An Islamic State

"Verily, those who love that indecency should spread among the believers deserve a painful chastisement in the world and in the Hereafter. Allah knows, but you do not know."Al-Nur (The Light) Chapter 24: Verse 19

Tafseer:



Those who engage in fabricating and publicizing shameful allegations so that Muslim society succumbs to immoral ways and its moral structure in undermined, deserve to be punished.The words used in the verse embrace all the various forms that might be used to spread moral corruption and lewd behaviour including those means employed to awaken sexual passion, be they poetry, song, fiction, pictures, plays and drama. These also include clubs and hotels which provide dancing and other forms of obscene entertainment involving the mixed participation of men and women.The Quran declares such people to be criminals, those who deserve punishment not only in the Hereafter but also in this world. It is, therefore, the responsibility of an Islamic State to extirpate all the means which promote obscenity. The penal law of an Islamic State should declare these as cognizable offences since the Quran characterizes them as crimes against public order. In the same vein, the Quran prescribes punishments for all those who are guilty of such offences.Man might not know, but God certainly does, the adverse effects such acts have on society. Muslims should, therefore, trust God and devote all their energy and resources to putting an end to the evils which have been identified by Him. These are not minor offences which might be overlooked. Rather, they are grave and those guilty of them should be severely punished.



Source: "Towards Understanding the Quran" - Sayyid Abul Ala Mawdudi, Vol 6, pg 212-213