Is a woman considered an adulteress and deserving of punishment if she speaks with a young man on the phone, or hugs or kisses her fiancé or boyfriend (without a marriage contract), and these actions lead to her sexual arousal and the emission of seminal fluid? And to what extent are these actions forbidden and sinful?
Enjoyment between a man and a woman who are not married to each other through a valid Islamic contract is forbidden, whether there is a love relationship, an engagement, or not. These actions are not actual zina (fornication/adultery) that necessitates the ḥadd punishment, but rather they are a grave sin and a metaphorical zina, as the Prophet ﷺ called it: "The zina of the eyes is looking, the zina of the ears is listening, the zina of the tongue is speaking, the zina of the hand is touching, the zina of the foot is stepping, and the heart yearns and desires, and the private parts either confirm that or deny it." There is no divinely prescribed ḥadd punishment for these actions, but they may incur a discretionary punishment (taʿzīr) if the matter is brought before the ruler. It is incumbent upon anyone who has committed such acts to perform sincere repentance by abandoning the sin, regretting it, and resolving not to return to it.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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