Is the principle of pleasure forbidden in Islam? What is the view of Islam concerning physical pleasure, because the religion is a bunch of hard and strict duties.
Praise be to Allah.The pleasures of this world are of three types.
Pleasures which will be followed by a greater pain, or which make a
person miss out on a greater pleasure. These are the pleasures enjoyed by sinners and
negligent people to varying degrees, such as those who enjoy zina (illegal sexual
conduct), drinking wine, stealing, and so on. It will be said to them on the Day of
Resurrection (interpretation of the meaning):
“You received your good things in the life of the world, and you
took your pleasure therein…” [al-Ahqaaf 46:20]
Pleasures which will not be punished in the Hereafter, but
overindulgence causes a person to miss out on achieving higher levels and keeps him from
earning reward. These are the permissible pleasures of those who are negligent, which they
do not do in order to better themselves or to earn reward, and they have no intention of
worship when they do these things. Examples include going to extremes in matters of food,
drink, transportation, accommodation, travelling and going on vacation, and other things
that are not inherently harmful or sinful.
Pleasures for which a person will be rewarded. These pleasures belong
exclusively to the believers who let themselves enjoy them on the grounds of doing their
duty towards themselves, seeking help thereby to obey Allaah, and helping to keep
themselves away from sin.
On the basis of these noble aims, these pleasures may be classified as
acts of obedience towards Allaah, concerning which the Prophet
(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah will be pleased with a slave who eats some food
then praises Allaah for it, and drinks some drink then praises Allaah for it.” (Reported
by Muslim, 2734, from the hadeeth of Anas). He also said. “In your
intercourse with your wife, there is reward.” They said, “O Messenger of Allaah,
can anyone of us have sexual enjoyment and be rewarded for that?” He said, “Do
you not see that if you do that in a haraam manner, you will be punished for it? So if you
do it in a halaal manner, you will be rewarded.” (As in the hadeeth of Abu
Dharr, reported by Muslim, 1006).
It is clear from the hadeeth that enjoying these worldly
pleasures on the basis of praising Allaah, recognizing His bounty and seeking to protect
oneself from doing forbidden things will bring reward from Allaah. Praise be to Allaah for
His blessings. (See Majmoo’ al-Fawaa’id by Ibn Sa’di, p.
234). Thus we know that in Islam there are permissible pleasures, having to
do with eating and drinking permissible foods and enjoying permissible kinds of clothing
and means of transportation, and there are pleasures for which a person will be rewarded
in the Hereafter, in addition to his enjoyment of them in this world, such as the one who
eats with the intention of gaining the strength to obey Allaah, or who sleeps with the
intention of helping himself to get up to pray Qiyaam al-Layl and Fajr, or the one who has
intercourse with his wife with the intention of keeping himself and her chaste, keeping
them both away from sin, and with the hope of having a child, or the one who works hard at
his trade or job with the intention of spending on himself and his family and his parents,
and so on. And Allaah knows best.