Ruling on reading
    stories with sexual content and looking at dirty pictures
Question

                Assalamu Alaikum
   I have a muslim friend who would wish that you'd answer her question (She
      doesn't have AOL). Her question is" Is it Haram to read about bad things? What about
      hearing or reading about bad stories? If it is, then what should I do to recover my bad
      deed?" Please answer it as soon as possible!
Praise be to Allah.One of the aims of shareeah is to protect peoples honour
    and to preserve lineages (keep them legitimate). For this reason, marriage has been
    prescribed, and fornication, adultery, sodomy and lesbianism have been forbidden. All the
    things that may lead to the above have also been forbidden, such as looking at non-mahram
    women (women to whom one is not closely related), mixing with them or being alone with
    them. Dressing improperly and forming friendships with the opposite sex have also been
    forbidden. All of this is aimed at preventing the provocation of desires, and at directing
    desires into legitimate channels instead of letting them find forbidden means of
    expression. One of the principles of shareeah is that whatever leads to haraam deeds
    is itself haraam, so everything that leads to the provocation of haraam desires is haraam,
    because it may lead to a person falling into fornication and adultery. Once desire has
    been provoked, it invariably means that a person has to find a way of satisfying it, and
    so he or she commits a haraam act. Reading stories and magazines with sexual content, and
    looking at dirty pictures and movies provokes these kinds of desires and leads to haraam
    deeds, so they are not allowed. We should avoid them and keep away from them. Warn your
    friend about this and tell her to repent by keeping away from these things and getting rid
    of any bad books, movies etc. that she still has. She should feel remorse for the past,
    and should do more righteous deeds from now on. We ask Allaah to grant us all chastity and
    good health, to purify our hearts and to accept our repentance, for He is the Acceptor of
    repentance, the Most-Merciful.