speak a word that sends him to Hell (Bukhaari). Our words have consequences. They are recorded by the angels. They affect our hearts and the hearts of others.

4. The Zina of the Hands: Grasping

“The hand, its Zina is grasping.”

The hands are agents of action. They reach out, they touch, they hold.

• The Reality: The Zina of the hands includes touching a non-Mahram in a way that is inappropriate, shaking hands with a non-Mahram with desire, or even sending a text message or emoji that is suggestive and meant to provoke desire.
• The Wisdom: Physical contact is a powerful source of temptation. Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: “It is better for one of you to be stabbed in the head with an iron instrument than to touch a woman who is not lawful for him.” (Tabaraani). This is the severity of the matter.

5. The Zina of the Feet: Walking

“The foot, its Zina is walking.”

The feet carry us to places. They take us to where our desires lead us.

• The Reality: The Zina of the feet is walking towards sin—walking to a place of temptation, walking to meet a non-Mahram in private, walking to a place where one’s modesty will be compromised.
• The Wisdom: Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) is teaching us that even our steps are accountable. Every step we take towards sin is a Zina of the feet. But conversely, every step towards good, is a step of reward.

6. The Zina of the Heart: Desire and Longing

“The heart desires and longs.”

This is the core. The heart is the command centre of the body. All the other Zinas are expressions of what is happening in the heart.

• The Reality: The heart’s Zina is its desires and longings—the secret thoughts of attraction, the fantasies, the imaginations of forbidden relationships, the jealousy, the envy, the lust.
• The Wisdom: We are instructed in the Qur’aan Shareef to seek protection from the evil whispers of the devils distracting our hearts.  The heart is the engine. If the heart is pure, the limbs will follow. If the heart is diseased, the limbs will be diseased.

7. The Final Decider: The Private Parts

“And the private parts either confirm that or deny it.”

This is the final stage. All of the previous steps—the gaze, the listening, the speech, the touch, the walking, the desire—are either building towards the ultimate act of Zina or they are being resisted and prevented.

• The Reality: The private parts are the final frontier. They either commit the physical act of Zina (confirming all the previous sins) or they remain chaste (denying the culmination of those sins).
• The Wisdom: Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) is showing us the trajectory of sin. It starts in the heart, moves to the eyes, then the ears, then the tongue, then the hands, then the feet, and finally to the private parts. By cutting it off at any earlier stage, we can stop the sin before it reaches its final, most destructive form.

The Deeper Wisdom: Why Does Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) Call All of These “Zina”?

This is a crucial question. Why does our Nabi (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) use such strong language—calling a glance “Zina,” calling listening “Zina,” calling speech “Zina”?

1. To Show the Severity of the Smaller Sins

Nabi (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) is teaching us that the smaller sins are not small at all. They are part of a chain. They are the fuel that leads to the fire. By calling them Zina, he is elevating our awareness of their gravity.

• Imagine a person who commits Zina. He does not do it suddenly. He had been looking for a long time. He had been listening. He had been speaking. He had been walking. He had been desiring. The ultimate act was the culmination of all of these.
• By calling each of these Zina, Nabi (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) is in effect saying: Do not deceive yourself. You may not have committed physical Zina, but you have committed the Zina of your eyes. That is enough to stain your soul.

2. To Teach Accountability of Every Limb

The Hadeeth is a profound lesson in accountability. It shows that every part of the body will bear witness on the Day of Judgment.

• Allah Ta’ala says in the Glorious Qur’aan: “That Day, We will put a seal over their mouths, and their hands will speak to Us, and their feet will bear witness to what they used to produce.” (Ya-Seen: 65).
• The Hadeeth shows us exactly what they will testify about. The eyes will testify about the glances. The ears will testify about what was heard. The hands will testify about what they touched. The feet will testify about where they walked. The heart will testify about its desires.

3. To Encourage Self-Accountability

Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) is teaching us to be mindful of every limb, every sense, every thought. When we realize that our eyes are committing Zina, we will guard them. When we realize that our ears are committing Zina, we will guard them. This heightened awareness leads to greater self-discipline and piety.

Practical Application: How to Guard Against the Zina of Each Limb

Let us now take this profound teaching and apply it to our daily lives.

1. Guarding the Eyes

• Lower your gaze from non-Mahram men and women.
• Avoid looking at images or videos that are impermissible.
• If a glance happens by accident (and we are all human), look away immediately and seek forgiveness.
• Remind yourself: “The eyes are committing Zina. I am accountable for every glance.”

2. Guarding the Ears

• Avoid listening to music, to podcasts or content that promote free mixing and immorality.
• Do not listen to the voice of a non-Mahram with desire. If you must speak to a non-Mahram, speak in a cold tone, not soft or alluring.
• Fill your ears with the Qur’aan, beneficial knowledge, and remembrance of Allah (Zikrullah).

3. Guarding the Tongue

• Avoid flirtatious speech, suggestive jokes, and any talk that is sexually charged.
• Speak with dignity and modesty. Do not use soft, sweet tones with non-Mahram men.
• Remember: “The tongue, its Zina is speech.” Every word is recorded.

4. Guarding the Hands

• Do not touch a non-Mahram. Do not shake hands with non-Mahram men or women.
• Avoid sending suggestive texts, emojis, or messages that could be interpreted as flirtatious.
• Use your hands for good—for writing the Qur’aan and Hadeeth, for writing Ilm, for helping others, for holding the hands of your family.

5. Guarding the Feet

• Do not walk to places of temptation or sin.
• If you must go out, go out with the intention of fulfilling a need, and walk with modesty and dignity.
• Remember: Every step you take towards good is a reward. Every step you take towards sin is a step of accountability.

6. Purifying the Heart

• This is the most important. All the external guards will fail if the heart is not purified.
• Seek forgiveness constantly. Make dua for a pure heart.
• Fill your heart with the love of Allah, the fear of the Day of Judgment, and the hope of Jannah.
• When desires arise, fight them with remembrance of Allah and repentance.

The Mercy Behind the Warning

Dear Ummah of Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam), as you read this Hadeeth, you might feel overwhelmed. You might think: “My eyes have committed Zina. My ears have committed Zina. My tongue has committed Zina. My heart has committed Zina. Is there any hope for me?”

Yes, there is immense hope.

Our Nabi (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) did not deliver this warning to crush us. He delivered it to save us. He wanted us to understand the gravity of our actions so that we would turn to Allah in sincere repentance.

Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala says in the Qur’aan:

“Say, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the Mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.'” (Az-Zumar: 53)

• Repentance is the cure. For every sin—the Zina of the eyes, the Zina of the ears, the Zina of the tongue, the Zina of the heart—Allah has opened the door of Tawbah.
• Turn back to Allah. If you have committed these sins, seek forgiveness. Make a firm resolve to change. Guard your limbs from today.
• Fill the void with good. Replace the forbidden glances with recitation of the Qur’aan. Replace the forbidden listening with beneficial knowledge. Replace the forbidden speech with remembrance of Allah.

A Final Reflection: The Chain of Sin and the Chain of Reward

Habeebuna Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) has shown us here the chain of sin. But there is also a chain of reward.

• The chain of sin begins with a glance, leads to a thought, becomes a desire, leads to speech, then action, then the ultimate act.
• The chain of reward begins with a lowered gaze, leads to a pure thought, becomes a firm resolve, leads to righteous speech, then righteous action, then ultimate reward.

Every moment is a choice. Every glance is a choice. Every word is a choice. Every step is a choice.

Choose the chain of reward. Guard your limbs. Purify your heart. Seek Allah’s forgiveness. And never lose hope in His mercy.

Whoever purifies the heart, the limbs will follow. And whoever corrupts the heart, the limbs will follow.

May Allah Ta’ala in His infinite Mercy protect our eyes, our ears, our tongues, our hands, our feet, and our hearts from all that displeases Him. May He grant us the modesty of the believing women, the consciousness of the righteous, and the forgiveness of the Merciful. Aameen.

(Khairun Nisa)