Do Not Approach Open or Hidden Indecency

Names and terminology

Canonical name: Do Not Approach Open or Hidden Indecency

Literal meaning

Avoid conduct classified by the passage as flagrant or concealed sexual and moral indecency.

Broader interpretation

This item should be interpreted within the historical purpose, intended audience and wider structure of its parent ethical framework.

Historical context

This item belongs to Ten Ethical Injunctions in Qur'an 6:151–153. Seventh-century Qur'anic revelation; Arabian Peninsula.

Practical meaning

Practical application requires attention to intention, consent, evidence, rights, foreseeable effects and the needs of all persons or beings affected.

Ethical purpose

To shape conduct, judgment or character in a way consistent with the wider framework.

Exceptions and disputes

Definitions must distinguish actual harm and exploitation from inherited restrictions based only on identity or consensual private conduct.

Variations across schools or traditions

Wording and interpretation may vary between translations, denominations, schools and historical periods.

Modern application

Modern application should distinguish the historical formulation from present legal, social and ethical conditions.

Criticism and difficult cases

Definitions must distinguish actual harm and exploitation from inherited restrictions based only on identity or consensual private conduct.

Truth By Reason analysis

Truth By Reason assesses this principle through evidence, intentions, rights, foreseeable consequences, consistency and the treatment of all affected beings.

Ethical themes

• Sexual conduct
• Self-control

Sources

• Qur'an 6:151–153 Primary source