Is there any explicit ayat or hadith which EXPLICITLY prohibits masterbation, like zina, murder etc. If there are no such explicit instructions, can this not be treated as mubah, or at the most makrooh?
Mu' meneen
Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa
Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be
upon all of you)
One of our
brothers/sisters has asked this question:
I have a few ques.
1. Is there any explicit ayat or hadith which EXPLICITLY prohibits masterbation,
like zina, murder etc. If there are no such
explicit instructions, can this not be treated as mubah,
or at the most makrooh?
2. I have read somewhere there some fiqahs permit masterbation under certain conditions, eg.
for unmarried persons, travellers,
etc.
3. If not, what permissible alternative is there for such persons?
4. Don`t you agree that this helps individuals to
avoid greater evils?
Thank you.
(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)
Answer:
Prohibition of masturbation
In the
name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness.
Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray,
none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no
person, no grave, no prophet, no imam,
no dai,
nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that
Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
Your Question: Is there any
explicit ayat or hadith
which EXPLICITLY prohibits masterbation, like zina, murder etc.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 23 Surah
Muminoon verses 1-11:
1 The Believers must (eventually) win through
2 Those who humble themselves in their
prayers;
3 Who avoid vain talk;
4 Who are active in deeds of charity;
5 Who abstain from sex,
6 Except with those joined to them in the marriage bond, or (the captives) whom their right hands possess; for (in their case) they are free from blame.
7 But those whose desires
exceed those limits, are transgressors!
8 Those who faithfully observe their trust and their covenants;
9 And who (strictly) guard their prayers
10 Those will be the heirs
11 Who will inherit
The
scholars of all schools of thought are unanimous in their opinion that the evil
act of ‘masturbation’ would, without an iota of a doubt, fall under the
category of ‘those whose desires exceed the limits’.
Your Question: If there are no
such explicit instructions, can this not be treated as mubah,
or at the most makrooh?
’Mubah’ literally means something which is
permissible in Islam, and without an iota of a doubt, the evil act of
masturbation cannot under any circumstances be considered a ‘mubah’ or something which is deemed permissible in the
perfect and righteous deen of Islam.
‘Makrooh’ in Islamic terminology means something that is
absolutely despised, hated and abhorred in the Sight of Allah Subhanah, the Lord of the Worlds. Some people falsely assume that it is fine to
do or indulge in something which is ‘makrooh’ as long
as it is not specified as ‘haraam’ by Allah and His
Messenger (saws), whereas nothing could be further to the Truth! If one reads, understands and comprehends the
list of deeds which Allah Subhanah has Himself listed
as ‘makrooh’ in His Sight and Law, one would be able
to comprehend what it really means for a thing to be ‘makrooh’!
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 17 Surah
Israa verses 23-38:
23 Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him and
that ye be kind to parents. Whether one
or both of them attain old age in thy life say not to them a word of
contempt nor repel them but address them in terms of honor.
24 And out of kindness lower to them the wing of humility and say:
"My Lord! bestow on them Thy Mercy even as they
cherished me in childhood."
25 Your Lord knoweth best what is in your
hearts: if ye do deeds of righteousness verily He is Most Forgiving to those
who turn to Him again and again (in true penitence).
26 And render to the kindred their due rights as (also) to those in
want and to the wayfarer: but squander not (your wealth) in the manner of
a spendthrift.
27 Verily spendthrifts are brothers of the Evil Ones; and the Evil One
is to his Lord (Himself) ungrateful.
28 And even if thou hast to turn away from them in pursuit of the Mercy
from thy Lord which thou dost expect yet speak to them a word of easy kindness.
29 Make not thy hand tied (like a niggard's) to thy neck nor stretch it forth to its utmost reach
so that thou become blameworthy and destitute.
30 Verily thy Lord doth provide sustenance in abundance for whom He pleaseth and He provideth in a just measure: for He doth know and regard
all His servants.
31 Kill not your children for fear of want: We shall provide sustenance for them as well as for you: verily
the killing of them is a great sin.
32 Nor come close to or even approach ‘zina’: for it is a shameful (deed) and an evil
opening the road (to other evils).
33 Nor take life which Allah has made sacred except for just cause. And
if anyone is slain wrongfully We have given his heir
authority (to demand Qisas or to forgive): but let
him not exceed bounds in the matter of taking life: for he is helped (by the
Law).
34 Come not nigh to the orphan's property except to improve it until he attains the age of full strength; and
fulfil (every) engagement for (every) engagement will
be enquired into (on the Day of Reckoning).
35 Give full measure when ye measure and weigh with a balance that is
straight: that is the most fitting and the most
advantageous in the final determination.
36 And pursue not that of which thou hast no knowledge; for every act
of hearing or of seeing or of (feeling in) the heart will be enquired into (on
the Day of Reckoning).
37 Nor walk on the earth with insolence: for thou canst not rend the earth asunder nor reach the mountains
in height.
38 Of ALL such things the evil is ‘MAKROOH’ (absolutely hateful) in the
Sight of thy Lord.
To
associate any god with Allah is ‘Makrooh’ in the
Sight of Allah!
To be
undutiful to one’s parents is ‘Makrooh’ in the Sight
of Allah!
To spend
one’s wealth like a spendthrift is ‘Makrooh’ in the
Sight of Allah!
To be
niggardly and miserly with one’s wealth is ‘Makrooh’
in the Sight of Allah!
To kill
one’s children is ‘Makrooh’ in the Sight of Allah!
To come
even near or approach any thing or path that leads to the evil of ‘zina’ is ‘Makrooh’ in the Sight
of Allah!
To kill
or murder someone intentionally without right is ‘Makrooh’
in the Sight of Allah!
To
unjustly usurp the property of orphans is ‘Makrooh’
in the Sight of Allah!
To cheat
or be dishonest when measuring or weighing or doing any transaction is ‘Makrooh’ in the Sight of Allah!
In light
of the guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah, if the
evil act of masturbation is ‘makrooh’, then just by
studying the list of things which are ‘makrooh’ in
the Sight of Allah, one should fear Allah their Lord and certainly abstain from
coming even close to it!
Your Question: I have read
somewhere there some fiqahs permit masterbation under certain conditions, eg.
for unmarried persons, travellers,
etc.
To the
best of our knowledge, we do not know of nor have we ever heard of any group or
‘fiqah’ who have made the evil act of ‘masturbation’
permissible for unmarried persons under any circumstances.
After
such explicit instructions and guidance from Allah Subhanah
in His Glorious Quran and from the Noble Prophet Mohamed (saws) in his
authentic and established traditions, if some group or sect or ‘fiqah’ were to permit the evil act of ‘masturbation’, it
would surely be against the guidance of Allah and His Messenger (saws)!
Your Question: If not, what
permissible alternative is there for such persons?
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith
7.4 Narrated by Abdullah
We were with the Prophet (saws) while we were young and had no wealth
whatever. So Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "O young people! Whoever among
you can marry, should marry, because it helps him lower his gaze and guard his
modesty, and whoever is not able to marry, should fast, as fasting diminishes
his sexual power."
The only
permissible alternatives in Islam for one who is unable to control his natural
physical desire is to marry if he can do so; and if for any reason one is
unable to or has to delay the process of marriage, then the Messenger of Allah
(saws) guided the believers to observe voluntary fasting, for fasting
diminishes one’s sexual power.
If one
controls his desires and abstain from what is forbidden only because of the
fear of Allah and His Day of Accounting, he will earn his due reward in the
Presence of his Lord Most High when he ultimately meets with Him.
Your Question: Don`t
you agree that this helps individuals to avoid greater evils?
The evil act of
masturbation is only a temporary and momentary release and relief of one’s
desires, and rather than helping avoid or abstaining from greater evils, this
evil process of fantasizing and masturbating opens and enhances widely the
chances of falling into greater evils and transgressions!
Its not
as if one act of masturbation will kill one’s desire forever, but this constant
and illegal method of fantasizing and release only opens more paths that
approach the evil, abomination and heinous sin of ‘zina’!
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 17 Surah
Israa verses 32: Nor come close to or
even approach ‘zina’: for it is
a shameful (deed) and an evil opening the road (to other evils)!
If one
trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and commands of
Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can
be assured of never ever being misled;
but if one believes, obeys and
follows any other guidance, other than
that of Allah and His Messenger (saws),
one can be assured of being led astray.
Whatever
written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance,
and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah
Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.
Your Brother in Islam,
