(85) Chapter: Secrecy of Private Matters (Guarding Secrets)

Allah, the Exalted, says: "And fulfill (every) covenant. Verily! The covenant, will be questioned about.'' (17:34) Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The most evil of the people to Allah on the Day of Resurrection will be the man who consorts with his wife and then publicizes her secret." [Muslim]. Commentary: Islam treats conjugal union as a sacred and secret act, both in social and moral terms. Indeed, the sanctity of conjugal rights contributes to the consolidation of moral norms and social cohesion. Yet, what passes between wife and husband on the consummation night is usually taken in a light vein in our societies. In the morning, both of them relate their sexual experience to their friends respectively. This is moral indecency which is incompatible with human dignity and civilized behaviour. This Hadith reckons it as a grave sin which must be eschewed. The bed-experience must be kept private by the married couple to the exclusion of a third person.