Islam, as in all areas of life, has set certain limits and principles regarding sexual orientations and relationships. Before addressing the issue of homosexuality in Islam, it is important to make a significant point:
God does not directly characterize human feelings as sinful and does not punish them. However, He holds the individual responsible for his/her words and actions based on his/her feelings and thoughts. In this article, we will discuss how religion approaches homosexuality, and present a perspective on individual and social approaches to the issue.
HOMOSEXUALITY IN THE QURAN
Homosexuality is described in the Qur’an as ‘an ugly deed’ and ‘excess’:
And We sent Lot as a messenger, and one day he said to his people: ‘Are you doing that ugly deed (having homosexual intercourse)? No people has gone as far as you[1] in this ugly deed! You put women in second place and approach men with lust. Indeed, you are a people who have gone to extremes.’ (al-A’raf, 7:80-81)
Homosexual intercourse, as well as unmarried intercourse between a man and a woman, is a form of sexual immorality[2] and is forbidden:
‘Say: ‘My Master has forbidden only these things: Sexual immoralities -whether openly or secretly-, sins/behavior that leads one away from righteousness, unjust aggression, associating with God that for which God has not sent down a clear proof, and attributing to God what you say without knowledge.’ (al-A’raf, 7:33).
HOMOSEXUALITY IN THE BIBLE
Similar to the Qur’an, Leviticus 18:22 states that homosexual relation is an ‘abomination’ and forbids it:
‘Do not lie with a man as with a woman. It is an abomination.’ (Leviticus 18:22)
‘If a man has sexual intercourse with another man, they both commit an abomination. They will surely be put to death. They deserve death.’ (Leviticus 20:13)
The Bible also states that homosexual relations are unnatural, shameful behavior and perversion:
‘So God gave them over to shameful passions. Even their women preferred unnatural to natural intercourse. In the same way, men also forsook natural relations with women and lusted after one another. Men had shameful relations with men and received in their own bodies the reward for their perversion.’ (Romans 1:26-27)
The behavior of the people of Lot and their consequent destruction due to the excesses they committed in homosexual relations are narrated in Genesis 19:1-29 in detail.
PERSPECTIVES ON SAME-SEX SEXUALITY
Nowadays, an increasing number of people claim to be emotionally and/or sexually attracted to their fellow human beings. According to the founders of psychology such as Freud, Jung, and Adler, emotional and sexual orientation towards one’s own same sex is a psychosexual disorder[3] and even a psychosexual immaturity; however, current psychiatry, based on the decision of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 1973 and under the influence of political pressures, approaches the situation differently.[4]
Some homosexual individuals are aware that they are mentally distressed by their situation and want to return to normal and seek help in this regard. However, because those who form the LGBTIQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Intersex, Queer) movement today emphasize the perception that these feelings are not unusual but normal, some people are not aware of the wrongness of the situation and therefore do not demand a change or help. Religious views towards individuals who exhibit different behaviors will of course differ from one another.
WHAT SHOULD HOMOSEXUAL INDIVIDUALS DO ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES?
God has said, that He created human beings from male and female (al-Hujurat, 49:13, Bible/Genesis 1:27). Therefore, the claims of those who define themselves outside these two genders are completely invalid according to the Qur’an and other divine books.
When a human being lives in harmony with his/her biological sex, he/she complies with his/her “fitrat”, that is, his/her codes from creation, and therefore finds peace. If there is any obstacle to this, medical or psychological treatment methods should be used.
ISSUES TO BE CONSIDERED IN RELATIONSHIPS WITH HOMOSEXUAL INDIVIDUALS
It is not a sin to be in friendship with homosexuals, because they certainly need friends who will tell them the wrong and support them in the right path. However, if a believer befriends them in a way that approves of their sinful behavior, he too will be sinning, for God says:
‘Help one another in righteousness and piety, but do not help one another in sin and transgression. Beware of doing wrong against God. God’s punishment is severe.’ (al-Ma’idah, 5:2)
It is not possible for a believer to favor a deed that God calls ugly (al-Baqarah, 2:285, al-Ahzab, 33:36, al-Qalam, 68:9). For this reason, they should explain to those they know who have this orientation that the path these individuals take is wrong both in nature and religion, that what they are doing is a great sin, and if there is any support they can give to help them recover, they should do so.
A believer cannot treat an LGBT individual whom he/she does not know and who lives his/her daily life in society without emphasizing his/her sexuality any differently than he/she treats other people. God has not given such a right or duty to anyone. In fact, no one has the right to follow a person’s behavior in his/her home or in his/her private area, not in public. It is forbidden to investigate people’s secrets (al-Hujurat, 49:12).
People who live their homosexual personality and behavior visibly in public, who promote and praise this forbidden relationship or its advertisement in public, should do everything in their power to prevent these behaviors from being seen and set a bad example.
ATTITUDE TOWARD LGBT SUPPORTERS
Even if LGBT is presented as an organization that protects the feelings of LGBTIQ+ people, it is more than that. Homosexuality became a social movement in the USA and from there, it spread to other countries. Today, efforts are being made to perceive this psychosexual disorder as a normal way of life, and the biggest support in this regard is provided by social media, various politicians, and capital owners. Therefore, those who want to protect the human generation and the social fabric should be careful about what they support. Because God has said about those who work for the degeneration of progeny (either human or plant or animal):
‘There are some people whose words about the life of this world amaze you. And he holds God as a witness to what is in his heart. In fact, he is the worst enemy. Whenever he prevails, he endeavors to disturb the order of the earth and destroy its resources and progeny. God does not want the order to be disturbed.” (al-Baqarah, 2:204-205)
Believers absolutely cannot support LGBT, because God has clearly stated that those who support evil will also be responsible for that evil (an-Nisa, 4:85).
There is a serious warning in the Qur’an about those who want to spread an immoral way of life, which is both physiologically and psychologically contrary to human creation, certain to disrupt the natural order, and which God defines as an ugly deed/immorality:
‘For those who wish to spread immorality among the believers, there is a painful punishment in this world and in the Hereafter. God knows, but you do not know.’ (an-Noor, 24:19)
It is necessary to raise public awareness and warn people about the depressing world and afterlife that these individuals are dragged into. It is also the duty of believers, especially the experts on these issues, and those who witness these events, to provide medical or psychological information about the difficulties that LGBT individuals have experienced and will experience.
IMPORTANT WARNING
Other mistakes should not be committed while trying to prevent the spread of one vice. It should never be forgotten that no one has the right to harm anyone’s life or property, to humiliate, insult, or use violence. It should be kept in mind that the aim is to prevent a collective wrong action, raise people’s awareness, and set an example of good morals.
WHAT WOULD BE THE PUNISHMENT FOR HOMOSEXUALITY AND TRYING TO SPREAD IT IN A SOCIETY GOVERNED BY THE QUR’AN
The Quran, unlike the Bible, does not prescribe capital punishment for non-heterosexual individuals but condemns homosexuality and other sexual transgressions.
In the Qur’an, the disruption of the natural order established by God is called ‘fasad’ and the attempt to disrupt the order is called ‘ifsad’, i.e. corruption. God has stated that He does not want the natural order disrupted (al-Baqarah 2:205).
As it is known, the men of the people of Lot (as), where homosexuality was widespread, were turning towards other men with lust even though they had wives (an-Naml, 27:54-55). However, the crime that led the people of Lot to destruction was not only the fact that they were homosexual. They even detained foreign visitors for this purpose (Hud, 11:78; al-Qamar, 54:37), cut the roads and committed fornication in public places, in front of the eyes, and in clubs gathered for this purpose (al-Ankabut, 29:30). Despite all the warnings, they did not listen to God’s messenger and continued their ugly deeds, going to an unprecedented extent (al-A’raf, 7:80, al-Ankabut, 29:28). Thus, they collectively and persistently committed acts that disrupted the natural order in that land, that is, they caused mischief. That is why God rained stones on them and turned their city upside down (Hud, 11:82). Otherwise, they were not subjected to collective destruction because they individually committed this act in their private sphere.
In the Qur’an, God has prescribed various punishments to prevent such corruptions, which are gradually spreading in violation of the order in the world:
‘The punishment of those who fight against God and His Messenger and endeavor to make mischief in the land is that they should be killed or hanged or their hands and feet should be cut off crosswise or they should be exiled from their homes. This is their disgrace in this world. And what they deserve in the Hereafter is a great torment.’ (al-Ma’idah, 5:33)
This verse also includes punishments for organized crime and terrorism. In such collective offenses, the only sentence that can be meted out to those who have not committed murder, robbery, rape, or other acts of physical harm, but who have nevertheless worked to disrupt God’s natural order, i.e. to create mischief, can only be “exile”.
Accordingly, in a society governed by the Qur’an, groups working for the spread of homosexuality deserve to be expelled from the land they live in, unless they correct their behavior.
CONCLUSION:
Under today’s conditions where societies are not governed according to the Qur’an, what can be done against mass LGBT propaganda can be to make organized or individual efforts to explain the wrongness of this, to try to stop their advertisements, and if it is not possible to intervene personally, to condemn them with the tongue or heart.
It is among the duties of believers towards each other to call haram as haram, sin as sin, and show the truth (at-Tawbah, 9:71). The fact that these warnings are called ‘homophobia’ by LGBT groups and claimed to constitute a discrimination offense just like racism does not matter for a Muslim, because a believer fears the condemnation of God, rather than others (al-Ma’idah, 5:54).
In both the Qur’an and the previous divine books there is no gender definition other than male and female. Homosexuality is forbidden in all of them, but no individual’s human rights, such as the security of life and property, can be taken away on this ground.
[1]The verb “sabaqa (سبق)”, which is translated in many translations as “to do something for the first time”, actually means to take the lead in marching. In the verses where it is used in its literal meaning, it is used in the form of competition (Yusuf 12:17) and running (Yusuf 12:25). This word is used metaphorically for other forms of getting ahead (Mufradat al-Fadl al-Quran). It is figurative in the sense of being ahead of others in something (Ahqaf 46:11), or being ahead of others in the order of time (Taha 20:129). It is described in the Qur’an that the people of Lot practiced homosexuality in public, by force and in an organized manner. Basing on this evidence, it is appropriate to assign the verb “sabaqa” the meaning of “going further than ever before in that deviant behavior”, rather than the meaning of “doing it for the first time”.
[2] The word “fawahish”, translated as “sexual immoralities”, is plural. In Arabic, the plural form refers to at least three entities. Of these, adultery (al-Isra 17:32) and male-male intercourse (al-Araf 7:80, al-Ankabut 29:28) are explicitly mentioned in the Qur’an. The third is female-female intercourse.
[3] Nicolosi, Joseph (2001). The Removal of Homosexuality from the Psychiatric Manual. Catholic Social Science Review 6:71(-77).
https://www.pdcnet.org/cssr/content/cssr_2001_0006_0071_0077
[4] Nicolosi, Op cit, 6:72.
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