Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
1- Sexual perversion—homosexuality and lesbianism—finds a great resort and refuge in the Western countries where it is accepted and legalized by the laws of these countries that put man in a position even worse than animals under the pretext of protecting human rights.
2- In such countries that credit civilization and progress to itself, those people are free to establish their own unions, clubs and forums where they can gather together to discuss their problems and work for further forms of perversion and deviation.
3- To accept such ignominies as a substitute for the natural human relation between males and females is no more than a big leap towards chaos and following animal instincts.
4- The outcome of accepting such manias will be no less than more destruction, disgrace and degradation brought to the face of mankind.
5- This act of accepting such perversion is a fierce attack against the rights of women and deep involvement in filthiness.
In his book Problems of Young People: Suggested Solutions Versus Islamic Ones, Dr. `Abbas Mahgoub, states:
Sexual perversion (homosexuality and lesbianism) can be traced back to the following reasons:
1- The lack of that kind of education that is based on a genuine flexible understanding of Islam. Such an understanding should be free from suppression, compulsion or depression. Due to the widespread misconception that all kinds of contacts between members of the opposite sex are sinful, there is a big sensitivity in this regard.
2- The bad friends who come from different age stages and exchange the social and spiritual emptiness.
3- The lack of proper sex education that informs young men and women about how to satisfy their innate sexual desires according to the laws established by Almighty Allah and keep themselves far remote from any kind of unnatural behavior.
4- The carelessness shown in meeting young people’s demands for buying anything they desire and giving them excessive freedom. Such carelessness leads them to deviate, and it is really the responsibility of fathers and mentors to enlighten their children and young people on the importance of moderation in fulfilling such needs.
5- The lack of monitoring. Parents should monitor their children without giving them extreme freedom or suppressing them. A balance should be struck between them and should go hand in hand with guidance and mutual trust and consultation.
6- The lack of true understanding and explanation of the physical and psychological dangers and hazards of adultery, fornication, and sexual perversion in this world and the great punishment of the Hereafter.
In the West, homosexuality is on the increase because youngsters are encouraged by society to date at earlier and earlier ages. When adolescents or even pre-adolescents are not comfortable with the opposite sex, they are not told that this is due to natural shyness at a young age but that they might be homosexual, and they are encouraged to experiment sexually with their same sex.
Sexual perversion, as previously stated, has two main types, namely male homosexuality and lesbianism. Following is a clear discussion of both:
First: Homosexuality
The Qur’an tells us the story of the people of Lut (Lot), who deviated from the natural way and got involved in this abnormality, refusing every word of advice from their Prophet Lut.
Thus, their destiny was destruction and punishment. Almighty Allah says:
“And Lo! (Remember) when he said unto his folk: Will you commit abomination such as no creature ever did before you? Lo! you come with lust unto men instead of women. Nay, but you are wanton folk. And the answer of his people was only that they said (one to another): Turn them out of your township. They are folk, forsooth, who keep pure. And We rescued him and his household, save his wife, who was of those who stayed behind. And We rained a rain upon them. See now the nature of the consequence for evil doers!” (Al-A`raf: 80-84)
Second: Lesbianism
As for lesbianism, it is also no more than a perversion and an attack against the natural relation between a man and a woman.
Moreover, Sheikh Muhammad Saleh Al-Munajjid, a prominent Saudi scholar and lecturer, adds:
Islam emphatically forbids this deed [homosexual sex] and prescribes a severe punishment for it in this world and the next. How could it be otherwise, when the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) said: ‘Whoever you find committing the sin of the people of Lut, kill them, both the one who does it and the one to whom it is done.’ (At-Tirmidhi) That is, if it is done with consent.
The scholars of Islam, such as Malik, Ash-Shafi`i, Ahmad and Ishaq said that (the person guilty of this crime) should be stoned, whether he is married or unmarried.
There is no doubt that this act, which goes against the pure human nature created by Allah, by making men content with men and women with women, destroying families, adversely affecting the birth rate, causing the spread of killer diseases, harming the innocent when children are raped, and generally spreading corruption on earth, should be uprooted and stamped out.
Thinking of the wisdom behind prohibiting homosexuality and lesbianism, the following can be said:
First, such acts lead to the spread of passivity among the young generation and destroy their morality, since they cannot practice such perversion except after taking some drugs to create for themselves a virtual atmosphere where they feel fake joy. Sufficient unto any person to feel that his manhood is lost.
Second, it destroys the lives of women whose husbands leave them in pursuit of this perversion and they, in turn, try to find a way to satisfy their sexual needs. In such case, the whole society will be no more than chaos.
Third, it is a fierce attack on progeny and pregnancy, which increases the human race.
Fourth, the dangerous diseases that are caused by it are unavoidable and fatal. Topping these illnesses is HIV/AIDS.
It is because of all these things that Almighty Allah prohibited homosexuality.
There is no certain punishment for lesbianism. Still, disciplinary punishment is there for any perverted person who commits it.
Almighty Allah knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.