Among the three powers of the ego, lust is perhaps the most misunderstood and the most abused. If you think superficially, lust is all about eating and reproducing. In this perspective, lust seems to be common among animals and humans. However, there is a major factor that contrast the lust of humans with the lust of animals: ego.
So, if lust is not just about eating and sex, what is it? This same issue is also discussed in another article on the LGBT topic, which you can reach here. A concise definition of lust that is in line with the Quranic description above can be given as "an utter desire to possess something in its physical and non-physical aspects".
With this working definition, let's look at a saying of prophet Muhammad pbuh:
If we travel back in time and look at the existing conditions of women in the Arabian peninsula, we see that women are considered as wealth, and some even discuss whether they are human. Men are held as the absolute governor of virtually everything. Some even bury their daughters alive, in order to avoid the "shame" of being the father of a girl. I am not going to go into further details here, but you can do so if your interest lies therein.
In the same society, due to lack of abundant water resources, cleanliness is not a hot topic. Available water is channeled for personal nutrition and for watering the agriculture. So, whenever people get together, especially in a closed environment of a building or tent, the ambiance may not be so convenient.
Aside from these external issues, the relationship between people and God was problematic. First of all, there were gods, not God. Idols were made in the name of these gods to worship, to eat and to make commerce. Sincere devotion to "the One" happened especially in times of trouble. In short, for the people of the 7th century Arabian peninsula, the concept of god was either used as a consolation against a trouble or was abused for commerce and politics.
In such an atmosphere, if you were a reformer for the good, which prophet Muhammad was, you would certainly do something about the women rights, the cleanliness of people and the relationship between people and God. If you think deeper, presence of women in the society and respecting their rights, plus, an attention to hygiene and aesthetics, plus, sincere devotion to individual prayer and meditation are the factors that quench enmity, alleviate arguments and feed a sense of unity. These were all the essential needs of the people surrounding the prophet.
In fact, with the revolutions and transformations initiated him, women became able to communicate their needs and issues directly to the messenger of God. They felt comfortable in confronting the men in their families when they saw something amiss in their conduct; because they knew they could take the issue even to Muhammad pbuh, if necessary, without facing repercussions.
At the beginning of this article, we said the lust of humans differ from the lust of animals due to presence of a major factor: ego. Then, we talked about how to define lust, and we saw a saying of the prophet and the consequent attitude in his practices. In view of all these, it is fair to say that love and lust are not synonyms. So, love cannot be confined to lust. However, an untamed ego can abuse an innocent love, boil it down to mere lust, then use that lust to exploit other people.
Today in the age of ego, where we are suffering from an explosion in the number of untamed egos, it is understandable that we are scared of the dangers of such an ego. While avoiding such risks, nevertheless, it is important not to fall prey to the other end, where we outcast lust and ego, just because they are lust and ego. In doing so, not only we go against our basic creation, hence a total loss and failure in the long run, but also we risk deifying our own egos and fall slave to it in an effort to protect ourselves.
As we explore the rather individual aspects of the issue, on top of the social ones, it is important to note that lust, according to the proper definition above, is just another talent of the humans. As long as it is tamed and motivated in proper ways, it shouldn't become a problem just because it is "lust". That is, just like we don't criticize someone for being more intelligent than average or for being stronger than average, we shouldn't outcast manifestations of lust above average given that they are within the borders and manners outlined by God.
Beautified for people is the love of that which they desire - of women and sons, heaped-up sums of gold and silver, fine branded horses, and cattle and tilled land. That is the enjoyment of worldly life, but Allah has with Him the best return. (3,14)It is curious that in this verse of the Quran, the concept of lust (desire) is used not only for women but also for children, wealth, animals and land. Considering this fact, defining lust as something only among women and men can only be explained either by sheer insanity or by stark ignorance, both of which result in a person's reduction to an animal state in their soul.
So, if lust is not just about eating and sex, what is it? This same issue is also discussed in another article on the LGBT topic, which you can reach here. A concise definition of lust that is in line with the Quranic description above can be given as "an utter desire to possess something in its physical and non-physical aspects".
With this working definition, let's look at a saying of prophet Muhammad pbuh:
In this world, women and perfume have been made dear to me, and my comfort has been provided in prayer. (Sunan an-Nasa'i, 3939, grade: hasan)Certain people and their followers among the believers who lack a sound belief use these words of the prophet as a tool to denigrate his character. It is important to note a crucial point before we go any further. With fourteen centuries of distance in time and incredible cultural and social evolution therein, there is no commonsense in using the criteria and paradigms of today to assess anything that far in time, let alone criticizing someone on a distinctive mission given by God. However, this is not to say that it is impossible or wrong to make evaluations of the past. Rather, it is just a reminder to keep our reason and ego under control in order not to be unfair nor to deify ourselves.
If we travel back in time and look at the existing conditions of women in the Arabian peninsula, we see that women are considered as wealth, and some even discuss whether they are human. Men are held as the absolute governor of virtually everything. Some even bury their daughters alive, in order to avoid the "shame" of being the father of a girl. I am not going to go into further details here, but you can do so if your interest lies therein.
In the same society, due to lack of abundant water resources, cleanliness is not a hot topic. Available water is channeled for personal nutrition and for watering the agriculture. So, whenever people get together, especially in a closed environment of a building or tent, the ambiance may not be so convenient.
Aside from these external issues, the relationship between people and God was problematic. First of all, there were gods, not God. Idols were made in the name of these gods to worship, to eat and to make commerce. Sincere devotion to "the One" happened especially in times of trouble. In short, for the people of the 7th century Arabian peninsula, the concept of god was either used as a consolation against a trouble or was abused for commerce and politics.
In such an atmosphere, if you were a reformer for the good, which prophet Muhammad was, you would certainly do something about the women rights, the cleanliness of people and the relationship between people and God. If you think deeper, presence of women in the society and respecting their rights, plus, an attention to hygiene and aesthetics, plus, sincere devotion to individual prayer and meditation are the factors that quench enmity, alleviate arguments and feed a sense of unity. These were all the essential needs of the people surrounding the prophet.
In fact, with the revolutions and transformations initiated him, women became able to communicate their needs and issues directly to the messenger of God. They felt comfortable in confronting the men in their families when they saw something amiss in their conduct; because they knew they could take the issue even to Muhammad pbuh, if necessary, without facing repercussions.
"The best of you is the one who is best to his wife, and I am the best of you to my wives." (Ibn Majah, 1977, degree: hasan)
At the beginning of this article, we said the lust of humans differ from the lust of animals due to presence of a major factor: ego. Then, we talked about how to define lust, and we saw a saying of the prophet and the consequent attitude in his practices. In view of all these, it is fair to say that love and lust are not synonyms. So, love cannot be confined to lust. However, an untamed ego can abuse an innocent love, boil it down to mere lust, then use that lust to exploit other people.
Today in the age of ego, where we are suffering from an explosion in the number of untamed egos, it is understandable that we are scared of the dangers of such an ego. While avoiding such risks, nevertheless, it is important not to fall prey to the other end, where we outcast lust and ego, just because they are lust and ego. In doing so, not only we go against our basic creation, hence a total loss and failure in the long run, but also we risk deifying our own egos and fall slave to it in an effort to protect ourselves.
As we explore the rather individual aspects of the issue, on top of the social ones, it is important to note that lust, according to the proper definition above, is just another talent of the humans. As long as it is tamed and motivated in proper ways, it shouldn't become a problem just because it is "lust". That is, just like we don't criticize someone for being more intelligent than average or for being stronger than average, we shouldn't outcast manifestations of lust above average given that they are within the borders and manners outlined by God.
