Ibn ‘Abbas said “I did not see anything more resembling to minor sins than what Abu Hurairah reported from the Prophet (ﷺ) who said “Allaah has decreed for the children of Adam a share in adultery, he will get it by all means, the adultery of eyes is looking; the adultery of tongue is speaking; the soul desires and has a passion; the private parts confirms or falsifies it.”
Hadith Commentary: Sunan Abi Dawud 2152
This narration from Ibn 'Abbas through Abu Hurairah addresses the comprehensive nature of sin and human inclination, drawing an analogy between major and minor transgressions.
Scholarly Interpretation
The phrase "share in adultery" (nasib min al-zina) refers to the preliminary steps and minor sins that lead toward the major sin of unlawful intercourse. Scholars explain this as a warning against the gradual descent into major sins through seemingly minor infractions.
The categorization into "adultery of eyes" (looking at forbidden things), "adultery of tongue" (indecent speech), and "adultery of soul" (illicit desires) demonstrates how sins begin internally before manifesting externally through the private parts.
Spiritual Significance
This teaching emphasizes the importance of guarding all faculties - sight, speech, and heart - as they are pathways to either righteousness or sin. The final phrase "the private parts confirm or falsify it" indicates that physical action either validates these preliminary sins or, through restraint, demonstrates one's piety and self-control.
Classical commentators note this hadith serves as a profound reminder of the continuous spiritual struggle (mujahadah) required to purify both outward actions and inward states.