Home
Discover Islam
Quran Recitations
Lectures
Fatwa
Articles
Fiqh
E-Books
Women
Boys & Girls 
Enter Question
View By Subject
Fatwa Of The Week
Selected Fatwa
Fatwa CenterThe reward for youth guarding chastity
Question
How does the reward for guarding chastity for someone a man who cannot get married and is in his youth compare with the reward for deeds such as reading Quran and doing zikr and walking to Masjid and praying in the Masjid, and praying in the night, and giving charity (is it much greater or lesser)? Guarding chastity is much more difficult than those things, and I hear about the reward for those deeds, but I never hear much about the reward for guarding chastity.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
The virtue of protecting one’s chastity has been named much in the Quran and Sunnah. For example, Sahl ibn Sa'd 
related in a Hadeeth that the Prophet said: "Whoever guarantees me against what is between his jaws (i.e. his tongue) and what is between his legs (i.e. his private parts), I guarantee him Paradise.” [Al-Bukhari]
Also, Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said: “There are seven types of people whom Allaah would put under His Shade on the day there will be no shade except His, and he mentioned amongst them: ….and a man who is approached by a woman (for forbidden sexual intercourse) and he says: “I fear Allaah.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
This Hadeeth includes any person who keeps himself away from Zina (fornication or adultery) while he is capable of doing it, as Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen 
implied in his commentary on Riyaadh As-Saaliheen. For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 7180.
Also, it is known in the rules of the Sharee’ah that the stronger the urge for the sin, the greater the reward for leaving it for the Sake of Allaah is; so if a young man refrains from committing Zina out of fear of the Wrath of Allaah while his desire is intense, then Allaah will give him a great reward.
As regards which is better, that a young man guards his chastity or the good acts of worship which you mentioned, then there is no doubt that guarding the chastity is better, because the former is optional while shunning Zina is an obligation, and the obligatory acts of worship have a greater and better reward than the supererogatory acts, as mentioned in a Qudsi Hadeeth: “…There is nothing My slave does to gain My favor that is more beloved to Me than what I have enjoined upon him….” [Al-Bukhari]
Allaah Knows best.
Search Fatwa
Fatwa Subject
