The Social Ethics of QS. Al-Nūr [24]: 3: A Double-Movement Analysis of Sexual Commerce, Marriage, and Human Dignity

Abstract

The practice of body commodification has persisted from the pre-Islamic era to the digital age, frequently reducing human dignity to a mere transactional instrument. The Qur’an addresses this issue not solely through legal rulings, but also by establishing an ethical foundation for social relations. This study aims to reveal the dimension of social criticism in the prohibition of marrying fornicators (QS. Al-Nūr [24]: 3) through historical-contextual analysis and the re-actualization of its universal moral values to address contemporary challenges. This research uses a qualitative method with a Fazlur Rahman’s double movement theory. Primary data includes Al-Wahidi’s Asbāb al-nuzūl, supported by Fazlur Rahman’s works and contemporary social studies as secondary data. The analysis suggests that the verse can be read not only in juridical terms but also as articulating ethical concerns regarding sexual conduct, marriage, and human dignity. These ethical concerns are subsequently extended, with appropriate qualifications, to contemporary forms of sexual commodification. The first movement of the theory reveals the verse as a moral response to poverty and the objectification of women in the Jahiliyah era. The second movement re-actualizes the principles of human dignity (karāmah) and social justice to critique the commodification of the body in the digital age, such as through OnlyFans and sugar dating. This prohibition offers a progressive social ethic centered on human dignity. The double movement theory demonstrates the timeless relevance of the verse as a tool for moral reform, with implications for anti-exploitation policies and value education in contemporary society.