AL-FAHISHAH | فَاحِشَة | meaning from Quran and Hadeeth

AL-FAHISHAH | فَاحِشَة | meaning from Quran and Hadeeth

The word “Fahshah” appears with a negative connotation in the Quran and the Sunnah. 

It appears in 23 odd verses in the Quran, 24 times, and in all cases it refers to immorality, shameful deeds, explicit deeds, indecency, vulgarity, obscenity, exaggerated in ugliness, adultery, fornication and the like. 

In the Quran, Fahshah is always paired with sin, wrong-doing, oppression, evil, hateful way, evil way, transgressing limits, great sin, extremely ugly, and the bad.

Allah commands us in the Qur’an to not even go near it:

 ﴿وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا الْفَوَاحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ﴾

And come not near to Al-Fawahish (shameful sins, illegal sexual intercourse, etc.) whether committed openly or secretly,

— Surat An’aam, 6:151

﴿وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا الزِّنَا إِنَّهُ كَانَ فَاحِشَةً وَسَاءَ سَبِيلًا﴾

And come not near to the unlawful sexual intercourse. Verily, it is a Fahishah [i.e., any speech or action that transgresses its limits (a great sin)], and an evil way (that leads one to Hell unless Allah forgives him).

— Surat Israa, 17:32

And Allah tells us in the Qur’an that Fahshah comes as a command from satan:

﴿إِنَّمَا يَأْمُرُكُم بِٱلسُّوٓءِ وَٱلْفَحْشَآءِ﴾

[shaitan (satan)] commands you only what is evil and Fahsha (sinful)

— Surat Baqarah, 2:169

ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ يَعِدُكُمُ ٱلْفَقْرَ وَيَأْمُرُكُم بِٱلْفَحْشَآءِۖ وَٱللَّهُ يَعِدُكُم مَّغْفِرَةً مِّنْهُ وَفَضْلًاۗ وَٱللَّهُ وَٰسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ

Satan threatens you with poverty and orders you to (commit) immorality, while Allah promises you forgiveness from Him and bounty. And Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing.

— Surat Al-Baqarah, 2:268

Ibn Jarir at-Tabari (rahimahullaah) says:

(والفواحش): وهي الزنا وما أشبهه ، مما أوجب الله فيه حدا

Fahshah: It is zina and that which is similar to it, for which Allah obligated for it a punishment (hadd).

[Tafseer at-Tabari (rahimahullaah), Surat Najm, 32]

List of verses in the Quran that mention Fahshah:

2:169, 2:268, 3:135, 4:15, 4:19, 4:22, 4:25, 6:51, 7:28 (twice), 7:33, 7:80, 12:24, 16:90, 17:32, 24:19, 24:21, 27:54, 29:28, 29:45, 33:30, 42:37, 53:32, 65:1

From the Sunnah:

It was narrated from Anas that the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said:

“There is never any (الْفُحْشُ) obscenity in a thing, but it mars it, and there is never any modesty in a thing, but it adorns it.”

[Sunan Ibn Majah, 4185, Book 37, Chapter: 17: Modesty, Shyness, Graded: Sahih]

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