Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh

 

In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving

 

All praise is due to Allah. Peace and blessings be upon His Messenger Muhammad.

 

Islam teaches us that we are accountable to keep our mind, tongue, eyes, and faculties and as pure as possible. Islamic spiritual psychology as Imam Shah Waliullah insists that there is three-way traffic between our thoughts, words, and actions; so the things we think and dwell upon or what we see and hear will influence our thoughts, words, and activities.

 

Therefore, although one may read fiction without explicit sexual or indecent themes reading or pondering works with explicit sexual themes will end up corrupting our soul. Thus, as far as I can infer from the above, we should refrain from such thing.

 

As Imam Ghazali states while we are not accountable for mental chatter we have no control over, we are responsible for dwelling or deliberate thinking on sinful matters or themes.

 

One of the rules of jurisprudence states: that which leads to haram is also haram.

 

Almighty Allah knows best.