Consumed by Lust

A lot of people, including myself, believe that it is natural that an individual has a desire for a companion and pleasure. From my knowledge of the bible and the story of creation, it was intended and wired into a beings makeup to desire a member of the opposite sex. But when does this desire become too much? When this desire becomes untamed or illicit, this desire becomes lust. In Naguib Mahfouz's Palace Walk, we see Ahmad Abd al-Jawad's eldest son, Yasin, battle with controlling his lust and desire. As a young man, Yasin grapples with respect for women as it relates to his lust for women.
In the Qur'an 33:51, it is stated, "You may have whomever you desire; there is no blame." Does this make it okay for Muslim men to sleep with whomever they please and think of women how ever they'd like? If you'd say yes, I'd beg to differ. God took women from the flesh of men and commanded that they be respected and honored in that respect. Repeatedly in the this novel, Yasin, not only in actuality, but within his head, is seen struggling with his lust for women and respecting them. At a point when Yasin finds his lust overwhelming, he says:

Isn't it time yet bitch?...Didn't we agree on a date? But you're right to hold back...one of your breasts could destroy Malta. The second would drive Hidenburg out of his mind. You've a great treasure...May our Lord be gracious to me and to every poor rogue like me who can't sleep for thinking about swelling breasts, plumps buttocks, and eyes enhanced by kohl...Open up, bitch. Open up. You're the most beatiful creature to arouse my passion. Holding your lips between mine...sucking on your nipples...I'll wait till dawn” (242).

Wikipedia.com defines lust as the “craving for sexual intimacy, sometimes to the point of assuming a self-indulgent character.” In Islam, including many other Abrahamic religions, lust is considered an abominable sin, and to engage in sexual acts that stem from lust before marriage is also a sin. (Wikipedia). When hearing this, pay attention to the words “before marriage”. The part that says before marriage implies that after marriage, it is perfectly okay to indulge in sexual activity that stem from lust. I believe that in the novel when Ahamd says that he is going to marry off Yasin, he has this notion in mind. It seems that sexual activity before marriage is a sin, but any sexual activity after a marriage has taken place is fine, whether it's with a wife or not. As a religious person myself, I think it's safe to say that lusting for someone is wrong.
The Prophet Muhammad and the founder of Islam once said, "The fornication of the eyes is to look with lust; the fornication of the tongue is to speak lustful things; the fornication of the hands is to touch with lust; the fornication of the feet is to walk towards lust; the fornication of the heart is to desire evil." Through looking at the quote above, which is the thought of Yasin, it is easy to see that Yasin, through his lust, has sinned. Yasin's sin is not only a sin of the eye and tongue, it is also a sin of the heart, meaning that within him is evil according to Muhammad.
The novel states, “He was blinded by lust. What kind of lust was it? A lust kindled by a woman simply because she was a woman, not because of any of her qualities or associations. It was a lust that loved beauty but would not turn away from ugliness. In these crises, everything was equivalent. He was like a dog that eagerly devours whatever scraps it finds" (277). If Sigmund Feud was still living and would have read this book he'd say something to the effect of lust is a natural part of the human Psyche and is hidden deep in the Id and that it is inevitable that it will manifest itself. Because the Id, unlike the ego and super-ego, is driven by a desire for pleasure caused by tension, it is expected that Yasin would exhibit some lustful feelings and sexual tension.
As readers, should we condemn Yasin for his thoughts and acts of lust or it only natural that he reacts to women the way he does? When does desire become lust and when does looking at a women and admiring her become the uncontrollable desire known as lust?
Work Cited

“Lust.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 22 Feb. 2010. 23 Feb. 2010
Mahfouz, Naguib. Palace Walk. New York: Anchor, 1990

Syed Ahamed. English Translation of the Message of The Quran. Lombard, Illinois: Book of Signs Foundation, 2006.