Fahisha or Fahash ( ar, فُحْش, الفاحشة, فاحشة) is an

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

word, commonly means

lewdness Lascivious behavior is sexual behavior or conduct that is considered crude and offensive, or contrary to local moral or other standards of appropriate behavior. In this sense "lascivious" is similar in meaning to "lewd", "indecent", "lecherous", ...

and

indecency Inappropriateness refers to standards or ethics that are typically viewed as being negative in a society. It differs from things that are illicit in that inappropriate behavior does not necessarily have any accompanying legal ramifications. Co ...

Terminology

According to Islamic scholars, there are two opinions about the meaning of Fahisha: *Either it is fornication and adultery (

Zina ''Zināʾ'' () or ''zinā'' ( or ) is an Islamic legal term referring to unlawful sexual intercourse. According to traditional jurisprudence, ''zina'' can include adultery, fornication, prostitution, rape, sodomy, incest, and bestiality. ...

as ''Fahisha Mubin''), as Quran states, *The second opinion is any bad deeds that deserves punishment such as stoning, killing, cutting a hand, etc. The major sins included in Fahisha are numerous. Islamic law considers as a major sin any act that the religion has warned Muslims against performing, or has promised harsh punishment for committing, or has prescribed a

Hadd ''Hudud'' (Arabic: ''Ḥudūd'', also transliterated ''hadud'', ''hudood''; plural of ''hadd'', ) is an Arabic word meaning "borders, boundaries, limits". In the religion of Islam it refers to punishments that under Islamic law ( sharīʿah) ar ...

for it. Examples of major sins are disbelieving in

Allah Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", an ...

(

God in Islam God in Islam ( ar, ٱللَّٰه, Allāh, contraction of '' al- ’Ilāh'', lit. "the God") is seen as the eternal creator and sustainer of the universe, who will eventually resurrect all humans. In Islam, God is conceived as a perfect ...

) after having believed in Him, killing an innocent soul, dealing with

Riba The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

(usury, interest), treating one's parents harshly, adultery, fornication, giving false testimonies, etc.

References

Arabic words and phrases in Sharia Islamic terminology Sharia legal terminology {{islam-stub