Sexuality in Islam 1

Sexuality in Islam
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
According to Muslim tradition, the Qur'ansee first
set of excerpts belowis God's infallible word as
revealed to Muhammad by the angel Gabriel. The
word Qur'an means "recite" or "recitation." For the
most part, the speaker in the Qur'an is God,
instructing Muhammad in the tenet of the faith.
Notice that the Qur'an continues the Judeo-Christian
tradition by affirming the Torah and the Gospels.
Many stories familiar to Jews and Christians (about
Abraham, Moses, David, or Jesus) are repeated.
Muslims preach monotheism and the image of a
stern God (Allah) who is also benevolent and
merciful. However, Muslims reject the notion that
Jesus is the son of God, revering Him as another
prophet in a line that includes Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
Joseph, and Moses. Mohammad is regarded in the
Muslim faith as the final seal of the prophets,
appointed to correct errors in the earlier texts or
perversions of God's message. The Qur'anic suras
(equivalent to chapters) were arranged by the
original Muslim compilers in order of length, the
longest first, the shortest last. The translation of the
first section below was prepared in 1997 by three
American converts who joined together to form
Saheeh International with the purpose of translating
Islamic literature into English.
Muhammad (Muslims usually attach the phrase all
Allhu alay-hi wa-sallam, "May Allah honor him and
grant him peace," to his name; in print this appears as
SAAW, or as pbuh, "peace be upon him") was born in
Mecca in 570 into the Banu Hashim clan, of the
Quraysh tribe. Orphaned at an early age, he was
brought up by his uncle Abu Talib. He worked as a
merchant first for his uncle, then for a wealthy, forty-
year-old widow, Khadijah; eventually she proposed to
him due to his reputation as a diligent, upright man.
Khadijah was fifteen years older, but Muhammad
consented to the match.
In his thirties he started the habit of retreating to a
cave to meditate and pray. The first revelation came
in 610 when the angel Gabriel approached him with
the word: "Recite!" Muhammad was at first
distressed about his experience and considered
suicide, but his wife and her Christian cousin

reassured him. His first converts were among his

own clan, but the other Meccan clans treated him
harshly. In 622 (which became Year One on the
Muslim calendar), three years after the death of both
his wife and his uncle, he decided to emigrate to
Yathrib (later renamed al-Medina, "city of the
Prophet"). After eight years of fighting, in 620
Muhammad and his followers managed to conquer
Mecca. He died two years later, with most of Saud
Arabia converted to Islam.
After his first wife's death, the Prophet took ten or
twelve more wives (referred to by Muslims as
Mothers of the Believers), including Aisha, a nine- or
ten-year-old. She was curious and inquisitive and
questioned many of her husband's statements when
none of the other wives or followers had the courage
to do so. As a result, many of the narrations in the
Hadiths (sayings and episodes from the life of the
Prophet, also called sunnah: "habits, practices"),
collected after his death, are from her mouth.
The second set of excerpts below is from Sahih
Muslim, one of the six major Hadiths in Sunni Islam.
It was collected by Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, a 9ct Persian
Islamic scholar also known as Imam Muslim. Sahih
means 'authentic' or 'correct.' A complete
translation, by Abdul Hamid Siddiqui, of all 43 books
of the Sahih Muslim is available online at the Center
for Muslim-Jewish Engagement, University of
Southern California http://www.usc.edu/org/cmje/
religious-texts/hadith/muslim/. The excerpt is from
Book 17 (Kitab Al-Hudud): "The Book Pertaining to
Punishments Prescribed by Islam."
Historian Peter Stearns (World Civilizations: The
Global Experience, 2001) provides this summary of
the significance of women in early Islam: "The
prophet's teachings proclaimed the equality of men
and women before God and in Islamic
worship. Women, most notably his wife Khadijah,
were some of Muhammad's earliest and bravest
followers. They accompanied his forces to battle (as
did the wives of their adversaries) with the Meccans,
and a woman was the first martyr for the new faith.
Many of the hadiths, or traditions of the prophet,
which have played such a critical role in Islamic law
and ritual, were recorded by women. In addition,
Muhammad's wives and daughters played an
important role in compiling the Qur'an."

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1. Al-Qur'an
Sex during Ramadan:
2:187 It has been made permissible for you the night
preceding fasting to go to your wives [for sexual
relations]. They are clothing for you and you are
clothing for them. God [Allah] knows that you used to
deceive yourselves, so He accepted your repentance
and forgave you. So now, have relations with them
and seek that which God has decreed for you. And eat
and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes
distinct to you from the black thread [of night]. Then
complete the fast until the sunset. And do not have
relations with them as long as you are staying for
worship in the mosques. These are the limits [set by]
God, so do not approach them. Thus does God make
clear His ordinances to the people that they may
become righteous.
Menstruation:
2:222 And they ask you [Muhammed] about
menstruation. Say, "It is harm, so keep away from
wives during menstruation. And do not approach
them until they are pure. And when they have purified
themselves, then come to them from where God has
ordained for you. Indeed, God loves those who are
constantly repentant and loves those who purify
themselves."

to take them back in this [period] if they want

reconciliation. And due to the wives is similar to what
is expected of them, according to what is reasonable.
But the men have a degree over them [in
responsibility and authority]. And God is Exalted in
Might and Wise.
2:229 Divorce is [to be pronounced] twice. Then,
either keep [her] in an acceptable manner or release
[her] with good treatment. And it is not lawful for you
to take anything of what you have given them unless
both fear that they will not be able to keep [within]
the limits of God. But if you fear that they will not
keep [within] the limits of God, then there is no blame
upon either of them concerning that by which she
ransoms herself. These are the limits of God, so do not
transgress them. And whoever transgresses the limits
of God it is those who are the wrongdoers.
Partnership of men and women:
3:195 And their Lord responded to them, "Never will I
allow to be lost the work of [any] worker among you,
whether male or female; you are of one another. . . . "
9:71 The believing men and believing women are allies
of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid
what is wrong and establish prayer and give zakh and
obey God and His Messenger. Those God will have
mercy upon them. Indeed, God is Exalted in Might
and Wise.

2:223 Your wives are a place of cultivation [i.e., sowing

of seed] for you, so come to your place of cultivation
however you wish and put forth [righteousness] for
yourselves. And fear God and know that you will meet
Him. And give good tidings to the believers.

9:72 God has promised the believing men and

believing women gardens beneath which rivers flow,
wherein they abide eternally, and pleasant dwellings
in gardens of perpetual residence; but approval from
God is greater. It is that which is the great attainment.

Divorce:

Female obedience:

2:226 For those who swear not to have sexual

relations with their wives [without divorcing them; by
such an oath the woman is deprived of her right in
marriage but is not free to marry another] is a waiting
time of four months [i.e., she may not be kept is such
a condition beyond a four-month period], but if they
return [to normal relations] then indeed, God is
Forgiving and Merciful.

4:34 Men are in charge of women by [right of] what

God has given one over the other and what they
spend [for maintenance] from their wealth. So
righteous women are devoutly obedient, guarding in
[the father's or husband's] absence what God would
have them guard. But those [wives] from whom you
fear arrogance [first] advise them; [then if they
persist], forsake them in bed; and [finally], strike
them. But if they obey you [once more], seek no
means against them. Indeed, God is ever Exalted and
Grand.

2:227 And if they decide on divorce then indeed,

God is Hearing and Knowing.
2:228 Divorced women remain in waiting for three
periods, and it is not lawful for them to conceal what
God has created in their wombs if they believe in God
and the Last Day. And their husbands have more right

1 This could also be translated as: "Men should take care
of women . . . and be able to provide for them."

Sexuality in Islam 3

4:35 And if you fear dissension between the two, send
an arbitrator from his people and an arbitrator from
her people. If they both desire reconciliation, God will
cause it between them. Indeed, God is ever Knowing
and Acquainted [with all things].
Reward of the righteous:
4:57 But those who believe and do righteous deeds
We [i.e., God] will admit them to gardens beneath
which rivers flow, wherein they abide forever. For
them therein are purified spouses, and We will admit
them to deepening shade.
Veils:
24:31 And tell the believing women to reduce [some]
of their vision and guard their private parts and not
expose their adornment except that which
[necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion
of] their headcovers over their chests and not expose
their adornment [i.e., beauty] except to their
husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their
sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, their
brothers' sons, their sisters' sons, their women, that
which their right hands possess [i.e., slaves], or those
male attendants having no physical desire [i.e.,
eunuchs], or children who are not yet aware of the
private aspects of women. And let them not stamp
their feet to make known what they conceal of their
adornment. And turn to God in repentance, all of you,
O believers, that you might succeed.
33:59 O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters
and the women of the believers to bring down over
themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is
more suitable that they will be known and not be
abused. And ever is God Forgiving and Merciful.
Adultery:
4:15 Those of your women who commit immorality
[i.e., unlawful sexual intercourse] bring against
them four [witnesses] from among you. And if they
testify [the witnesses must swear to actually having
seen the act take place], confine the guilty women to
houses until death takes them or God ordains for
them [another] way. [Editors' note: The other way
(i.e., penalty) was later revealed in 24:2, canceling the
ruling in this verse.]
4:16 And the two who commit it [i.e., unlawful sexual
intercourse] among you punish [i.e., dishonor]
them both. But if they repent and correct themselves,
leave them alone. Indeed, God is ever Accepting of

repentance and Merciful. [Editors' note: Scholars

differ over whether "the two" refers to two of the
same sex (i.e., homosexuals) or those of opposite sex.
In either case, later rulings outlined in the sunnah, the
practice of the Prophet as evident in the Hadith, have
replaced this one.]
24:2 The [unmarried] woman or [unmarried] man
found guilty of sexual intercourse lash each one of
them with a hundred lashes, and do not be taken by
pity for them in the religion [i.e., Law] of God [i.e., do
not let sympathy for a guilty person move you to alter
anything ordained by God, for His law is protection of
society as a whole], if you should believe in God and
the Last Day. And let a group of the believers witness
their punishment.
24:4 And those who accuse chaste women and then
do not produce four witnesses lash them with
eighty lashes and do not accept from them testimony
ever after. And those are the defiantly disobedient.
Sex with slaves:
23:1 Certainly ill the believers have succeeded:
23:5 [. . .] they who guard their private parts
23:6 Except from their wives and those their right
2
hands possess, for indeed, they will not be blamed
23:7 But whoever seeks beyond that, then those are
the transgressors.
Premarital sex/prostitution of slaves:
24:33 But let them who find not [the means for]
marriage abstain [from sexual relations] until God
enriches them from His bounty. And those who seek a
contract [for eventual emancipation] from among
whom your right hands possess then make a
contract with them if you know there is within them
goodness and give them from the wealth of God which
He has given you. And do not compel your slave girls
to prostitution, if they desire chastity, to seek
[thereby] the temporary interests of worldly life. And
if someone should compel them, then indeed, God is
[to them], after their compulsion, Forgiving and
Merciful.

2 Female slaves or captives under their ownership.

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2. Sahih Muslim
Chapter 5: He Who Confesses his Guilt of Adultery
Book 017, Number 4196:
Abu Huraira reported that a person from amongst the
Muslims came to Allah's Messenger (may peace be
upon Him) while He was in the mosque. He called Him
saying: Allah's Messenger, I have committed adultery.
He (the Holy Prophet) turned away from him, he
(again) came round facing Him and said to Him: Allah's
Messenger, I have committed adultery. He (the Holy
Prophet) turned away until he did that four times, and
as he testified four times against his own self, Allah's
Messenger (may peace be upon Him) called him and
said: Are you mad? He said: No. He (again) said: Are
you married? He said: Yes. Thereupon Allah's
Messenger (may peace be upon Him) said: Take him
and stone him. Ibn Shihab (one of the narrators) said:
One who had heard Jabir b. 'Abdullah saying this
informed me thus: I was one of those who stoned him.
We stoned him at the place of prayer (either that of 'Id
or a funeral). When the stones hurt him, he ran away.
We caught him in the Harra (stone ground) and stoned
him (to death). This hadith has been narrated through
another chain of transmitters.
Book 017, Number 4202:
Abu Sa'id reported that a person belonging to the clan
of Aslam, who was called Ma'iz b. Malik, came to
Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon Him) and said:
I have committed immorality (adultery), so inflict
punishment upon me. Allah's Apostle (may peace be
upon Him) turned him away again and again. He then
asked his people (about the state of his mind). They
said: We do not know of any ailment of his except that
he has committed something about which he thinks
that he would not be able to relieve himself of its
burden but with the Hadd (punishment) being
imposed upon him. He (Ma'iz) came back to Allah's
Apostle (may peace be upon Him) and He commanded
us to stone him. We took him to the Baqi' al-Gharqad
(the graveyard of Medina). We neither tied him nor
dug any ditch for him. We attacked him with bones,
with clods and pebbles. He ran away and we ran after
him until he came upon the stone ground (al-Harra)
and stopped there and we stoned him with heavy
stones of the Harra until he became motionless (he
died). He (the Holy Prophet) then addressed (us) in the
evening saying: Whenever we set forth on an
expedition in the cause of Allah, some one of those

connected with us shrieked (under the pressure of

sexual lust) as the bleating of a male goat. It is
essential that if a person having committed such a
deed is brought to me, I should punish him. He neither
begged forgiveness for him nor cursed him.
Book 017, Number 4205:
Sulaiman b. Buraida reported on the authority of his
father that Ma'iz b. Malik came to Allah's Apostle (may
peace be upon Him) and said to Him: Messenger of
Allah, purify me. Whereupon He said: Woe be upon
you, go back, ask forgiveness of Allah and turn to Him
in repentance. He (the narrator) said that he went
back not far, then came and said: Allah's Messenger,
purify me. Whereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace
be upon Him) said: Woe be upon you, go back and ask
forgiveness of Allah and turn to Him in repentance. He
(the narrator) said that he went back not far, when he
came and said: Allah's Messenger, purify me. Allah's
Apostle (may peace be upon Him) said as he had said
before. When it was the fourth time, Allah's
Messenger (may peace be upon Him) said: From what
am I to purify you? He said: From adultery. Allah's
Messenger (may peace be upon Him) asked if he had
been mad. He was informed that he was not mad. He
said: Has he drunk wine? A person stood up and smelt
his breath but noticed no smell of wine. Thereupon
Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon Him) said:
Have you committed adultery? He said: Yes. He made
pronouncement about him and he was stoned to
death.
The people had been (divided) into two groups about
him (Ma'iz). One of them said: He has been undone for
his sins had encompassed him, whereas another said:
There is no repentance more excellent than the
repentance of Ma'iz, for he came to Allah's Apostle
(may peace be upon Him) and placing his hand in His
(in the Holy Prophet's) hand said: Kill me with stones.
(This controversy about Ma'iz) remained for two or
three days. Then came Allah's Messenger (may peace
be upon Him) to them (His companions) as they were
sitting. He greeted them with salutation and then sat
down and said: Ask forgiveness for Ma'iz b. Malik.
They said: May Allah forgive Ma'iz b. Malik. Thereupon
Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon Him) said: He
(Ma'iz) has made such a repentance that if that were
to be divided among a people, it would have been
enough for all of them.
He (the narrator) said: Then a woman of Ghamid, a
branch of Azd, came to him and said: Messenger of
Allah, purify me, whereupon he said: Woe be upon

Sexuality in Islam 5

you; go back and beg forgiveness from Allah and turn
to Him in repentance. She said: I find that you intend
to send me back as you sent back Ma'iz b. Malik. He
(the Holy Prophet) said: What has happened to you?
She said that she had become pregnant as a result of
fornication. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Is it you (who
has done that)? She said: Yes. He (the Holy Prophet)
said to her: (You will not be punished) until you deliver
what is there in your womb. One of the Ansar (citizens
of Medina who helped the Holy Prophet and His
followers during His Hijra) became responsible for her
until she was delivered (of the child). He (that Ansari)
came to Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon Him) and
said the woman of Ghamid has given birth to a child.
He (the Holy Prophet) said: In that case we shall not
stone her and so leave her infant with none to suckle
him. One of the Ansar got up and said: Allah's Apostle,
let the responsibility of his suckling be upon me. She
was then stoned to death.
Book 017, Number 4206, second part:
. . . There came to Him (the Holy Prophet) a woman
from Ghamid and said: Allah's Messenger, I have
committed adultery, so purify me. He (the Holy
Prophet) turned her away. On the following day she
said: Allah's Messenger, why do you turn me away?
Perhaps, you turn me away as you turned away Ma'iz.
By Allah, I have become pregnant. He said: Well, if you
insist upon it, then go away until you give birth to (the
child). When she was delivered she came with the
child (wrapped) in a rag and said: Here is the child
whom I have given birth to. He said: Go away and
suckle him until you wean him. When she had weaned
him, she came to him (the Holy Prophet) with the child
who was holding a piece of bread in his hand. She said:
Allah's Apostle, here is he as I have weaned him and
he eats food. He (the Holy Prophet) entrusted the
child to one of the Muslims and then pronounced
punishment.
And she was put in a ditch up to her chest and He
commanded people and they stoned her. Khalid b.
Walid came forward with a stone which he flung at her
head and there spurted blood on the face of Khalid
and so he abused her. Allah's Apostle (may peace be
upon Him) heard his (Khalid's) curse that he had
hurled upon her. Thereupon He (the Holy Prophet)
said: Khalid, be gentle. By Him in Whose Hand is my
life, she has made such a repentance that even if a
wrongful tax-collector were to repent, he would have
been forgiven. Then giving command regarding her,
He prayed over her and she was buried.

Book 017, Number 4209:

Abu Huraira and Zaid b. Khalid al-Juhani reported that
one of the desert tribes came to Allah's Messenger
(may peace be upon Him) and said: Messenger of
Allah, I beg of you in the name of Allah that you
pronounce judgment about me according to the Book
3
of Allah. The second claimant who was wiser than
him said: Well, decide amongst us according to the
Book of Allah, but permit me (to say something).
Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon
ham) said: Say. He said: My son was a servant in the
house of this person and he committed adultery with
his wife. I was informed that my son deserved stoning
to death (as punishment for this offence). I gave one
hundred goats and a slave-girl as ransom for this. I
asked the scholars (if this could serve as an expiation
for this offence). They informed me that my son
deserved one hundred lashes and exile for one year,
and this woman deserved stoning (as she was
married). Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace he
upon Him) said: By Him in Whose Hand is my life, I will
decide between you according to the Book of Allah.
The slave-girl and the goats should be given back, and
your son is to be punished with one hundred lashes
and exile for one year. And, O Unais (b. Zuhaq al-
Aslami), go to this woman in the morning, and if she
makes a confession, then stone her. He (the narrator)
said: He went to her in the morning and she made a
confession. And Allah's Messenger (may peace be
upon Him) made pronouncement about her and she
was stoned to death.
Chapter 6: Stoning to Death of Jews and Other
Dhimmis in case of Adultery
Book 017, Number 4211:
Abdullah b. 'Umar reported that a Jew and a Jewess
were brought to Allah's Messenger (may peace be
upon Him) who had committed adultery. Allah's
Messenger (may peace be upon Him) came to the
Jews and said: What do you find in the Torah for one
who commits adultery? They said: We darken their
faces and make them ride on the donkey with their

3 This line is the basis for the claim, made by some
Muslims, that the Qur'an originally contained a verse on
stoning adulterers to death. The verse was lost during
compilation. This claim is partially supported by a hadith,
according to which Allah revealed the verse to the
Prophet, who left in the care of his wife Aisha. She kept it
on a sheet of paper under her pillow. When the Prophet
died and everyone was preoccupied by his death, a goat
entered and ate the paper.

6 Sexy

faces turned to the opposite direction (and their backs

touching each other), and then they are taken round
(the city). He said: Bring the Torah if you are truthful.
They brought it and recited it until, when they came to
the verse pertaining to stoning, the person who was
reading placed his hand on the verse pertaining to
stoning, and read (only that which was) between his
hands and what was subsequent to that. Abdullah b.
Salim who was at that time with the Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon Him) said: Command him
(the reciter) to lift his hand. He lifted it and there was,
underneath that, the verse pertaining to stoning.
Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon Him)
pronounced judgment about both of them and they
were stoned. Abdullah b. 'Umar said: I was one of
those who stoned them, and I saw him (the Jew)
protecting her (the Jewess) with his body.
Book 017, Number 4214:
Al-Bara' b. 'Azib reported: There happened to pass by
Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon Him) a Jew
blackened and lashed. Allah's Apostle (may peace be
upon Him) called them (the Jews) and said: Is this the
punishment that you find in your Book (Torah) as a
prescribed punishment for adultery? They said: Yes.
He (the Holy Prophet) called one of the scholars
amongst them and said: I ask you in the name of Allah
Who sent down the Torah on Moses if that is the
prescribed punishment for adultery that you find in
your Book. He said: No. Had you not asked me in the
name of Allah, I would not have given you this
information. We find stoning to death (as punishment
prescribed in the Torah). But this (crime) became quite
common amongst our aristocratic class. So when we
caught hold of any rich person (indulging in this
offence) we spared him, but when we caught hold of a
helpless person we imposed the prescribed
punishment upon him. We then said: Let us agree (on
a punishment) which we can inflict both upon the rich
and the poor. So we decided to blacken the face with
coal and flog as a substitute punishment for stoning.
Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon
Him) said: O Allah, I am the first to revive Thy
command when they had made it dead. He then
commanded and he (the offender) was stoned to
death. Allah, the Majestic and Glorious, sent down
(this verse): "O Messenger, (the behaviour of) those
who vie with one another in denying the truth should
not grieve you . . ." up to "is vouchsafed unto you,
accept it" (Qur'an 5:41). It was said (by the Jews): Go
to Muhammad; if He commands you to blacken the
face and award flogging (as punishment for adultery),

then accept it, but if He gives verdict for stoning, then

avoid it. It was (then) that Allah, the Majestic and
Great, sent down (these verses): "And they who do
not judge in accordance with what Allah has revealed
are, indeed, deniers of the truth" (v. 44); "And they
who do not judge in accordance with what Allah has
revealedthey, they indeed are the wrongdoers" (v.
45); "And they who do not judge in accordance with
what God has revealedthey are the iniquitous" (v.
47). (All these verses) were revealed in connection
with the non-believers.
Book 017, Number 4218:
Abu Ishaq Shaibani said: I asked 'Abdullah b. Abu Aufi
if Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon Him)
awarded (the punishment) of stoning (to death). He
4
said: Yes. I said: After Sura al-Nur was revealed or
before that? He said: I do not know.
Book 017, Number 4219:
Abu Huraira reported that he heard Allah's Messenger
(may peace be upon Him) as saying: When the slave-
woman of any of you commits adultery and this
(offence of hers) becomes clear, she should be flogged
(as the prescribed) punishment, but hurl no reproach
at her. If she commits adultery again, she should
(again be punished) by flogging, but hurl no reproach
upon her. It she commits fornication for the third
time, and it becomes clear, then he should sell her,
even if only for a rope of hair.

4 Qur'an 24:2 [see above].