The content of this article has been adapted from the Porn Addiction YouTube Series by Raja Zia ul Haq.

An effective way to overcome porn addiction is to strengthen yourself spiritually through greater piety, self-restraint, and contemplation. The following specific steps can be taken in this regard.

1) Connect with Allah

No task can be achieved without help from Allah Almighty. While there is a lot of material, including books, out there on battling porn addiction, it often overlooks the need to be spiritually motivated. We must connect with Allah, and beseech Him to enable us to overcome this addiction.

The Quran gives us various examples of individuals who went through painful and distressing situations in life, but they emerged successful therefrom with the help of Allah. For instance, Prophet Yunus (AS), after being cast into the sea, was swallowed by a huge fish and spent three days and nights inside it. However, instead of lamenting his situation or falling into despair, he kept supplicating to Allah:

“There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers.” (Al-Anbya 21:87)

His hardship ended when the fish eventually cast him ashore and he survived. This narration reminds us that no matter how difficult our circumstances, Allah’s help is always near.

So, if you are battling with porn addiction, the first step you need to take is to connect with Allah. Talk to Him before you sleep each night and supplicate to Him along these lines:

“O Allah, I am weak; I sin and err. You are Merciful and Compassionate, so forgive my shortcomings. O Allah, I want to correct my habits. I want to come closer to You. Therefore, make this path easy for me which leads to You. O Allah, make the sin of pornography hateful to me, and enable me to adopt a healthy lifestyle.”

2) Tame Your Soul

A young man once came to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and sought his permission to commit zina (fornication or adultery). Can you imagine such a permission being sought in the presence of the Prophet ﷺ? While the people rebuked the young man and tried to quieten him, the Prophet ﷺ calmly told the young man to come nearer, and made him sit next to himself. The following conversation occurred between them.  

The young man: “O Messenger of Allah, give me permission to commit zina.”

The Prophet ﷺ: “Would you like that (i.e. committing zina) for your mother?”

The young man: “No, by Allah, may I be sacrificed for you.”

The Prophet ﷺ: “Neither would (other) people like it for their mothers. Would you like that for your daughter?”

The young man: “No, by Allah, may I be sacrificed for you.”

The Prophet ﷺ: “Neither would people like it for their daughters. Would you like that for your sister?”

The young man: “No, by Allah, may I be sacrificed for you.”

The Prophet ﷺ: “Neither would people like it for their sisters. Would you like that for your aunts?”

The young man: “No, by Allah, may I be sacrificed for you.”

The Prophet ﷺ: “Neither would people like it for their aunts.”

Then, the Prophet ﷺ placed his hand on him, and said, “O Allah, forgive his sins, purify his heart, and guard his chastity.” After that, the young man never again entertained the desire to commit zina. (Ahmad 22,211 – Sahih according to Al-Arna’ut)

So, through his wisdom and logical questioning, the Prophet ﷺ convinced the man that it was not wise to commit such a sin.

Allah says in the Quran:

“But as for he who feared the position of his Lord and prevented the soul from (unlawful) inclination, then indeed, Paradise will be (his) refuge.” (Al-Nazi’at 79:41)

While there are many deeds that take one towards Paradise, this ayah mentions just two of them: fearing accountability before Allah and controlling one’s desires. The successful person is able to conquer his soul, rather than letting his soul conquer him. So, a cure to porn addiction is having control over your inclinations, rather than the other way around. 

Your soul is like a wild horse. When a rider sits on top of it the first time, the horse resists, hopping around, and trying to be rid of him. If the rider gives up at this point, he falls to the ground, unable to control the horse. But if the rider persists and holds his position, the horse gets tamed after a while. Now if the rider tells the horse to turn right or left or gallop ahead, the horse simply follows directions. The rider has now conquered this beautiful beast!

Our soul is very similar. It does not want to get controlled, but if you persist, you can conquer it and steer it in the desired direction! For example, when you wake up in the morning for Fajr, the soul wants to rest, and tells you to go back to sleep. But if you stay firm, getting off the bed and performing wudu, you have conquered the soul for the day. And if you repeat this activity for several days, waking up for Fajr becomes a habit.

Similarly, with porn addiction, when you resist the urge to watch porn once, twice, and thrice, the soul starts to get tamed. You will eventually reach a state where you are no longer inclined to watch porn, InshaAllah. 

3) Imagine Dying while Watching Porn

Human life is unpredictable. Imagine that you are watching porn and you suddenly suffer from a heart attack. You die in an instant. Later, someone enters the room and finds you motionless with pornographic videos playing in the background! What sort of a legacy will you leave behind? What will your loved ones think of you?

Most importantly, imagine being raised up with porn addiction on the Day of Judgement! That is because we will be resurrected in the same state in which we die, as the Prophet ﷺ informed us:

“Every servant (of Allah) will be raised (in the state) in which he dies.” (Muslim 2,878a)

Death can suddenly descend upon us. The Angel of Death neither seeks our permission nor gives us a warning or indication before taking our soul. These days, we see so many cases of young men and women dying unexpectedly. As Allah informs us:

“Every soul will taste death.” (Al-Dhariyat 21:35)

Let it not be that you die in a compromised state. Our laptops and phones can serve as a witness against us on the Day of Judgement. Just as people’s hands and feet will bear witness against them, so can their electronic devises, with Allah’s permission. These inanimate objects might be empowered by Allah to reveal the purpose for which they were being used in this world. So, be careful of the content you view on your devices. 

This article is an extract from the e-book titled “Breaking the Chains: An Islamic Guide to Overcoming Porn Addiction”. Click on the image below to download this e-book for free!