I have been committing a sin that i am unclear of. I would like to know hat Islam has to say about masturbation
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:
Salam
Brother
I would like to say that lately i have been committing a sin that i am unclear
of. I would like to know hat Islam has to say about masturbation. What the
penalties are and what is the best to way to take my mind off of it.
thank
you
confused
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errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from
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confidentiality.)
Answer:
Abstain from
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: I would like to know hat Islam has to say about masturbation
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 scrupulously guard their modesty (private parts),
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’; and thus
this act is absolutely forbidden to all those who sincerely believe in Allah
and the Last Day.
Your
Question: What the penalties are
The act of masturbation is prohibited in Islam and is a
sin in the sight of Allah Subhanah; thus the believers must absolutely abstain
from this evil and heinous act.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter24 Surah
Noor verse 30:
O Prophet,
enjoin the believing men to restrain their gaze, and guard their private parts. This is a more righteous way for them. Allah has knowledge of whatever they do.
Allah has commanded the believers to lower their
gaze, and guard their chastity. This is a more righteous way for them. The act of ‘zina’ (fornication or adultery)
is a great sin in Islam. The
Prophet(saws) warned the believers against committing ‘zina’ of the eyes, ‘zina’ of the feet, ‘zina’ of the hands, etc. If one’s eyes are constantly watching sexual
movies, magazines, etc. it would be
considered ‘zina’ of the eyes. If one
goes to the place to commit ‘zina’ or to the place of sexual movies, magazines,
etc., it would be considered ‘zina’ of the feet. Similarly,
the act of masturbation, could be
considered a ‘zina’ of the eyes, or hands, etc.
It is a sin and an evil act, and
must be avoided by the believers.
Although there is no prescribed punishment in Shariah for
the act of masturbation in the life of this world, without an iota of a doubt,
those who commit this evil against themselves and die without seeking sincere
forgiveness from their Lord will have a severe accounting indeed in the
Presence of the All-Knowing Lord Most High on an Inevitable and Tumultuous Day!
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 24 Surah
Noor verses 24-25:
24 On the Day when their tongues, their hands, and their feet will bear
witness against them as to their actions.
25 On that Day Allah will pay them back (all) their just dues and they
will realize that Allah is the (very) Truth that makes all things manifest.
Your
Question: what is the best to way to take my mind off of it.
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 (i.e. his private parts from committing
illegal sexual intercourse, etc.), and whoever is not able to marry, should
fast, as fasting diminishes his sexual power."
Thus if one is unable to control his sexual desire, he should get married, rather than get involved in committing sins
like masturbation and ‘zina’
(fornication or adultery). And if one
is unable to marry, he should fast, as the Messenger of Allah (saws) says, that
fasting reduces the person’s sexual desire,
and thus help the believer to stay away from committing sin.
‘Fahesha’ or indecency is one of
the strongest weapons of the accursed enemy of man, the Shaitaan; who has sworn
to mislead and misguide mankind from the Straight Path of Allah Subhanah.
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 268:
The Shaitaan threatens you with poverty and
prompts you to adopt indecency (or acts of shamelessness). Allah promises you His Forgiveness and
Bounties, and Allah cares for all, and He knows all things.
The only thing that can stop one from acts of indecency,
or intentionally disobeying any command of Allah and His Messenger (saws); is the constant fear and consciousness that
One Inevitable Day, everyone will be brought forth in the Presence of the
All-Mighty Lord to give a full accounting of one’s deeds.
The first thing one needs to do, when he realizes that he has disobeyed any command
of Allah and His Messenger (saws), is to
immediately turn to the Merciful Lord and seek His Forgiveness and Pardon, and make a solemn covenant that he will not
repeat the mistake again. When Shaitaan
again tries to prompt the person to disobey the Merciful, the believers must
immediately realize the play of Shaitaan, seek refuge in Allah from the
accursed Shaitaan, remember the covenant he has made with His Lord, and abstain
from doing any deed that will bring about the Wrath and Anger of Allah Subhanah.
Allah Says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 7 Surah Aaraaf verses 200-201:
200 If a suggestion from Shaitaan assail thy (mind), seek refuge with
Allah; for He Heareth and Knoweth (all things).
201 Those who fear Allah, when a thought of evil from Shaitaan assaults
them, bring Allah to remembrance; when lo! they see (aright)!
As soon as one feels the desire, or the avowed enemy of man, the Shaitaan suggests the person to transgress any of the boundaries of Allah Subhanah; the believers should immediately seek the refuge and protection of the All-Mighty Lord from the accursed Shaitaan by saying: “Aoodobillahe minas Shaitaan ar rajeem”. If the person is sincere in seeking refuge and protection, Allah Subhanah will protect him from the assaults of Shaitaan.
Some other things the believers
may do at such a stage is do the ‘wudu’, offer prayers, or recite the 113th
and 114th Surahs of the Quran (Surah Falaq and Surah Naas) and seek
protection from the accursed Shaitaan.
The long-term remedy for keeping
the Shaitaan at bay, is to constantly remember Allah Subhanah, seek and stay in
the company of the righteous, recite the Quran, read good Islamic Books, listen
to good Islamic cassettes and lectures, and strive to stay away from being in
solitude.
If one is constantly in the face
of non-mehram women, or if one regularly watches commercial television and
movies, or regularly reads commercial
magazines, etc. where ill-clad women are constantly portrayed; there is a greater chance the person will be
swayed by the suggestions of Shaitaan towards ‘fahisah’ and indecency. If one strives to abstain from these devices
of Shaitaan, and makes efforts to remain
close to the Remembrance and Guidance of Allah Subhanah, he will be successful
in muting the ploys of the Shaitaan.
Allah Says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 7 Surah Aaraaf verse 27:
O ye children of
Adam! Let not Shaitaan seduce you in the
same manner as he got your parents (Adam and Hawwa) out of the Garden,
stripping them of their raiment to expose their shame: for he and his tribe
watch you from a position where ye cannot see them: We made the ‘Shayateen’
friends (only) to those without faith.
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 and
well wisher in Islam,
Burhan
