Assalaamu Alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh
In the spirit of Islamic brotherhood and in keeping with the Sunnah of our
Nabi Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) who has said, ‘None of you has
Imaan (Faith) until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself’,
please allow me to offer to you the following words of advice:
Every true believer living in this world fears the wrath and punishment of
Allah Ta’ala. Are you safe, O my brother, from the punishment of Allah Ta’
ala? The question each one of us has to ask himself is: Would you like to be
amongst those who will be punished tomorrow, on the day in which neither
wealth nor children will be of any benefit except to that person who appears
before Allah with a pure heart? Would you be happy if your soul were reduced
to the lowest position after Allah had created it in the best of forms?
Would you allow myself to be disgraced in front of the whole of mankind and
the entire creation on the Day of Qiyaamah (Reckoning)? Certainly you would
not like any of this to happen to you!
Please let me share with you some brotherly advice regarding just one evil
that has become so widespread today - especially amongst the youth. I know
that there may be many questions roving in your mind regarding this evil:
- What is this sin?
- Is it so grave that we should discuss it?
- What is the solution to it?
- How can we save ourselves from it?
- What are the harms and consequences of it?
Do not be too hasty for soon you will find answers to all your questions.
My Beloved Brother! You are certainly aware that the sin of homosexuality is
haraam. But do you know how serious this crime is and just how despicable it
is in the sight of Allah Ta’ala? Just imagine, my brother, that when it is
against the very nature of man, nay even of animals, what is the position of
the person who indulges in it! Is such a person unaware that Allah Ta’ala –
in all His Grandeur, Might and Power – is watching him while he indulges in
this haraam act? Is he not aware that Allah Ta’ala has the power to send
down upon him a swift and severe punishment or even seize him while he is
involved in it? What will his position be when he appears before his Rabb
(Sustainer) on the Day of Qiyaamah?
" And such is the grasp of your Rabb when He seizes a community while it
transgresses! Certainly His grasp is very painful." (Surah Hood, ayah 102)
Let us now look at a few verses of the Qur’an, Ahaadith, narrations of the
Sahaabah (radhiallaahu anhum) and sayings and verdicts of the Ulama
regarding the sin of homosexuality or sodomy. Thereafter, let us see what
are some of the diseases that spread as a result of it as well as some
solutions. May Allah Ta’ala grant us the ability to follow His guidance and
the Sunnah of His Beloved Nabi Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wasallam).
BEWARE!
Our beloved Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said, ‘Certainly the
thing I fear most on my ummah is the (wicked) practice of the people of
Loot.’ (Tirmizi, Ahmad, Ibn Hajr Al-Haysami, Ad-Duri and Al-Aajuri) (Hadith
Hasan)
Hadrat Ali bin Abi Taalib (RA) relates, ‘Whoever allows himself to be used
sexually (by becoming a homosexual or sodomite), Allah Ta’ala will expel
from him the (natural) desire for women.’
Najeeb As-Sirri (AR) says, ‘They (i.e. our pious elders) would even dislike
looking at handsome young boys’
Once Abul Aswad (AR) brought a letter which he showed to one of his students
and said, ’ I bear witness that this letter was dictated by Ali bin Abi
Taalib (RA) to Abul Aswad: When men (i.e. homosexuals) will sexually satisfy
themselves with men and women (i.e. lesbians) with women, then earthquakes
will occur, faces will become transformed and stones will rain down from the
skies.’
Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) has also said “May Allah curse him
who does what the people of Loot (alayhis salaam) did.” (Ibn Hibbaan)
He (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) has also said, ‘Lesbianism by women is
adultery between them.’ (Tabraani)
A LESSON FROM HISTORY
It is a well-known fact that when this wretched disease spread among one
nation in the past, Allah Ta’ala caused punishments to rain down from the
skies upon them. Allah mentions their story in many places in the Qur’an. At
one place, He says,
"And (We also sent) Loot (as a Messenger). ‘Behold, he said to his people,
do you do what is shameful even though you see (that it is wrong)? Would you
really approach men in your lusts rather than women? Nay, you are a grossly
ignorant people!’
But his people gave no other answer but this: They said, ‘Drive out the
followers of Loot from your city. These are indeed men who want to be clean
and pure!’
But We saved him and His family except his wife: We destined her to be of
those who lagged behind.
And We rained down on them a shower (of stones). And evil was the shower on
those who were admonished (but failed to heed)." (Surah an-Naml, 54-5
At yet another place, Allah Most High says: Do you approach the males of
humanity, leaving the wives Allah has created for you? But you are a people
who transgress. (Surah ash-Shu’raa: 165 &166)
From the first aayah, we learn that these people had themselves admitted
that the family of Loot (AS) who had Imaan (belief in Allah) was decent,
chaste and morally pure. They also acknowledged that the family of Loot (AS)
refrained from this filthy practice. They realised this since it is natural
for every person to immediately recognise the pure way of life inspired by
Allah Ta’ala when they see it and also to make out any type of unnatural and
perverted behaviour.
In the Tafseer (commentary) of these verses it is mentioned that the people
of Loot (AS) were practicing both homosexuality and lesbianism. When Allah
decided to punish them, He commanded Jibraeel (AS) to lift the village of
Loot (AS) to the extent that the angels of the first heaven (sky) could
actually hear the barking of their dogs. Jibraeel then turned them over and
dropped them from this tremendous height. Thereafter, Allah Ta’ala caused sc
orching hot stones to rain down upon them. This is how this nation ended up
being an example for the rest of mankind until the Day of Qiyaamah.
Imaam Al-Aajuri (AR) has said, ‘Allah Ta’ala has informed you about the
despicable act of homosexuality committed by the people of Loot (AS) and how
He punished them by first snatching away their eyesight. Jibraeel (AS) was
then instructed to uproot their cities with all the inhabitants until they
were high up into the sky and then turn over their cities upon them.
Thereafter they were pelted with stones of clay.’ Such was their punishment
that not a single citizen or traveller could save himself from the stones
and from being completely destroyed.
It is said that they were four million in number. (Tafseer Ibn Katheer p.471
vol. 2)
Let us reflect! Why did Allah Ta’ala punish them so severely in such a
manner that He had never punished any other nation before? Surely their sin
must have been really serious for Allah Ta’ala to have punished and
destroyed them in this way.
DISGRACE IN THIS WORLD
The acts of homosexuality and lesbianism are certainly a perversion and a
serious deviation from the inherent nature of man. These acts of defiance
against human nature are also even viler and uglier than adultery. There is
consensus among both Muslims and the followers of other religions that
lesbianism and homosexuality are evil and filthy practices. This is why it
is not surprising to find that Islam so vehemently prohibits it and adopts
such a harsh attitude against it.
The punishment awaiting such people in the Hereafter has already been
explained, but what about their punishment in this world?
Since such type of behaviour was previously totally unknown to the Arab
people, there is no record of any such incident having occurred during the
time of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) or that he was faced with a
case of this nature. However, it has been confirmed that Rasulullah
(sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said,
‘Kill the one who sodomizes and the one to who lets it be done to him.’
(Tirmizi)
Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (RA) had passed such a ruling and Hadrat Ali (RA) was
very severe in his ruling against such a crime. It is established that once
Sayyiduna Khaalid bin Waleed (RA) found a man in the frontiers of Arabia
marrying another man in the way a woman marries a man, so he wrote about it
to Abu Bakr (RA). When Abu Bakr (RA) consulted with the Sahaabah, Ali (RA)
who was the severest in his condemnation of it said, ‘Only one out of the
many nations had indulged in it and you all know how Allah Ta’ala had dealt
with them. I feel that he should be destroyed by fire.’ So Abu Bakr (RA)
wrote back to Sayyiduna Khaalid (RA) who then put the man to death by means
of fire.
Ibn Qassaar and Ibn Taymiyyah (AR) have said: All the Sahaabah (radhiallaahu
anhum) were unanimous that he should be killed though some of them differed
in the manner in which it should be done.
Abu Bakr (RA) said that he should be executed by being thrown from a great
height.