In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
A Muslim who experiences homosexual desires should exert effort to control those desires and not to act upon them. We must acknowledge that many Muslims are afflicted with these desires and they deserve our compassionate counsel, but we have no right to change the teachings of our religion in order to conform to modern liberal ideologies.
Allah said:
وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ فَإِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَىٰ
As for him who feared to stand before his Lord and prevented the soul from lust, then his abode is Paradise.(Surah An-Naziat 79:40-41)
And Allah said:
أَرَأَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلَٰهَهُ هَوَاهُ أَفَأَنتَ تَكُونُ عَلَيْهِ وَكِيلًا
Have you seen the one who takes as his god his own desire? Then would you be responsible for him? (Surah Al-Furqan 25:43)
Homosexual desires are a means with which Allah tests our faith and resolve to follow His commandments, in the same way people are tested with the desire to drink alcohol or to commit adultery. It is not sinful for a Muslim to experience these desires, but rather it is only sinful if he acts upon them.
Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَجَاوَزَ لِأُمَّتِي مَا حَدَّثَتْ بِهِ أَنْفُسَهَا مَا لَمْ يَتَكَلَّمُوا أَوْ يَعْمَلُوا بِهِ
Verily, Allah has pardoned my nation for their bad thoughts within themselves as long as they do not speak of it or act upon it.(Source: Sahih Muslim 127, Grade: Sahih)
Homosexual sodomy is unlawful in Islam because sexual intercourse is only valid in a contracted marriage. Therefore, sodomy is in the category of adultery and it is considered a major sin. It is the sin which Allah specifically attributed to the people of Lot, upon him be peace.
Allah said:
وَلُوطًا إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِ أَتَأْتُونَ الْفَاحِشَةَ مَا سَبَقَكُم بِهَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ مِّنَ الْعَالَمِينَ إِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ الرِّجَالَ شَهْوَةً مِّن دُونِ النِّسَاءِ ۚ بَلْ أَنتُمْ قَوْمٌ مُّسْرِفُونَ
Remember Lot when he said to his people: Do you commit such immorality as no one has preceded you with from among the worlds? Verily, you approach men with desire instead of women. Rather, you are a transgressing people.(Surah Al-A’raf 7:80-81)
And Allah said:
أَتَأْتُونَ الذُّكْرَانَ مِنَ الْعَالَمِينَ وَتَذَرُونَ مَا خَلَقَ لَكُمْ رَبُّكُم مِّنْ أَزْوَاجِكُم ۚ بَلْ أَنتُمْ قَوْمٌ عَادُونَ
Do you approach males among the worlds and leave what your Lord has created for you as mates? Rather you are a people transgressing.(Surah Ash-Shu’ara 26:165-166)
Ibn Abbas reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said three times:
لَعَنَ اللَّهُ مَنْ عَمِلَ عَمَلَ قَوْمِ لُوطٍ لَعَنَ اللَّهُ مَنْ عَمِلَ عَمَلَ قَوْمِ لُوطٍ ثَلَاثًا
Allah has cursed the one who behaves like the people of Lot.(Source: Musnad Ahmad 2908, Grade: Sahih)
The Prophet feared that this deed and its associated harms would become widespread among the Muslims and it appears as if his fears are becoming a reality.
Jabir reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
إِنَّ أَخْوَفَ مَا أَخَافُ عَلَى أُمَّتِي عَمَلُ قَوْمِ لُوطٍ
Verily, what I fear most for my nation is the deed of the people of Lot.(Source: Sunan At-Tirmidhi 1374, Grade: Hasan)
Ibn Al-Qayyim said:
وَذَلِكَ لِاشْتِرَاكِ الزِّنَا وَاللِّوَاطِ فِي الْفُحْشِ وَفِي كُلٍّ مِنْهُمَا فَسَادٌ يُنَاقِضُ حِكْمَةَ اللَّهِ فِي خَلْقِهِ وَأَمْرِهِ فَإِنَّ فِي اللِّوَاطِ مِنَ الْمَفَاسِدِ مَا يَفُوتُ الْحَصْرَ وَالتَّعْدَادَ
Sodomy and adultery share in their wickedness, for in both of them is corruption that defies the wisdom of Allah’s creation and commandment. Indeed, in sodomy is a great corruption whose harms cannot be enumerated.(Source: Al-Jawab Al-Kafi)
The great harm caused by sodomy is its propensity to easily spread sexually-transmitted diseases among its practioners and then transfer them to the general population.
Ibn Umar reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
لَمْ تَظْهَرْ الْفَاحِشَةُ فِي قَوْمٍ قَطُّ حَتَّى يُعْلِنُوا بِهَا إِلَّا فَشَا فِيهِمْ الطَّاعُونُ وَالْأَوْجَاعُ الَّتِي لَمْ تَكُنْ مَضَتْ فِي أَسْلَافِهِمْ الَّذِينَ مَضَوْا
Sexual immorality never appears among people to such an extent that they commit it openly except that they will be afflicted by plagues and diseases unknown to their forefathers.(Source: Sunan Ibn Majah 4019, Grade: Sahih)
For this reason, those societies which experienced a modern liberal sexual revolution validating sodomy were soon afflicted by the proliferation of diseases such as the deadly HIV virus (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). The United States Center for Disease Control (CDC) issued the following warning:Yes [a person can get HIV from having anal sex]. In fact, unprotected (without a condom) anal sex (intercourse) is considered to be very risky behavior. It is possible for either sex partner to become infected with HIV during anal sex.(Source: Center for Disease Control)
Because of this, those who practice homosexual sodomy in the United States are disproportionately afflicted by HIV. The CDC states:
Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) represent approximately 2% of the US population, yet are the population most severely affected by HIV. In 2010, MSM accounted for 63% of all new HIV infections, and MSM with a history of injection drug use (MSM-IDU) accounted for an additional 3% of new infections. That same year, young MSM (aged 13-24 years) accounted for 72% of new HIV infections among all persons aged 13 to 24, and 30% of new infections among all MSM. At the end of 2010, an estimated 489,121 (56%) persons living with an HIV diagnosis in the United States were MSM or MSM-IDU.(Source: Center for Disease Control)
Those who practice homosexual sodomy are also afflicted by diseases of the bowels and other sexually-transmitted diseases. Therefore, the wisest course of action is for a Muslim never to engage in sodomy under any circumstances. Rather, a Muslim should seek to fulfill his sexual desires in a lawful marriage and, if that is not possible, then he should practice fasting as a means of self-control.
Ibn Mas’ud reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
يَا مَعْشَرَ الشَّبَابِ مَنْ اسْتَطَاعَ مِنْكُمْ الْبَاءَةَ فَلْيَتَزَوَّجْ فَإِنَّهُ أَغَضُّ لِلْبَصَرِ وَأَحْصَنُ لِلْفَرْجِ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ فَعَلَيْهِ بِالصَّوْمِ فَإِنَّهُ لَهُ وِجَاءٌ
O young men, if you are able to support a wife, then get married. Verily, it restrains the eyes and protects the private parts, but whoever is not able to do so then he has the duty to fast because indeed it is a means of control.(Source: Sahih Muslim 1400, Grade: Sahih)
Furthermore, it must be restated that we should have mercy and compassion for those being afflicted by homosexual desires because Islam teaches us to have mercy upon the entire creation. However, true compassion does not mean we should validate sinful behavior but rather we must sincerely warn people not to commit homosexual intercourse due to its harmful physical and spiritual consequences.
Neither do we have the right to abandon the clear verses, traditions, and Islamic jurisprudence on this issue under pressure from modern liberal ideologues. Some Muslims have advanced novel interpretations of the Quran in order to justify homosexual intercourse, relationships, and even “marriage” but such interpretations are clearly without a basis in the Quran and Sunnah; therefore, they will be rejected by Allah.
Aisha reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
مَنْ أَحْدَثَ فِي أَمْرِنَا هَذَا مَا لَيْسَ فِيهِ فَهُوَ رَدٌّ
Whoever innovates something into this affair of ours which does not belong to it will have it rejected.(Source: Sahih Bukhari 2550, Grade: Sahih)
Finally, it must be said that Muslims who uphold the moral and spiritual teachings of Islam on this issue can be expected to be labeled “homophobic” even though our position is not based upon hatred or irrational fear. Rather, we do not accept the ideological assumption of modern sexual liberalism that a person’s sexual behavior (orientation) is equivalent to their race or ethnicity.
In order to impose their ideology on us, some aggressive homosexual activists will accuse us of promoting hatred and bigotry. This has already occurred to the Catholics, as one writer complains:
Pope Benedict XVI and others have recently drawn attention to the fact that simply putting forward the Church’s unchanging teachings on marriage and sexual morality puts a person in the position of being accused of “hate.” In particular, GLBT (gay lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered) activists are demanding that Catholics and those of other religions change 4,000-year-old teachings about marriage and sexual morality. When believers answer that they are not authorized to make such changes in what God has revealed, the GLBT activists accuse them of “hate,” even going so far as to charge them with “hate crimes.” It doesn’t matter how gently the words are spoken or how carefully the message is phrased, the GLBT activists only hear “hate.”
Muslims must be patient over these false accusations and must respond to them with good will and sincerity, as Allah said:
وَاصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَا يَقُولُونَ وَاهْجُرْهُمْ هَجْرًا جَمِيلًا
Be patient over what they say and avoid them with gracious avoidance.(Surah Al-Muzammil 73:10)
Success comes from Allah, and Allah knows best.
