How can one reconcile the Hadith, "Indeed, Allah has pardoned for my Ummah what they whisper to themselves, as long as they do not act upon it or speak of it," with the Hadith, "The eye commits adultery, and the heart commits adultery; so the adultery of the eye is gazing, and the adultery of the heart is yearning. And the private part either confirms or denies that," in the case where an unmarried young man imagines sexual intercourse and adultery without translating it into reality? And is this imagination considered like looking at or listening to what is forbidden? And are the degrees of adultery among the major sins like adultery itself?

The first Hadith is understood to mean forgiveness for inner thoughts as long as they do not translate into speech or action, whereas the second Hadith calls the heart's longing "fornication" (zina). Scholars reconcile the two Hadiths in several ways: 1. The "zina" of the heart is its persistence, not mere thoughts. Thus, a desire deeply rooted in the inner self and a sin upon which one insists is termed "zina." 2. Interpreting the "zina" of the heart as the incitement of the limbs towards the unlawful. The heart inclines towards lust, then prompts the limbs to fulfill it. 3. Interpreting the Hadith as referring to the minor sins (lamam) that are forgiven. Glancing, speaking, and striking are considered forgiven minor sins if done unintentionally.

This reconciliation resolves the apparent contradiction. A Muslim should not preoccupy himself with thoughts of the unlawful.