Pre-Islamic Age of Ignorance: In the pre-Islamic era, adultery was prevalent in all areas of life. Most men did not consider adultery shameful; they even saw it as a source of pride. It was also common for women to have relationships with others, which was generally not met with disapproval. There were those who were forced into prostitution for economic reasons, those who lived a life of promiscuity, and those who committed adultery in places designated for commercial purposes. We see that the marriage practice left behind by Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) was corrupted during the Jahiliyyah period, with marriages invented under the names of “haden, istibda, bedel,” and certain forms of prostitution also being called marriage. ([456])We will address this topic in the section on marriage. We will examine adultery in the pre-Islamic era in three stages.

1- As a business: Many people would gather and have sexual relations with a woman. Since the woman was a prostitute, she felt no need to avoid this work. They would hang flags on the house where they were located to indicate their location. If the woman became pregnant and gave birth, the men who had slept with her would be summoned to gather around her. Along with them, an expert called a “kaif” would also be summoned. This expert would examine the child’s physical features and decide which of the men the child resembled. The child would then be accepted as that man’s

The man to whom the child was attributed could not refuse to accept it. 

Some Arabs would put young girls and female slaves in a house and make them commit adultery. To make sure everyone knew that prostitution was taking place in that house, they would hang a flag on the door. These houses were called “mevâhir.“If any of the women in these houses refused to commit this act of debauchery, her master would force her to do so. 

2- As a form of companionship: During the pre-Islamic era, a free woman who could not commit adultery would live with a man as his mistress. Such women were called “Müttehizat-ı Ahdân.” In that era, it was considered highly shameful for a free woman to commit adultery. For this reason, free women would engage in sexual relations by secretly keeping lovers; such unions were called “Nikâh-ı Hadn.” ([459])  Ibn Abbas states that  such women kept only one lover and that the people of the pre-Islamic era considered overt adultery to be forbidden, but considered secret adultery to be permissible. Bedel, during the Jahiliyyah period, took the form of two men exchanging their wives. One man would say to another, “Give me your wife, and I will give you mine,” and they would exchange wives. 

3- By coercion: There was a practice called istibdâ, where a husband would send his wife to a noble man to conceive a legitimate child. The man would say to his wife, “Tell so-and-so man to sleep with you.” ([461]) Furthermore, it is known that Abdullah b. Ubay ibn Salul forced his slave girls, Musayka and Ummayma, into adultery. ([462])

ISLAM:

As a place of trade (prostitution([463])): Punish both parties who commit adultery among you; if they repent and mend their ways, then stop punishing and tormenting them; for Allah is Most Forgiving and Most Merciful.[464]  A man who commits adultery may not marry anyone other than a woman who commits adultery or is a polytheist; likewise, a woman who commits adultery may not marry anyone other than a man who commits adultery or is a polytheist. This is forbidden to believers. [465]

Marriage: Those among you who cannot afford to marry believing, free women should marry believing slave women they possess. Allah knows best who among you has faith. You are all of the same lineage. Marry them with the permission of their guardians, provided they are chaste, avoid adultery, and have not secretly kept lovers. And give them a dowry according to custom. If they commit adultery while married, punish them with half the penalty prescribed for free women. This is an opportunity granted to those among you who fear falling into sin. But if you are patient, it is better for you. Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.

Forced relations: Do not force your slave girls into prostitution for your worldly gain if they wish to remain chaste. Whoever forces them, know that after the coercion they suffer, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. 

While declaring the ruling on adultery, the Qur’an also warns men and women separately, drawing attention to the factors that lead to or trigger it.

          Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and guard their private parts. That is purer for them. Allah is aware of what they do. 

Tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their private parts. They should not display their adornments except what is apparent. Let them draw their headscarves over their necks and chests. They should not reveal their adornments and charms to anyone except their husbands, fathers, fathers-in-law, sons, step- , sons, brothers, brothers’ sons, sisters’ sons, Muslim women, slaves under their control, male servants whose sexual desires have subsided, or young boys who are unaware of women’s private parts. They should not walk with a swaggering gait that draws attention to the adornments and charms they conceal from strangers. 

Nowadays:

As brothels (prostitution): Today, there are still such well-known brothels. The prevailing view is that if these places did not exist, prostitution would spread to the streets. Since they are workplaces established on a commercial basis, controlling them may seem to serve the purpose of preventing their proliferation everywhere, but if this law was enacted because of the filthiness involved, we can also say that it no longer has any effect in preventing it from spreading to neighborhoods.

Friendship: This type of relationship is an indispensable part of ignorance. This is because its formation shows great diversity. It exists for many reasons, such as the excess income of the uncontrolled self, the society’s departure from the fear of Allah, the association of this action with freedom, etc. Throughout human history, there have been very few societies that have not engaged in friendship life. Only believers are exempt from this.

Forced relationships: Unfortunately, this situation is also common today. Individual diagnoses made by examining those caught do not lead us to a conclusion about why these situations arise. Therefore, the issue of women forced into relationships must be addressed from a social perspective.

Adultery is a general term for any sexual intercourse that occurs outside of marriage. A woman who commits this act is called a whore. Etymologically[470], the Arabic word for whore, which is related to the word “cough,” means immoral, dishonorable woman in our language. These women in the pre-Islamic era were given this name because they revealed their location by coughing in the darkness of night. In the pre-Islamic era, there was no name for a man who committed this act. However, the description of the man’s act is no different from the descriptions of relationships considered natural. Although the woman is called a whore for committing adultery, the man’s act is described as “the dirt on his hands.” If there is immorality, why is it binding on the woman but considered natural when it comes to the man?

The fact that the woman’s reputation is ruined after the relationship, while the man’s actions are seen as natural, is the most crucial point of all these types of adultery. Because this acceptance also gives license to men who do not fear Allah to continue their actions. While society’s reaction to adultery is to hurl insults at the woman, accepting the man’s actions as natural will lead to further abuses . Knowing that a person who does not fear Allah has nothing to lose and will not face repercussions from society means that they will not hesitate to make adultery a permanent part of their life. In fact, such a person may even consider boasting about their actions among others like themselves a matter of pride.

As this mentality takes hold, it is only natural that those inclined toward prostitution in a commercial sense, as well as traffickers and brothels, will multiply. This trade, which has become the greatest source of income for illegal organizations and shadowy forces today, gains strength from its large customer base. Without this mindset, these people would not be able to earn large incomes and would begin to turn to other professions. The abundance of profits stemming from the large number of customers drives the prostitution market to constantly seek new and young women. This leads to a continuous increase in cases of young girls being coerced or deceived. Thus, women have been reduced to the status of objects that are completely used and discarded. However, this is not the case in Islam.

Islam has introduced the practice of taking multiple wives, provided that justice is upheld, to prevent any of these situations from arising. Although its wisdom may not be understood by some circles at first glance, this permission closes all avenues for prostitution in neighborhoods, the use and discarding of women like objects, the selling of flesh for a morsel, lies, immorality, shamelessness, worthlessness, vulgarity, and adultery.

Let us briefly touch upon the issue of taking more than one spouse, without going into too much detail. This is because many people leave Islam due to the difference between not taking multiple spouses and not accepting this command. Being content with one spouse is the most natural right of a Muslim. Disliking a command given by Islam represents judging and disliking the One who gave the command, which is something only disbelievers do. Influenced by those who engage in fruitless and pointless debates, those who, unaware of this distinction, think that these two statements have the same meaning, are not even aware that they have actually entered into a state of disliking Allah’s command. The purpose, reason, and wisdom of taking multiple spouses are as follows:

First, this permission is not called polygamy, but having more than one spouse. Because, addressing the situations caused by adultery, the verse itself limits polygamy to four. This possibility is not for men to establish a harem. For this reason, the condition of treating spouses fairly has been imposed. The fundamental reason why the right to take multiple spouses has been given to men is to prevent the mixing of lineages. A woman married to more than one man cannot determine who is the father of a child born as a result of her relations with her husbands during the same period. This situation will lead to the rapid deterioration of the offspring, families that do not take care of the child, and distorted relationships within the family. The reasons are not limited to this. This permission provides a balance for the situation caused by the rapid increase in the number of girls in the world; it is a refuge for girls left orphaned and women left widowed after war. The common desire of all women forced into sexual relations is a morsel of bread and a warm home.

[ Adultery: Any sexual relationship without marriage

[456]  Ali Osman Ateş, Islam in the Age of Happiness in All Its Aspects, Beyan Publications, vol. 2, p. 37

[457]  İbrahim Canan, Kutub-i Sitte Translation and Commentary, Akçağ Publications: 15/539–540

[458]  Muhammed Ali Sâbunî, Ahkâm Tefsiri, Istanbul 1984, Şamil Publications, vol. II p. 203

[459]  Taberî, Jamiu’l-Bayân, v, 19

[460]  Ali Osman Ateş, Islam in the Age of Happiness in All Its Aspects, Beyan Publications, vol. 2, pp. 60–61

[461]  Bukhari, Sahih, 1999, vol. 6, p. 132

[462]  Muslim, Tafsir, 27

[463]  The act of adultery performed for monetary compensation

[464]  Surah An-Nisa, Verse 16

[465]  Surah Nur, Verse 3

[466]  Surah An-Nisa, Verse 25

[467]  Surah An-Nur, Verse 33

[468]  Surah An-Nur, Verse 30

[469]  Surah An-Nur, Verse 31

[470]  The origin of a word