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

Let’s discuss some of the steps to overcoming porn addiction that require you to act, and alter your lifestyle to a certain extent. 

1) Place Reminders at Appropriate Locations

An effective way to overcome any harmful habit is to repeatedly remind oneself about its negative effects and ways to control it. Allah states in the Quran:

“And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers.” (Al-Dhariyat 51:55)

The best form of reminder is to have a conscious awareness of Allah’s presence. We often become mindful of our behavior when a camera is pointed at us. However, Allah – the All-Knowing and All-Aware – is watching us all the time, which should motivate us not to deliberately sin.

Because porn can be so addictive, we must keep admonishing ourselves against it, not just mentally but also through other means. For example, you can place tangible reminders in your room or wherever you may be tempted to watch porn. These reminders can take the form of a short message inscribed on a sticky note or piece of paper, and placed appropriately.

If you use a laptop or desktop for watching porn, for instance, you can put up a sticky note on a corner of the screen, carrying the words:

“ALLAH IS WATCHING”

Similarly, words to this effect can be added to the wallpaper of your phone or computer. You would naturally not want to view porn immediately after reading such a message.

You can also invent innovative means to quell your temptation to watch porn. Seek inspiration from the renowned boxer, Muhammad Ali, who once said that he always carried a matchbox with him. When asked why, he said that whenever he had the inclination to sin, he would light a match, put his hand close to it, and feel the intense heat. Then he would ask himself: “If I am unable to bear the heat of this little match, how will I ever be able to tolerate the Hellfire?”

2) Develop a Positive Interest

An idle mind is the devil’s workshop. A person who has nothing to occupy his mind with may easily end up having stray thoughts. So, try to engage yourself in some healthy activity – any endeavor with a positive outcome. The more you engage in such activities, the less time you will have to think about porn.

If you do not have a hobby that you greatly enjoy, try to find one. Think about what interests you the most. For example, you may be passionate about gardening, cooking, woodwork, video editing, or graphic designing – there are so many things you can learn and develop your expertise in.

The best pastimes and habits are those that are good for your mind, body, and soul. So, try to engage in such activities.

  • For the mind: Read books and articles that interest you, engage in intellectual discussions, and watch informative documentaries. Try to develop and hone a new skill using online tutorials. We can take inspiration from the woman who learned how to build an entire home – and actually built it – with the help of her kids by just watching YouTube videos!
  • For the body: Get involved in healthy activities. Play a sport, go to the gym, take nature walks, go camping – any activity that stimulates your body and which you enjoy. Try to engage in some form of workout each day, no matter how little it might be.
  • For the soul: Meditate, reflect on this life, contemplate ways to spread kindness, and spend time with your loved ones. Build your connection with Allah, and remember Him often to attain spiritual calmness. The peace, happiness, and contentment that we search for are all found in His true remembrance, as revealed in the Quran:

“Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah, hearts are assured.” (Al-Ra’d 13:28)

3) Change Your Habits

An effective way to overcome porn addiction is to change your source and habits.

Changing the source implies blotting out the means to watch porn. This requires first identifying your source to access porn, such as your mobile, laptop, desktop computer, or any other devise. Next, you need to change the source. This could involve, for instance, moving the desktop to another room or blocking porn websites on your devise using a filter or application. There are many such apps available these days which can help you block pornographic content on your devices.

Changing the habits requires a more conscious effort to counter porn addiction. Habits include, for instance, the times at which you use your phone or computer. Once you monitor these times, you can substitute some productive activity for your porn viewing, such as researching a topic of your interest. This may be very difficult the first time – and also the second time – but once you perform that activity continuously, it will become second nature to you. It will turn into a habit when you do so repetitively, InshaAllah.

Many people are drawn to pornographic content when they stay awake late at night. In this case, there are various ways to fight the urge to watch porn:

  • Sleep earlier – the simplest and most practical alternative.
  • Replace porn viewing with some other fulfilling and meaningful activity.
  • Make it a rule not to use any technology after 8 pm each night. This has other health benefits too, such as better sleep quality, reduced stress, and feeling more refreshed in the morning!

Bear in mind that changing your porn habit does require some effort and persistence. Take the following example. If you spill tea onto a table having a glass or marble top, how difficult is it to clean it? You can simply wipe it clean with a tissue paper, so it is rather easy! Now imagine if there is a thick cloth on the table and the tea spills onto it. How difficult is it now? Will a mere tissue paper do the job? Definitely not. You would need to scrub the cloth with water and detergent to make it clean again.

Same is the case with our hearts. When the sin is new and not ingrained within us, it can easily be wiped from our system. But if the sin has become firmly rooted in our hearts, then removing it would require scrubbing our hearts, with dedication and persistence.

4) Fast Voluntarily

Voluntary fasting is considered a highly virtuous deed in Islam. The Prophet ﷺ often used to fast twice a week – every Monday and Thursday. He also had the habit of fasting on the 13th, 14th, and 15th day of each lunar month.

Fasting has many benefits, among them being increased self-control. Someone who can restrain himself from food and water from dawn till dusk is definitely capable of controlling his other desires too. The Prophet ﷺ has advised us to fast frequently in order to curb our unlawful sexual desires. He said:

“…Those who cannot (afford to marry at the time) should devote themselves to fasting for it is a means of controlling sexual desire.” (Muslim 1,400a)

For this reason, fasting is a powerful tool against watching pornographic content. If you fast often, your desire to engage in immoral sexual conduct decreases. Therefore, try to make it a habit to fast regularly, such as twice a week or thrice every month. It will not only entitle you to immense reward, but also restrain you from some of the sins, such as watching porn, InshaAllah.

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!