Question:

I am a male aged 22. I am gay and have strong homosexual tendencies. I know that, according to Islam, practising homosexuality is not good and should be stopped. However, I am a born homosexual. I really want to have sex with men. So what should I do? I know that if I try for that I can do it, but I know that its not natural. But then, why did God made me like this? This is not fair? I can’t marry a woman because I don’t like women, but like other humans I also burn in the fire of sex. Other people are allowed to marry and extinguish their fire but what should people like me do?

Answer:

You yourself have acknowledged the fact that homosexuality is unnatural and prohibited in Islam. After this, the only thing I can say is that your problem seems to be psychological. I would therefore advise you to consult a doctor. And if the problem is genetical as you seem to claim, then even this does not give you the license to go ahead, for it is not a sin to be afflicted with a problem, but it sure is one not to make an effort to get out of it. If there is something truly beyond your capacity, then the only thing it may warrant is that your accountability in this regard will be proportionate to the free will you can exercise.

Moreover, you should consider your state as a form of trial and test — the principle on which the Almighty has created this world. He created people in various moulds in various circumstances in order to test them and reward them if they succeed in this test. If He has deprived people from some faculty or some ability, it is to test them. He has created children who are born blind or handicapped in some other way. If God is unfair to you, then perhaps He is even more unfair to such children. I think that the correct way to look at such departures is to understand scheme of the Merciful Creator on which He has created us, for though each one of us has different circumstances, yet each one of us has an equal opportunity to enter the Kingdom of Heaven on the basis of the effort we make.

(Dr. Shehzad Saleem)

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Question:

Is a person “genetically compelled” to be homosexual. Is it a punishable offence in Islam?. Some of my friends are homosexuals. How should I interact with them? Should I quit meeting them?

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Answer:

Homosexuality is a sexual deviation that has existed since antiquity. Male homosexuality was found in ancient Greece from where it was transmitted to the Persians and the Romans. The Prophet Lot’s (sws) nation as a whole was afflicted with this malady as mentioned in the Qur’ān (See for example: Sūrahs Aarāf, Hūd and Naml). In the Judaic tradition, it is an abomination punishable by death. There is no punishment for this deviation in the Sharīah revealed to the Prophet (sws) Muhammad. An Islamic state, however, can legislate in this regard, if required.

Authorities have presented a number of theories to explain the cause of this aberration. Whatever may be the causes, one thing seems certain from the Qur’ān: It is not a genetic disorder. A person’s own free will leads to him to it and it is his own free will which can lead him out.

People who are the victims of this deviation are generally of two types: Those who want to do away with this addiction and those who have no intention to do so.

The first category needs sympathy and support which includes treatment like psychotherapy. Consequently, they should be extended help in whatever way it is possible. The second category needs sparks from the fire of reformation which kindles in every believers heart. One should find ways and means to positively influence such people. However, there may be circumstances in which the only remedy is breaking ties with them. The decision depends on the variables of a given situation and one must judge for himself or herself as to what he or she should ultimately do in this regard.

(Dr. Shehzad Saleem)

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Response:

I have read in one of your answers that one willingly adopts homosexuality and that this is not a genetically compelled phenomena. You have argued that had it been genetically compelled, the Almighty would never have punished the people of the Prophet Lot (sws). I would disagree with you on this. I think that the nation of Lot (sws) was punished for forcing other people into it. This made it a coercive crime. Besides, it has been proven from the latest modern research conducted by Dr Elvyn Hooker that homosexuality is genetical. I used to have the same idea about it when I was a teenager but no more co’z I’m living with it and wasn’t able to change myself despite many tries. I have come to the conclusion that it is a nature which can’t be changed.

Comment:

Okay, let’s first have a look at the verses of the Qur’ān which describe the punishment meted out to nation of the Prophet Lot (sws). Here are some of them:

We also [sent] Lot: he said to his people: ‘Do you commit lewdness such as no people in creation ever committed before you? For you practice your lusts on men in preference to women: you are indeed a people transgressing beyond bounds. And his people gave no answer but this: they said: ‘Drive them out of your city: these are indeed men who want to be clean and pure!’ (7:80-82)

And to Lot, too, we gave [the power of] judgement and knowledge, and we saved him from the town which practiced abominations: truly they were a people given to evil, a rebellious people. (21:74)

‘Of all the creatures in the world, will you approach males and leave those whom God has created for you to be your mates? Nay, you are a people transgressing (all limits)!’ (26:165)

[We also sent] Lot [as a messenger]: behold, he said to his people, ‘do you do what is shameful though you see [its iniquity]? Would you really approach men in your lusts rather than women? Nay, you are a people grossly ignorant! But his people gave no other answer but this: they said, ‘Drive out the followers of Lot from your city: these are indeed men who want to be clean and pure!’ (27:53-6)

‘Do you indeed approach men, and cut off the highway? — and practice wickedness even in your councils?’ But his people gave no answer but this: they said: ‘Bring us the wrath of god if you are telling the truth.’ (29:29)

It is evident from all these verses that the punishment meted out to the people of Lot (sws) was not because they forced other people to adopt their ways but because they themselves – as a nation – were deeply involved in it. So even if it is accepted that homosexuality is sometimes genetically compelled, it is evident that in the case of the People of Lot (sws) it was not, otherwise they would not have been punished in this way.

As far as the second part of your comment is concerned, I would like to submit that we must judge whether homosexuality is an aberration or not, regardless of its origins. If human conscience in various ages regards it to be an evil – then it is an evil whether it is inherent or acquired. To my knowledge, mankind has always considered homosexuality to be an immorality and a sexual aberration.

The only difference is that if it is inherent or genetically compelled, then the person afflicted with it should be treated as a handicapped person in this world and it is expected that the Almighty will treat him leniently in the next.

Aberrations, you see, can be of two types: congenital or acquired. If they are congenital and also contagious, their ‘carriers’ should be treated and confined to some rehabilitation centre so that the deviation does not spread. After all, do we not isolate those born with AIDS from the society to protect people from them? Similarly, do we not treat kleptomaniacs and give them allowance? Likewise, do we not treat many new born babies who are born addicts to heroin because their mothers are heroin addicts? The important thing is that an effort be made at the individual and collective level to end such abnormalities. It’s definitely not a sin to be born ‘addicted’ to certain ailments, but surely it is no virtue not to try to come out of it when one can.

In other words, whether homosexuality is a genetically compelled phenomena or not is a discussion which has no bearing on it being a sexual aberration. So if Dr Elvyn Hooker or other scientists have conclusively proven that sometimes homosexuality is genetically compelled, then this does not mean that homosexuality is a morally acceptable behaviour. One must keep in mind that the nature on which the Almighty has created human beings tends to get perverted in societies where promiscuity and nudity are rampant. This perversion often manifests itself in human behaviour. So, if some people are genetically compelled to homosexuality, many are ‘environmentally’ compelled to adopt it. In either case, a person’s will and determination and medical treatment may often lead him out.

(Dr. Shehzad Saleem)

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