Section: Overcoming addiction to pornography and "similar addictions
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One of the most common questions asked relates to overcoming the addiction to pornography and what one might call politely "related addictions". It is not a beautiful subject, and if it does not apply to you, then praise Allah that He has not tried you with something He has examined so many of His servants.Pray! The following Du'a was made by the Prophet for a boy who longed to commit Zina.Only the first person was replaced with the third:اللهُمَّ اغْفِرْ ذَنْبِي وَطَهِّرْ قَلْبِي، وَحَصِّنْ فَرْجِيTransliteration: Allahum-magh-fir dhan-bi wa tah-hir qAl-bi, wa haşşin far-jiTranslation: O Allah, forgive my sin, clean my heart and protect my chastity. [Ahmad 22211]Or the following:اَللَّهُمَّ اِنِّي اَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ سَمْعِيْ وَمِنْ شَرِّ بَصَرِيْ وَمِنْ شَرِّ لِسَانِيْ وَمِنْ شَرِّ قَلْبِيْ مِنْ شَرِّ مَنِيِّيْTransliteration: Allaahumma inni a`udhu bika min sharri sam`i wa min sharri basari, wa min sharri lisaani, wa min sharri qalbi, wa min sharri maniyyi.Translation: O Allah, indeed I seek refuge in You from the evil of my hearing and the evil of my sight, and the evil of my tongue and the evil of my heart, and the evil of my semen. [Abu Dawood: 1551; At-Tirmidhi: 3492; An-Nasa'i 5444, 5455]One should recognize the severity of sin in general and the severity of this particular sin and develop a hatred for it one's heart. Allah has told us that the rightly guided people hate defiance and disobedience.... but Allah hath endeared the faith to you and hath beautified it in your hearts, and hath made disbelief and lewdness and rebellion hateful unto you. Such are they who are the rightly guided. [Hujurat 7]One should develop a revulsion from this kind of disobedience, whatever temporary pleasure that it gives. This, in itself, is a struggle, so don't expect it to be easy.One should check one's prayer. Whenever one falls into sins, which can be termed as "faḥshaa" - immorality - you have to ask yourself whether there is something missing in the prayer: missed prayers, delayed prayers, not responding to the adhaan, and prayers without concentration are all a problem. Prayer prevents immorality and wrongdoing, so if it isn't doing the job, then it's most likely not being done in the right way.Lo! worship preserveth from lewdness and iniquity, but verily remembrance of Allah is more important. And Allah knoweth what ye do. [Al-Ankabut 45]One should repent at once, and this repentance should be sincere: one never does it again, and one implores Allah to help one. Yes, it is possible that one slips and falls again, but the stronger the determination to leave this sin, the better it will be.One should separate oneself from the things that make one commit this sin, even if it means that one exchanges the smartphone for a simple mobile phone, disconnects from the broadband, moves the computer into the living room or does something else. When one is serious about repentance, one is ready to take serious steps. One should also consider whether "adult-content" can be blocked by settings on the computer, e.g. with a random, long password that one can not remember and does not record. Certainly, these are only small measures, and a determined person can by-pass them, but the more one does, the harder it will be, and the more determined you become yourself.One should be around good people. These sins are sins that are almost exclusively committed alone. The less you are alone, the better the chance of breaking the habit. Consider sharing your room, if that's an option; share your phone and computer with others, so that there is less privacy.But if one is alone and is afraid to fall back into sin, one should not let this thought run its course, but one must get up and leave the private place to break the habit. It is not a substitute for the fear of Allah, but it is a temporary measure that can take you away from the sin you had intended.One should regularly fast - at least twice a week, and if one can and if necessary, even every other day. The Prophet (ﷺ) explained that this restrains the desires, so it is worthwhile to integrate the fast into the overall solution.If one feels that this problem might be associated with Jinn, one should start with the 7-day program and then go to the full Ruqyah program if required. It is rare that these problems are caused solely by Jinn, except in extreme cases. For most people, the Jinn simply uses the already existing desires, which is why one should primarily master these desires.Of course, marriage also protects against such desires, but it is not an option for most people at the time of their problems, or they are already married and still have these problems.