Thoughts in and of themselves are not sins. But they however can easily lead to sin. The idea of thought control is very important in Islam and it begins with being attuned to our ideas and the images , sounds, and casual mixed gender interactions that effect our heart-whether it be in real life or online/social media.
For example if someone was to see an image that was sexually exciting that can lead him or her to have certain thoughts or imaginations of for example committing adultery or obsessing over another man or woman which in could effect harmony of the marriage. We should pay close attention to our daily salaat, give in charity, read Qur'an/Du'a, and try our level best to control our glances. Also and perhaps most importantly, beseech Allah in du'a swt for his divine assistance ins seeking refuge from Shaytan and Satanic whispers while attempting to root out the causes of impure thoughts as mentioned in the question. Thus it requires a deeper investigation into the self to understand what triggers such ideas.
Any kind of sexual interaction with a non-mahram is prohibited, Islamically immoral, and a major sin. There is what we call Zina of the limbs, where one commits Zina with their eyes, by unlawful looking, or Zina by their hands, by unlawful touching, and so on.
May Allah ta'ala protects us all from such.
That being said, jurisprudentially the technical meaning of "Zina" is unlawful sexual intercourse.
And Allah knows best.
Books on Islam, Muslims, Prophet Muhammad(s), Ahlul Bayt.
OTP entered does not match. Please enter the correct OTP!
Full Name and Password are required.
Please provide a valid Email address.
Please enter a valid email address.
Enter valid first name and last name with at least one space.
Mail sent successfully!
A validation e-mail has been sent to your e-mail address. You will need to follow the instructions in that message in order to gain full access to the site.