Sexuality in Islam

May God forgive me and guide me regarding anything that would have been misinterpreted in this study and elsewhere. May He always guide us to a better understanding of His profound scripture so we can purify ourselves and increase our knowledge. Sexuality is a most important subject and this long article is the result of many years of reading and meditating on the Quran. I know how precious your time is and you can directly read the detailed conclusion if you do not have time and get back to the substance of the article later for more important detailsThis article addresses the subject of sexuality with tact, but is reserved for adults for obvious reasons.

The Holy Quran provides all necessary information regarding every aspect of our lives, which includes matters related to sexuality. Sexuality is a very sensitive and personal subject, but it is an imperative duty in Islam to address such topics in a tactful manner to prevent sin. The main purpose of this article is to draw the line between purity and sin in the light of the Quran and expose satan’s agenda whose goal is to destroy the human soul.

Most of us live in highly decadent societies and I had no other choice but to address a wide variety of sins, relating them to verses of the Quran and the fate of the dwellers of the hellfire. Even though this article deals with issues related to sexuality and sexual deviance with tact, it is an article that is destined to adults. This said, I would advise parents to use it to warn their children in their own words and at the right time to alert them of all the decadence and dangers that are present in our societies to make sure that, God willing, satan does not lead them in the path of darkness.

The Quran establishes limits regarding sexuality, limits that we shall not transgress or otherwise risk ruining our souls and incur God’s retribution in this life and the hereafter.

Demonic forces are gaining ground every single day, but, by the grace of God, enlightened human beings have a powerful weapon against immoral liberal societies: Islam based on the Quran alone, which is a way of life designed to protect and purify us.

Sexuality in the Quran is a subject which requires to understand and reconcile a wide array of verses, some of which are not necessarily obvious at first glance. It often requires meditation and sincerity to understand the depth of the underlying message. Human beings have a strong tendency to lie to themselves and follow their lust and easily forget the message of God and His laws if they do not keep in touch with His Word on a daily basis.

The first part of this article will focus on “purity in Islam” and the crucial importance of marriage. We will insist on the fact that performing the salât, reading the Quran daily, and be in close contact with people who seek God is the best strategy and defense to avoid sin (29:45). We will then quote verses 2:222-223 which are foundational to establish the difference between a normal sexual relationship and sexual deviance and we will reconcile them with sexual prohibitions in the Torah. The word “fahichah” (فَٰحِشَة) relates mostly to sexual immorality and we will study its Quranic definition. Fornication, unfaithfulness, homosexuality, and transgenderism are now presented as normal in liberal societies. This article presents a conservative view on the subject, but I want everyone to know that even though pure Islam is very firm when it comes to address such issues, it is also extremely merciful at the same time, and there is no reason for people who would have committed such sins to despair as long as they are willing to sincerely search for the truth, and repent and reform, because God forgives all sins (39:53). Someone who would have deviated but has repented and reformed and now follows the Quran alone has every reason to be very hopeful regarding the fate of his soul in the afterlife. Please bear this in mind if you are dealing with such issues as you read this study.

More and more “progressive” Muslim scholars lean towards the acceptance of homosexuality, LGBT rights and civil unions or gay marriage. We will analyze and counter their claims and will incontrovertibly prove that homosexuality, lesbianism as well as sex change are proscribed by the Holy Quran and are utterly incompatible with an Islamic way of life, but can be solved by embracing pure Islam. We will also deal with other types of sexual deviances which we will not mention at this point and will witness that the Quran addresses them in various subtle ways.

One of the key points which will be addressed is that faith in God and especially following the Quran alone gives us the power to embrace true faith and triumph over sin.

Who is better guided, more loving and merciful? One who behaves as a good shepherd and has the courage to tell his neighbor the truth in the light of the word of God if he strays off the right path, or someone who has no sound foundation in life and advocates sin under the guise of being progressive and tolerant? Muslims scholars who tolerate deviance may find fame and recognition in modern societies, but what can they expect from God if they actually contribute to people’s perdition by encouraging perversion?

The purpose of this study is both to answer as many questions as possible regarding sexuality in the light of the Holy Quran, warn people, counter the deviant message conveyed by progressive Muslims who compromise their faith by embracing a liberal agenda, and condemn the message of extremists who follow hadiths instead of the Quran alone and often advocate the death penalty for sexual immorality (adultery, homosexuality, etc…) when the Quran has a firm but much more forgiving approach.

Table of contents: 

1. Purity in Islam

1.1 The crucial importance of preserving our chastity before marriage and remaining chaste in marriage our entire life.

1.2 Whether married or not, sex outside of marriage is prohibited.

1.3 Secrecy in marriage.

2. The salaat and reading the Quran daily, and be in close contact with people of faith is the best defense to avoid sin.

3. The issue of hermaphrodism.

4. Quranic definition of “fahichah” (immorality) and what kind of sins it designates in the Quran.

4.1 Fahichah: Definition.

4.2 Verses about “fahichah”.

5. Immorality as defined in the Bible.

6. 2:222-223 are foundational verses which define boundaries regarding sexual behavior: A sexual relationship must be in line with what God created us for, which disqualifies deviant sexual acts.

7. Progressive Muslims are increasingly embracing homosexuality and other deviant behaviors. What does the Quran say?

7.1 The progressive narrative regarding homosexuality, lesbianism and deviant acts.

7.2 The Quran irrevocably condemns homosexuality, lesbianism.

7.2.1 The Quran condemns same sex relationships.

7.2.1.1 Homosexuality overwhelmingly condemned.

7.2.1.2 Lesbianism is prohibited in the same way as homosexuality.

7.2.1.3 Homosexuality and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

7.2.2 Marriage is always between a man and a woman in the Quran and the Bible.

7.2.3 The miraculous symbolism of Sodom and Gomorrah: The cities of sin were destroyed right next to the lowest point on earth.

7.2.3.1 The romans were defeated in “the lowest land”.

7.2.3.2 Why does the Quran mention specifically the battle which caused the fall of Jerusalem?

7.2.3.3 Nearest land or lowest land?

7.2.3.4 Major Quranic prophecy fulfilled.

7.2.3.5 The lowest point on earth and its connection with Sodom and Gomorrah.

7.2.3.6 The Torah confirms that Sodom and Gomorrah were located at the southern tip of the Dead Sea.

7.2.3.7 The miraculous lesson of Sodom and Gomorrah.

7.2.4 The lesson of Pompei.

7.3 Homosexuality, lesbianism: Where they “born this way”?

7.4 LGBT intolerance.

7.5 Sex change is proscribed by the Quran.

7.6 Crossdressing is forbidden.

7.7 Bdsm, sexual role-play: More deviant acts.

7.8 Pornography.

8. Masturbation.

9. Is dressing sexy acceptable?

10. The Quran condemns rumors and suspicion. What does it imply regarding sexuality in a Muslim society?

Conclusion

1. Purity in Islam

1.1 The crucial importance of preserving our chastity before marriage and remaining chaste in marriage our entire life

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَٰفِظُونَ

(23:5) And those who preserve their chastity.

قُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا۟ مِنْ أَبْصَٰرِهِمْ وَيَحْفَظُوا۟

فُرُوجَهُمْ ذَٰلِكَ أَزْكَىٰ لَهُمْ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ خَبِيرٌۢ بِمَا يَصْنَعُونَ

(24:30) Enjoin (O Muhammad) believers to lower their gaze and preserve their chastity; It is purer for you. Indeed, God is fully aware of what they do.

Purity and the allegory of paradise:

وَبَشِّرِ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ

جَنَّٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ كُلَّمَا رُزِقُوا۟ مِنْهَا مِن

ثَمَرَةٍ رِّزْقًا قَالُوا۟ هَٰذَا ٱلَّذِى رُزِقْنَا مِن قَبْلُ وَأُتُوا۟ بِهِ

ۦ مُتَشَٰبِهًا وَلَهُمْ فِيهَآ أَزْوَٰجٌ مُّطَهَّرَةٌ وَهُمْ فِيهَا خَٰلِدُونَ

(2:25) Give glad tidings to those who believe and accomplish righteous deeds that they will be granted gardens with flowing streams beneath them. Every time they are provided with fruits therefrom as provision they will say: “This is what we were provided in the past.” And they will be given similar things therefrom, and in it, they will be granted pure spouses and they will abide therein forever.

This verse beautifully demonstrates that believers reap what they saw. Our present life, good or bad, will be reflected in the afterlife. May God purify us in this life, so we can enjoy perfect happiness in the hereafter.

قُلْ أَؤُنَبِّئُكُم بِخَيْرٍ مِّن ذَٰلِكُمْ لِلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوْا۟ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ

جَنَّٰتٌ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا وَأَزْوَٰجٌ

مُّطَهَّرَةٌ وَرِضْوَٰنٌ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَٱللَّهُ بَصِيرٌۢ بِٱلْعِبَادِ

(3:15) Say! “Shall I inform you of better than that (i.e. this worldly pleasures)? Those who fear their Lord will be granted gardens with flowing streams beneath them, they abide therein forever; and pure spouses as well as God’s approval. And God is ever watchful of His servants.

(3:16) (And) those who say: “Our Lord! Indeed, we have believed, so forgive us our sins and save us from the retribution of the fire!”.

Again, the above verses promise as a reward paradise and its amazing beauty to believers, as well as pure spouses. God also shows us that the right path for people who embrace the message of faith is to implore God for forgiveness in order to be forgiven for their sins.

Pure people pray for a good offspring:

هُنَالِكَ دَعَا زَكَرِيَّا رَبَّهُۥ قَالَ رَبِّ هَبْ لِى

مِن لَّدُنكَ ذُرِّيَّةً طَيِّبَةً إِنَّكَ سَمِيعُ ٱلدُّعَآءِ

(3:38) Upon which Zacharia called upon his Lord. He said: “My Lord, grant me a pure offspring, verily, you hear all prayers.”

People who embrace purity shall implore God for a pure offspring like Zakaria. Pure people belong with pure people (24:26), and people who purify themselves belong with people who purify themselves.

The crucial importance of purifying ourselves before death:

ٱلَّذِينَ تَتَوَفَّىٰهُمُ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ طَيِّبِينَ يَقُولُونَ

سَلَٰمٌ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْجَنَّةَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

(16:32) Those whom the angels take in death while in a state of purity, they say: “May peace be upon you! Enter paradise for what you used to do.”

It is always one and the same message: Believers reap what they saw.

The allegory of purity versus impurity: Are we pure or impure?

وَٱلْبَلَدُ ٱلطَّيِّبُ يَخْرُجُ نَبَاتُهُۥ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِۦ وَٱلَّذِى خَبُثَ لَا

 يَخْرُجُ إِلَّا نَكِدًا كَذَٰلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ ٱلْءَايَٰتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَشْكُرُونَ

(7:58) The pure land: Its vegetation comes forth by the grace of its Lord; but that which is bad does not come forth except with hardship. We thus explain Our signs for people who are grateful.

This allegorical verse is intended for us to reflect upon our lives: Do we want to believe and live a righteous life based on purity and thus become a beautiful plant or do we want to live a life of constant hardship because we make the wrong choices?

God intends to purify us:

(5:6) O you who believe, once you stand up to observe the ritual prayer then: (1) wash your faces, (2) wash your hands and up to the elbows, (3) wipe your heads and (4) your feet up to your ankles. If you are in a state of impurity, then purify yourselves. But if you are sick or traveling, or if any of you went to the restroom, or had intimate relationships with women, and you do not find water, then touch clean soil, and wipe your faces and hands with it. God does not wish to cause you any hardship, but wishes to purify you and perfect His blessings upon you so that you may be grateful.

The ablution ritual before the prayer is meant to purify us physically before we purify ourselves spiritually while performing the ritual prayer and reciting the Quran.

Contrary to common Sunni belief based on hadiths and sunnah (which are forbidden in the Quran, see 45:6 and more), there is no obligation to bathe or wash your entire body after sexual intimacy according to the book of God. The Quran simply specifies that you have to “purify yourself” (5:6), which means that you simply need to wash what is necessary. Water is the most precious natural resource on earth and in the universe and it is the source of life (21:30), and the Quran states that “God does not love those who waste” (6:141: إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُسْرِفِينَ). It is therefore our duty to preserve it. This said, Islam is always about common sense and cleanliness is essential as evidenced in the ablution ritual and 2:222 [يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ = He (God) loves those who are clean] and if you are unclean, it is of course highly preferable to wash your entire body.

1.2 Whether married or not, sex outside of marriage is prohibited.

ٱلزَّانِيَةُ وَٱلزَّانِى فَٱجْلِدُوا۟ كُلَّ وَاحِدٍ مِّنْهُمَا مِا۟ئَةَ جَلْدَةٍ

وَلَا تَأْخُذْكُم بِهِمَا رَأْفَةٌ فِى دِينِ ٱللَّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ

وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْءَاخِرِ وَلْيَشْهَدْ عَذَابَهُمَا طَآئِفَةٌ مِّنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

(24:2) The female fornicator/adulteress and the male fornicator/adulterer, you shall flog each of them with a hundred lashes. Do not be swayed by pity regarding God’s religion if you truly believe in God and the Last Day. And have a group of believers witness their sentence.

We studied earlier that a marriage or divorce is always between a man and a woman. We note in the above verse that even in the case of fornication or adultery (zinâ) which are deeply immoral in Islam, the Quran assumes a relationship between a man and a woman. In other words, homosexuality and other grave deviant acts represent a special category of sins which we will address later.

The Quran does not make any difference between fornication and adultery. Both are called “zinâ” (زِّنَى), and both persons incur the above sentence as proven by the following verses:

وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا۟ ٱلزِّنَىٰٓ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ فَٰحِشَةً وَسَآءَ سَبِيلًا

(17:32) Stay away from fornication/adultery (zinâ); it is a fahichah (immorality) and an evil path.

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ إِذَا جَآءَكَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتُ يُبَايِعْنَكَ عَلَىٰٓ أَن لَّا يُشْرِكْنَ

بِٱللَّهِ شَيْـًٔا وَلَا يَسْرِقْنَ وَلَا يَزْنِينَ وَلَا يَقْتُلْنَ أَوْلَٰدَهُنَّ وَلَ

ا يَأْتِينَ بِبُهْتَٰنٍ يَفْتَرِينَهُۥ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِنَّ وَأَرْجُلِهِنَّ وَلَا يَعْصِينَكَ

فِى مَعْرُوفٍ فَبَايِعْهُنَّ وَٱسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُنَّ ٱللَّهَ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

(60:12) O prophet, when believing women come and pledge to you that they will not associate anything beside God, nor steal, nor have any illicit intercourse, nor kill their children, nor come up with any falsehood which they fabricated, nor disobey you as regards matters of righteousness, you shall then accept their pledge before God, and implore God to forgive them. Indeed, God is Forgiver, Most Merciful.

The expression “وَلَا يَزْنِينَ” (nor shall they have any illicit intercourse) refers to all “believing women (ٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتُ), that is to say whether married or not, and not just “married women”. Therefore, the verbal noun “zinâ” (زِّنَى) which is derived from the verb “yaznu” (يَزْنُ) in the above verse refers by definition to any illicit intercourse in general, which indicates that the Quran does not make any distinction between fornication and adultery.

The incident regarding Joseph:

وَرَٰوَدَتْهُ ٱلَّتِى هُوَ فِى بَيْتِهَا عَن نَّفْسِهِۦ وَغَلَّقَتِ

ٱلْأَبْوَٰبَ وَقَالَتْ هَيْتَ لَكَ قَالَ مَعَاذَ ٱللَّهِ إِنَّهُۥ

رَبِّىٓ أَحْسَنَ مَثْوَاىَ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُفْلِحُ ٱلظَّٰلِمُونَ

(12:23) The one in whose house where he lived tried to seduce him (Joseph). She closed the doors and said, “You! Come forward!” He said: “May God be my refuge! Indeed, He is my Lord, who blessed me with a good home. Indeed, transgressors never succeed.”

وَلَقَدْ هَمَّتْ بِهِۦ وَهَمَّ بِهَا لَوْلَآ أَن رَّءَا بُرْهَٰنَ رَبِّهِۦ كَذَٰلِكَ

لِنَصْرِفَ عَنْهُ ٱلسُّوٓءَ وَٱلْفَحْشَآءَ إِنَّهُۥ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا ٱلْمُخْلَصِينَ

(12:24) She most certainly desired him, and he desired her; except that he saw a proof from his Lord. We thus diverted evil and immoral acts (fahcha’a) away from him, for he was one of our devoted servants.

Joseph wasn’t married when the wife of his master tried to seduce him, and the above verses make it clear that it is a great sin in Islam to have a sexual relationship outside of marriage, and, to make matters worse in this case, it would have been with a married woman. We pointed out that the punishment for fornication or adultery for a man and a woman is 100 lashes for each of them (24:2). There is no other physical punishment for other types of fornication in the Quran. Therefore, and by default, such a punishment is also applicable in a Muslim society for people who commit incest, homosexuality (again, only a marriage between a man and a woman is legal in the Quran), zoophilia, all forms of prostitution and rape, as long as there is a proven sexual relationship or deviant behavior (which requires four witnesses according to 4:15, 24:4 and 24:13). The punishment of 100 lashes in case of fornication or adultery (i.e. any consensual sexual relationship outside of marriage) is substantial but not severe (24:2), except in case of rape, pedophilia or zoophilia (which is a form of rape because it is sexually raping or abusing an animal, which is a beyond catastrophic sin) because such sinners bear the sins of two fornicators, as the victims are obviously innocent. Islamic law is based on equivalence (2:178), therefore, 100 lashes in such cases (rape, pedophilia, zoophilia) are instances where they should be severe, as it is not consensual and most obviously a much greater sin than a simple act of fornication or adultery which would be consensual.

Fornication and adultery are forbidden because it is God’s law. When you get married, you make a solemn pledge of remaining faithful your entire life and fulfill all duties related to marriage. Marriage provides love, companionship, sharing a common goal in life serving God, and often raising children, God willing in the path of our Creator.

From a practical standpoint, fornication and adultery spread venereal diseases, which are rampant in so called “modern” societies because people massively disregard the commandment to remain chaste found in the Bible and the Quran and embrace and decriminalize instead deviant sexual behaviors.

It’s not rocket science: The one and only way to protect society from such terrible diseases is a high degree of purity before and after getting married, marriage being intended to last for as long as both spouses live, God willing.

1.3 Secrecy in marriage.

We will explain later what kind of deviant sexual behaviors are forbidden in Islam. This said, the Quran does not prohibit romance as long as it remains pure and what happens within a marriage is not to be shared with anyone:

الرِّجَالُ قَوَّامُونَ عَلَى النِّسَاءِ بِمَا فَضَّلَ اللَّهُ بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ

وَبِمَا أَنفَقُوامِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ فَالصَّالِحَاتُ قَانِتَاتٌ حَافِظَاتٌ لِّلْغَيْبِ بِمَا حَفِظَ

اللَّهُ وَاللَّاتِي تَخَافُونَ نُشُوزَهُنَّ فَعِظُوهُنَّ وَاهْجُرُوهُنَّ فِي الْمَضَاجِعِ

وَاضْرِبُوهُنَّ أَطَعْنَكُمْ فَلَا تَبْغُوا عَلَيْهِنَّ سَبِيلًا إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلِيًّا كَبِيرًا فَإِنْ

(4:34) Men shall protect women, because of what God has bestowed on the former in comparison to the latter, as well as with what they spend of their wealth. Therefore, righteous women are devoutly obedient [to God’s commands] when it comes to guard the intimate and private aspects [of a marriage] which God has meant to be guarded. As for those [women] from whom you fear disloyal behavior*, then warn them and avoid them in bed and ignore them (NOT BEAT THEM !); and if they obey you, seek no [further retaliatory] measures (lit. “way”) against them. Indeed, God is Ever Exalted, Most Great.

* In the context, “disloyal behavior” refers to any situation where the “intimate and private aspects” of a marriage are threatened as a result of the wife’s misconduct. It could be a risk or suspicion of an extra marital affair; or any serious misconduct that can be experienced throughout a married life.

In other words, not only both spouses shall be pure, secrecy within a marriage is a divine commandment and no spouse shall disclose (we could say here “violate”) the intimacy between spouses, except if, God forbid, a relationship deviates into some form of physical abuse or immoral behavior.

2. The salaat and reading the Quran daily, and be in close contact with people of faith is the best defense to avoid sin.

اتْلُ مَا أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَوةَ إِنَّ الصَّلَوةَ تَنْهَىٰ   

الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ وَلَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ عَنِ

(29:45) Recite (O Muhammad) what has been revealed to you from the book and observe the ritual prayer; indeed, the ritual prayer keeps you away from vice and evil deeds; and God’s remembrance is far above anything else; God knows everything you do.

Human beings are challenged in many ways throughout life and sexual temptation is potentially always present, especially in decadent societies like ours in this internet era and the omnipresent and often decadent movie industry. The ritual prayer, which is about reciting the Holy Quran while following the specific ritual which is described in the Quran (see “Salaat in the Quran”), is the main foundation in life to avoid vice and evil deeds. Reciting and reading the Quran is designed to constantly remind us of God’s commands throughout the many examples and stories that it recounts. The dawn prayer normally includes reciting the Quran longer during the salaat (17:78, see “and the Quran at dawn”), and preferably also right after the dawn prayer if one does not understand fully the meaning of what is being recited during the salât or wishes to deepen his understanding of the Quran and get closer to God. The goal is to read the Quran from cover to cover during our entire life (73:1-4). If you constantly read that you shall remain pure before and during your marriage, that homosexuality is one of the great sins, that changing God’s creation is forbidden, and so on… and regularly go through all the verses which we will comment later and prohibit various forms of sexual deviance, it will make a profound difference in your life. Even if someone is tempted by homosexuality, experiences a sexual identity crisis or other types of temptations, the Quran is designed to help, and it is designed to heal, as long as one keeps on performing the ritual prayers consistently (20:14) and on time (4:103), and keeps on reading and studying the Quran in depth in order to be reminded of and not forget all its commandments.

The goal is to infuse ourselves with the purity of the Quran during our entire life, instead of infusing ourselves with sin, vice, violence, horror, pornography, and anything which goes against the message of the Quran. It also involves choosing our friends carefully, and going to a mosque which preaches the purity of Islam (or found one if possible), especially to attend the Friday prayer which is mandatory except if someone is sick or disabled or in exceptional conditions such as a pandemic.

فَخَلَفَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا۟

ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَٱتَّبَعُوا۟ ٱلشَّهَوَٰتِ فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا

(19:59) After them ensued generations who lost the ritual prayers and followed their lusts. They will, as a result, suffer the consequences.

On the contrary, we see that the direct consequence for people who do not perform the salaat is that they end up following their lusts, which is the exact opposite of verse 29:45 which teaches us that “the ritual prayer keeps us away from vice and evil deeds”.

The third crucial component which allows us to stay away from sin is described in the following verse:

وَٱصْبِرْ نَفْسَكَ مَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُم بِٱلْغَدَوٰةِ

وَٱلْعَشِىِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُۥ وَلَا تَعْدُ عَيْنَاكَ عَنْهُمْ

تُرِيدُ زِينَةَ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَلَا تُطِعْ مَنْ أَغْفَلْنَا

قَلْبَهُۥ عَن ذِكْرِنَا وَٱتَّبَعَ هَوَىٰهُ وَكَانَ أَمْرُهُۥ فُرُطًا

(18:28) Keep yourself patiently steadfast with those who invoke their Lord morning and late afternoon, seeking his countenance. Do not turn your eyes away from them, seeking the vanities of this worldly life. Do not obey one whose heart we have rendered oblivious to our remembrance and pursues his own desires, and whose priorities are driven by excess.

Very simply, we need to force ourselves to remain in close contact with like minded people whose priority is to remain close to God. Being in touch with people who seek God’s approval strengthens our faith and allows us to enrich ourselves mutually.

In a few words, performing the salât on time (4:103) and during our entire life (20:14), reading and meditating the Quran daily, at night (73:3-4), and especially at dawn (17:78) and always remain close to people who sincerely seek God are powerful solutions to stay away from sin in general. If you don’t, you will end up following your lusts and you will fall. It is as simple as that.

3. The question of hermaphrodism

According to Wikipedia, the number of births with ambiguous genitals at birth is within the range of 0.02 to 0.05% on earth, or 1 in 5,000 to 2,000 births. It is therefore a rare occurrence.

First of all, the least we can say is that there is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of if a person presents hermaphrodite characteristics and only truly ignorant people would think otherwise. Despite our genetic makeup (XY chromosomes being male, XX being female), male or female, every human being carries both male and female characteristics to a certain degree. Some men will be more manly than others, some women will be more feminine than others. In the case of hermaphrodism, the difference between male and female is simply thinner than the norm. This said, a hermaphrodite will always have sexual characteristics that prevail and make him or her be more male or female. Traditional Islam has ruled that if a person urinates from a male or female genitalia, it determines if the person is male or female. I find such thinking to be a good point of departure, but it is not enough.

Other traits that are taken into consideration is if a person develops any breast and other signs of being feminine: Especially, does the person have a fully functioning uterus and ovaries, in which case the person can have babies and is therefore unquestionably a woman. But most of all, does the person have menses or not? What matters most will always be the Holy Quran, which states clearly that if someone has menses, the person is unquestionably classified as a woman:

Therefore, in some cases, a person who presents hermaphrodite characteristics will have to wait until puberty to see if he or she menstruates or not. If it is the case, the person is unquestionably female from a Quranic standpoint. This is in my view the strongest Quranic evidence that will determine for certain if a person who presents hermaphrodite characteristics is male or female, and not necessarily from which organ he or she urinates.

This said, some women do not menstruate, and if a person who presents hermaphrodite characteristics does not menstruate and there is still a strong ambiguity regarding the fact that the person is more female than male, then it should be up to the person to decide which gender he or she is, and give the person plenty of time to make a firm legal commitment without any pressure so the person can marry if he or she chooses to. I also do not see why such a person could not in some cases decide to undergo a surgery that would underline the dominant traits or his or her sexuality if he or she chooses to with the approval of doctors and surgeons.

4. Quranic definition of “fahichah” (immorality) and what kind of sins it designates in the Quran

4.1 Fahichah: Definition

“Fahichah” (فَٰحِشَة) derives from the verb “fahusha” (فَحُشَ) which signifies “to be excessive”, immoderate, unreasonable, guile, indecent, shameful or infamous.” (dictionary of the Holy Quran” by Omar). According to the same dictionary, “Fahichah” (فَٰحِشَة) signifies “manifest improper conduct, gross sin, unseemly, immoral conduct, indecent or lewd or abominable word or deed; flagrant indecency; adultery, fornication, sodomy, illicit sexual intercourse.”

We will translate the word “fahichah” as “immorality”. Please bear in mind that it also can mean “abomination” because some types of “fahichah” are worse than others.

4.2 Verses about “fahichah”:

وَٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا۟ فَٰحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا۟

ٱللَّهَ فَٱسْتَغْفَرُوا۟ لِذُنُوبِهِمْوَمَن يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ

إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّوا۟ عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلُوا۟ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ

(3:135) And those who, when they commit a fahichah (immorality) or wrong their souls, remember God and ask forgiveness for their sins; and who forgives sins except God? And they do not persist in their [sinful] acts once they receive knowledge.

Note: This is the first verse in the Quran which mentions the word “fahichah”, here in a very general way, and we immediately see that the door is wide open for forgiveness as long as a sinner does not persist in his sins. In other words, any type of immorality can potentially be forgiven.

وَٱلَّٰتِى يَأْتِينَ ٱلْفَٰحِشَةَ مِن نِّسَآئِكُمْ فَٱسْتَشْهِدُوا۟ عَلَيْهِنَّ

أَرْبَعَةً مِّنكُمْ فَإِن شَهِدُوا۟ فَأَمْسِكُوهُنَّ فِى ٱلْبُيُوتِ

حَتَّىٰ يَتَوَفَّىٰهُنَّ ٱلْمَوْتُ أَوْ يَجْعَلَ ٱللَّهُ لَهُنَّ سَبِيلًا

(4:15) And [regarding] those (feminine plural relative pronoun) who engage in the fahichah (immorality) among your women, you must gather four witnesses among you against them (feminine plural pronoun). Then, if they do bear witness, you shall then keep them (feminine plural pronoun, i.e. those sinful women) in dwellings until they pass away, or until God provides an exit for them (feminine pronoun).

Note: We will explain grammatically in part 7.2.1.2 why the above verse relates to prostitution and lesbianism.

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا يَحِلُّ لَكُمْ أَن تَرِثُوا۟ ٱلنِّسَآءَ كَرْهًا

وَلَا تَعْضُلُوهُنَّ لِتَذْهَبُوا۟ بِبَعْضِ مَآ ءَاتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ إِلَّآ أَن يَأْتِينَ

بِفَٰحِشَةٍ مُّبَيِّنَةٍ وَعَاشِرُوهُنَّ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ فَإِن كَرِهْتُمُوهُنَّ

فَعَسَىٰٓ أَن تَكْرَهُوا۟ شَيْـًٔا وَيَجْعَلَ ٱللَّهُ فِيهِ خَيْرًا كَثِيرًا

(4:19) O you who believe, it is not lawful for you to inherit from women against their will; do not constrain them to take back part of what you gave them, unless they commit a proven fahichah (immorality). Live with them in kindness. But, if you dislike them, you may dislike something wherein God has placed a lot of good.

(4:22) Do not marry any women who were previously married to your fathers, exempted are those contracted in the past. Indeed, it was a fahichah (immorality), detestable, and an evil path.

وَمَن لَّمْ يَسْتَطِعْ مِنكُمْ طَوْلًا أَن يَنكِحَ ٱلْمُحْصَنَٰتِ

ٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتِ فَمِن مَّا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَٰنُكُم مِّن فَتَيَٰتِكُمُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتِ

وَٱللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِإِيمَٰنِكُم بَعْضُكُم مِّنۢ بَعْضٍ فَٱنكِحُوهُنَّ بِإِذْنِ

أَهْلِهِنَّ وَءَاتُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ مُحْصَنَٰتٍ غَيْرَ

مُسَٰفِحَٰتٍ وَلَا مُتَّخِذَٰتِ أَخْدَانٍ فَإِذَآ أُحْصِنَّ فَإِنْ أَتَيْنَ بِفَٰحِشَةٍ

فَعَلَيْهِنَّ نِصْفُ مَا عَلَى ٱلْمُحْصَنَٰتِ مِنَ ٱلْعَذَابِ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَنْ

خَشِىَ ٱلْعَنَتَ مِنكُمْ وَأَن تَصْبِرُوا۟ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

(4:25) Those among you who cannot afford to marry free believing women may marry believing slave women; God knows best about your faith. You descend from each other. Therefore, marry them with the permission of their family, and give them their bridal dowry in all fairness. They shall be chaste, stay away from immoral behavior, nor have any secret lovers. Once they are married, and if they commit a fahichah (immorality), their punishment shall be half of that of the free women. This is for whoever among you fears [to commit] sin. It is better for you to be patient. God is Forgiver, Most Merciful.

قُلْ تَعَالَوْا۟ أَتْلُ مَا حَرَّمَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَيْكُمْ أَلَّا تُشْرِكُوا۟

بِهِۦ شَيْـًٔا وَبِٱلْوَٰلِدَيْنِ إِحْسَٰنًا وَلَا تَقْتُلُوٓا۟ أَوْلَٰدَكُم مِّنْ

إِمْلَٰقٍ نَّحْنُ نَرْزُقُكُمْ وَإِيَّاهُمْ وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا۟ ٱلْفَوَٰحِشَ

مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا۟ ٱلنَّفْسَ ٱلَّتِى

حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ إِلَّا بِٱلْحَقِّ ذَٰلِكُمْ وَصَّىٰكُم بِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ

(6:151) Say: “Come, I am going to recite you what your Lord has prohibited for you: You shall not associate anything to Him, you shall honor the parents, you shall not kill your children from [fear of] poverty; We provide for you and for them. You shall stay away from the fawahisha (immoralities), be they obvious or hidden. You shall not kill any soul, for God forbade it, except in the course of justice. This is what He has herein enjoined upon you, that you may reflect.”

وَإِذَا فَعَلُوا۟ فَٰحِشَةً قَالُوا۟ وَجَدْنَا عَلَيْهَآ ءَابَآءَنَا وَٱللَّهُ أَمَرَنَا بِهَا

قُلْ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَأْمُرُ بِٱلْفَحْشَآءِ أَتَقُولُونَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

(7:28) And when they commit a fahichah (immorality), they say: “We found our forefathers in this path, and God has commanded it to us.” Say: “God never commands the fahcha’ee (immorality). Do you say about God what you do not know?”

قُلْ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّىَ ٱلْفَوَٰحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ

وَٱلْإِثْمَ وَٱلْبَغْىَ بِغَيْرِ ٱلْحَقِّ وَأَن تُشْرِكُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ مَا لَمْ

يُنَزِّلْ بِهِۦ سُلْطَٰنًا وَأَن تَقُولُوا۟ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

(7:33) Say, “My Lord has only proscribed the fawahicha (immoral acts)be they obvious or hidden, as well as sin and oppression without a judicial frame, and to associate beside God that which He has not granted any authority, and to say about God what you do not know.”

وَلُوطًا إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِۦٓ أَتَأْتُونَ ٱلْفَٰحِشَةَ

مَا سَبَقَكُم بِهَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ مِّنَ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ

(7:80) And when Lot said to his people: “[Is your goal] to commit the fahichah (immorality) like no one before you in the universe?!”

إِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ ٱلرِّجَالَ شَهْوَةً مِّن

دُونِ ٱلنِّسَآءِ بَلْ أَنتُمْ قَوْمٌ مُّسْرِفُونَ

Note: Homosexuality has most likely existed long before Sodom and Gomorrah because humans have roamed the earth for millions of years. 29:29 points at the combination of sins committed in the doomed cities (homosexuality, rape, other types of sexual deviance and highway robbery). This said, it is obvious that 7:80-81 and all other verses which specifically condemn the homosexuality of the two cities without mentioning all the others unmistakably stress on the fact that homosexuality, being by definition highly immoral, is the main basic sin which gradually triggered all the other catastrophic perversities and the eventual destruction of that society.

وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا۟ ٱلزِّنَىٰٓ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ فَٰحِشَةً وَسَآءَ سَبِيلًا

(17:32) Stay away from fornication and adultery (al zinâ); it is a fahichah (immorality) and an evil path.

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يُحِبُّونَ أَن تَشِيعَ ٱلْفَٰحِشَةُ فِى ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَهُمْ

عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْءَاخِرَةِ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

(24:19) Indeed, those who cherish to see the fahichah (immorality) spread among those who believe incur a painful retribution in this life as well as in the Hereafter; God knows, while you do not know.

وَلُوطًا إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِۦٓ أَتَأْتُونَ ٱلْفَٰحِشَةَ وَأَنتُمْ تُبْصِرُونَ

(27:54) and when Lot said to his people: “Why do you engage in the fahichah (immorality) while you [are given] the ability to see?

أَئِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ ٱلرِّجَالَ شَهْوَةً مِّن

دُونِ ٱلنِّسَآءِ بَلْ أَنتُمْ قَوْمٌ تَجْهَلُونَ

(27:55) “Why do you approach men lustfully, instead of women? Verily, you are ignorant people!

Again, no sincere Muslim can deny here that homosexuality is indeed one of the many forms of “fahichah” (immoral behavior).

وَلُوطًا إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِۦٓ إِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ

ٱلْفَٰحِشَةَ مَا سَبَقَكُم بِهَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ مِّنَ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ

(29:28) Lot said to his people: “Indeed, you engage in the fahichah (immorality); no one before you acted in such a way in the universe!”

أَئِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ ٱلرِّجَالَ وَتَقْطَعُونَ ٱلسَّبِيلَ وَتَأْتُونَ

فِى نَادِيكُمُ ٱلْمُنكَرَ فَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّآ

أَن قَالُوا۟ ٱئْتِنَا بِعَذَابِ ٱللَّهِ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰدِقِينَ

Note: Unlike in 7:80-81 and 27:54-55 where fahichah (immorality) is directly related to homosexuality, we see here that the people of Lot also engaged in additional types of immorality such as highway robbery and other types of unnamed sexual deviance. Given the context, 29:28 (“Indeed, you engage in the fahichah (immorality); no one before you acted in such a way in the universe!”) does not indicate in any way that homosexuality never existed before Sodom and Gomorrah but puts the emphasis on the sum of sins.

يَٰنِسَآءَ ٱلنَّبِىِّ مَن يَأْتِ مِنكُنَّ يَٰنِسَآءَ ٱلنَّبِىِّ مَن يَأْتِ مِنكُنَّ بِفَٰحِشَةٍ

مُّبَيِّنَةٍ يُضَٰعَفْ لَهَا ٱلْعَذَابُ ضِعْفَيْنِ وَكَانَ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ يَسِيرًا

(33:30) O wives of the prophet, if anyone among you commits an obvious fahichah (immorality), the retribution will be doubled for her in two ways. This is easy for God to do.

وَٱلَّذِينَ يَجْتَنِبُونَ كَبَٰٓئِرَ ٱلْإِثْمِ وَٱلْفَوَٰحِشَ وَإِذَا مَا غَضِبُوا۟ هُمْ يَغْفِرُونَ

(42:37) And those who avoid gross sins and the fawaheesha (immoralities), and when they get angry at something, they forgive.

ٱلَّذِينَ يَجْتَنِبُونَ كَبَٰٓئِرَ ٱلْإِثْمِ وَٱلْفَوَٰحِشَ إِلَّا ٱللَّمَمَ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ

وَٰسِعُ ٱلْمَغْفِرَةِ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِكُمْ إِذْ أَنشَأَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ وَإِذْ أَنتُمْ

أَجِنَّةٌ فِى بُطُونِ أُمَّهَٰتِكُمْ فَلَا تُزَكُّوٓا۟ أَنفُسَكُمْ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ ٱتَّقَىٰٓ

(53:32) Those who avoid gross sins and the fawaheesha (immoralities), except for minor offenses. Indeed, your Lord’s forgiveness is immense. He has been fully aware of you since He initiated you from the earth, and while you were embryos in your mothers’ bellies. Therefore, do not infatuate yourselves with [alleged] purity; He is fully cognizant of the one who fears [Him].

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ إِذَا طَلَّقْتُمُ ٱلنِّسَآءَ فَطَلِّقُوهُنَّ لِعِدَّتِهِنَّ وَأَحْصُوا۟

ٱلْعِدَّةَ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ رَبَّكُمْ لَا تُخْرِجُوهُنَّ مِنۢ بُيُوتِهِنَّ وَلَا يَخْرُجْنَ

إِلَّآ أَن يَأْتِينَ بِفَٰحِشَةٍ مُّبَيِّنَةٍ وَتِلْكَ حُدُودُ ٱللَّهِ وَمَن يَتَعَدَّ حُدُودَ

ٱللَّهِ فَقَدْ ظَلَمَ نَفْسَهُۥ لَا تَدْرِى لَعَلَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحْدِثُ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ أَمْرًا

(65:1) O prophet, when you divorce women, the divorce will be effective once their divorce interim is fulfilled; you shall keep track of the interim precisely. You shall fear God your Lord. Do not evict them from their homes; they shall not leave except if they commit a manifest fahichah (immorality). These are God’s limits. Anyone who transgresses God’s limits will most certainly harm his own soul. You never know; maybe God will after that give rise to [new] matter(s).

To summarize, the following types of immoralities are specifically mentioned in the Quran:

– Marrying a woman previously married to your father (4:22).

– Fornication/adultery (17:32).

– Prostitution, lesbianism (4:15).

– Homosexuality/lesbianism (4:15, 7:80-81, 26:165-166, 27:54-55, 29:29).

– Highway robbery, sexual perversions commonly committed by homosexuals in Sodom and Gomorrah (29:28-29).

– A fahichah can be obvious or hidden (7:28, 7:33, etc…), it will always be a fahichah. On a lighter note, we can say that the slogan “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” is nothing but a lie and should be rebranded “God is fully aware of what happens in Vegas”.

4:19 indicates that it is illegal to force women “to give back anything you gave them, unless they commit a proven fahichah (immorality).” It shows that if a spouse engages in immorality (adultery, any form of prostitution, grand theft, sexual perversion), it is a breach of the marriage contract and gifts and even the dowry can be legally recovered in such a case. Obviously, such immorality has to be very grave and has to be proven in a court of law; if not, it is illegal to recover anything.

In other words, the type of fahichah the most often mentioned is by far homosexuality/lesbianism (five times!), which involves all the additional sins in which the LGBT community typically engages in (sodomy, oral sex, bdsm, group sex, etc…). We will elaborate on such sins in the light of the Quran later.

Prostitution is alluded to in 4:15, together with lesbianism, and such sins require house arrest if proven to protect society at large from moral decadence and sexually transmitted diseases which are rampant in the prostitution industry and the LGBT community.

Fornication/adultery (zinâ) is mentioned once as a form of fahichah (17:32). This shows how catastrophic such a sin is.

Marrying a woman previously married to your father (4:22) is an extreme example of categories of women whom we are absolutely forbidden to marry. Other forbidden categories in marriage are mentioned in 33:50 and naturally also qualify as “fahichah” (immorality).

Fahichah can be obvious or hidden. Both types are forbidden and engaging in immorality behind closed doors is as forbidden as doing it publicly.

God can forgive fahichah (immorality)

Most importantly, the Quran indicates that people who commit a fahichah [homosexuality (7:80-81, 27:54-55, 29:29), lesbianism (4:15), marrying forbidden categories of women (4:22), fornication or adultery (17:32), other form of deviant sexual immoralities like the ones that took place in Sodom and Gomorrah (29:29) as well as grand theft (29:29)] can be forgiven if one implores God for forgiveness and does not persist in his or her sins:

(3:135) And those who, when they commit a fahichah (immorality) or wrong their souls, remember God and ask forgiveness for their sins; and who forgives sins except God? And they do not persist in their [sinful] acts once they receive knowledge.

In other words, people have to repent and reform. Asking for forgiveness alone is not enough, one has to actually purify himself or herself and stop committing sinful acts.

Reflection on 8:53 and the danger of committing sins:

ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَمْ يَكُ مُغَيِّرًا نِّعْمَةً أَنْعَمَهَا عَلَىٰ قَوْمٍ

حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا۟ مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

(8:53) This is because God will not remove a blessing which He has bestowed upon people unless they [decide to] change their minds. Indeed, God is Hearer, Omniscient.

We all experience temptation in our lives to various degrees. 8:53 teaches us that it is critical to consistently stay away from grave sins, because if we get to the point that change our current state of morality by embracing them, God will automatically change the state of blessings bestowed upon us and we will experience misery sooner or later in this life and in the next, unless one would repent and reform in time which can be very difficult and is never guaranteed. On the contrary, if we commit a sin, it is critical to implore God that we ardently want to change for the better, then repent and reform, so that what has been inflicted upon us can be reversed, which can be in the form of experiencing financial hardship, an illness, etc… Sometimes, a curse can be in the form of God granting immense wealth to great sinners, bearing in mind that their lives always end in misery, such as what happened to Qâroon (28:76-81) at the time of Moses. Such curses are regularly inflicted upon show business and movie stars who pollute the general public with indecent behaviors or harmful materials and God curses them with immense wealth in this life before they incur His retribution in the afterlife.

5. Immorality as defined in the Bible.

The Quran repeatedly commands us to believe in previous scriptures (2:4, 4:136, 29:46, etc…) and we are going to see that prohibitions regarding marriage and sexual deviance in the Bible are almost entirely the same as in the Quran. As a starting point, we are first going to quote Quranic verses regarding marriage prohibitions and then draw a table which compares Biblical and Quranic marriage prohibitions.

Let us first quote the marriage prohibitions in the Quran:

حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمْ أُمَّهَٰتُكُمْ وَبَنَاتُكُمْ وَأَخَوَٰتُكُمْ وَعَمَّٰتُكُمْ وَخَٰلَٰتُكُمْ

وَبَنَاتُ ٱلْأَخِ وَبَنَاتُ ٱلْأُخْتِ وَأُمَّهَٰتُكُمُ ٱلَّٰتِىٓ أَرْضَعْنَكُمْ وَأَخَوَٰتُكُم

مِّنَ ٱلرَّضَٰعَةِ وَأُمَّهَٰتُ نِسَآئِكُمْ وَرَبَٰٓئِبُكُمُ ٱلَّٰتِى فِى حُجُورِكُم مِّن

نِّسَآئِكُمُ ٱلَّٰتِى دَخَلْتُم بِهِنَّ فَإِن لَّمْ تَكُونُوا۟ دَخَلْتُم بِهِنَّ فَلَا جُنَاحَ

عَلَيْكُمْ وَحَلَٰٓئِلُ أَبْنَآئِكُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِنْ أَصْلَٰبِكُمْ وَأَن تَجْمَعُوا۟

بَيْنَ ٱلْأُخْتَيْنِ إِلَّا مَا قَدْ سَلَفَ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا

(4:23) Prohibited for you (in marriage) are your mothers, your daughters, your sisters, the sisters of your fathers, the sisters of your mothers, the daughters of your brother, the daughters of your sister, your nursing mothers (wet nurses are considered a type of mothers), the girls who nursed from the same woman as you, the mothers of your wives, the daughters of your wives with whom you have consummated the marriage – if the marriage has not been consummated, you may marry the daughter. Also prohibited for you are the women who were married to your genetic sons. Also, you shall not be married to two sisters at the same time – but do not break up existing marriages. God is Forgiver, Most Merciful.

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ إِنَّآ أَحْلَلْنَا لَكَ أَزْوَٰجَكَ ٱلَّٰتِىٓ ءَاتَيْتَ أُجُورَهُنَّ

وَمَا مَلَكَتْ يَمِينُكَ مِمَّآ أَفَآءَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ وَبَنَاتِ عَمِّكَ

وَبَنَاتِ عَمَّٰتِكَ وَبَنَاتِ خَالِكَ وَبَنَاتِ خَٰلَٰتِكَ ٱلَّٰتِى هَاجَرْنَ

مَعَكَ وَٱمْرَأَةً مُّؤْمِنَةً إِن وَهَبَتْ نَفْسَهَا لِلنَّبِىِّ إِنْ أَرَادَ

ٱلنَّبِىُّ أَن يَسْتَنكِحَهَا خَالِصَةً لَّكَ مِن دُونِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

قَدْ عَلِمْنَا مَا فَرَضْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ فِىٓ أَزْوَٰجِهِمْ وَمَا مَلَكَتْ

أَيْمَٰنُهُمْ لِكَيْلَا يَكُونَ عَلَيْكَ حَرَجٌ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا

(33:50) O prophet, we have made your wives lawful for you, those to whom you have given their dowry, as well as those (feminine plural relative pronoun) whom you rightfully possess whom God restored to you. Also (are lawful in marriage) the daughters of your paternal uncles (cousins), the daughters of your paternal aunts, the daughters of your maternal uncles, the daughters of your maternal aunts who emigrated with you…

The above verse allows marrying a cousin.

Let us now quote Leviticus 18 to have a broader view of Biblical sexual prohibitions in general:

Leviticus 18:9 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere. 10 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter; that would dishonor you. 11 “‘Do not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife, born to your father; she is your sister. 12 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s sister; she is your father’s close relative. 13 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister, because she is your mother’s close relative. 14 “‘Do not dishonor your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt. 15 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife; do not have relations with her. 16 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; that would dishonor your brother. 17 “‘Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. Do not have sexual relations with either her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter; they are her close relatives. That is wickedness. 18 “‘Do not take your wife’s sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living 19“Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness of her monthly period.

وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْمَحِيضِ قُلْ هُوَ أَذًى فَاعْتَزِلُوا النِّسَاءَ فِ

الْمَحِيضِ وَلَا تَقْرَبُوهُنَّ حَتَّىٰ يَطْهُرْنَ فَإِذَا تَطَهَّرْنَ فَأْتُوهُنَّ

مِنْ حَيْثُ أَمَرَكُمُ اللَّهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ

(2:222) And they ask you about menstruation. Say: It is a discomfort; therefore, stay away from women during the menstruation and do not approach them (in an intimate manner) until they are cleansed; then when they have cleansed themselves, approach them in the way that Allah has commanded you; surely Allah loves those who turn (to Him) in repentance, and He loves those who purify themselves.

Note: Leviticus 20:18 also proscribes sexual intimacy when your wife has her period.

Leviticus 18:20 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor’s wife and defile yourself with her.

وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا۟ ٱلزِّنَىٰٓ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ فَٰحِشَةً وَسَآءَ سَبِيلًا

(17:32) Stay away from fornication/adultery (zinâ); it is a fahichah (immorality) and an evil path.

Leviticus 18:22 “‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.

(27:55) “Why do you approach men lustfully, instead of women? Verily, you are ignorant people!” (also 7:80-81, 29:29, 26:165-166).

Leviticus 18:23 “‘Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.

(2:222) They ask you about menstruation: say, “It is harmful; you shall stay away from women during menstruation; do not approach them until they are cleansed. Once they are cleansed, you may approach them (feminine pronoun) in the manner ordained by God. God loves those who repent, and He loves those who are clean.”

نِسَآؤُكُمْ حَرْثٌ لَّكُمْ فَأْتُوا۟ حَرْثَكُمْ أَنَّىٰ شِئْتُمْ وَقَدِّمُوا۟ لِأَنفُسِكُمْ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّكُم مُّلَٰقُوهُ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

(2:223) Your wives are farmland for you. So, come to your farmland as you please, and elevate yourselves. Fear God, and know that you are going to meet Him. And give good news to the believers.

Zoophilia is one of the greatest types of abomination in Holy scriptures (punishable by death according to the book of Leviticus) and is not mentioned by name in the Quran, but inferred in 2:222-223 because it shows that a man cannot have sexual relations with other than his wife and has to “approach her in the manner ordained by God” which exclude by definition any category that is not a woman (same sex relationships, zoophilia, sexbots). Therefore, and even though it is not mentioned by name in the Quran, zoophilia is of course also one of the greatest abomination in Islam as it is contrary to the order of nature which God has established on earth.

Other Biblical verses about homosexuality:

Genesis 19:1-11: That evening the two angels came to the entrance of the city of Sodom. Lot was sitting there, and when he saw them, he stood up to meet them. Then he welcomed them and bowed with his face to the ground. “My lords,” he said, “come to my home to wash your feet, and be my guests for the night. You may then get up early in the morning and be on your way again.” “Oh no,” they replied. “We’ll just spend the night out here in the city square.” But Lot insisted, so at last they went home with him. Lot prepared a feast for them, complete with fresh bread made without yeast, and they ate. But before they retired for the night, all the men of Sodom, young and old, came from all over the city and surrounded the house. They shouted to Lot, “Where are the men who came to spend the night with you? Bring them out to us so we can have sex with them!” So Lot stepped outside to talk to them, shutting the door behind him. “Please, my brothers,” he begged, “don’t do such a wicked thing. Look, I have two virgin daughters. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do with them as you wish. But please, leave these men alone, for they are my guests and are under my protection.” “Stand back!” they shouted. “This fellow came to town as an outsider, and now he’s acting like our judge! We’ll treat you far worse than those other men!” And they lunged toward Lot to break down the door. But the two angels reached out, pulled Lot into the house, and bolted the door. Then they blinded all the men, young and old, who were at the door of the house, so they gave up trying to get inside.

Leviticus 18:22 “Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin.” (NLT)

1 Kings 14:24: And there were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations that the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.

1 Kings 15:12: He put away the male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.

2 Kings 23:7: He also tore down the living quarters of the male and female shrine prostitutes that were inside the Temple of the Lord, where the women wove coverings for the Asherah pole.

Jude 7: And don’t forget Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and serve as a warning of the eternal fire of God’s judgment.

Other Biblical verses which imply that same sex relationships are unlawful:

Matthew 19:4-6 (NRSV): He (Jesus) answered, “Have you not read that the one who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female‘, and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

It is clear in Jesus’ words that a marriage is by definition between a man and a woman.

Matthew 15:19-20: For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteriesfornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man. But eating with unwashed hands defiles not a man.

Mark 7:20-23: And he (Jesus) said, that which comes out of the man, that defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteriessexual impurities, murders, thefts, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Homosexuality is by definition an extreme form of “fornication” because homosexuality is forbidden which implies that gay marriage is unlawful in any of the monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam). It is most obviously a “sexual impurity” as outlined in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah and other Biblical passages.

There is not one single passage in the Bible (Old and New testament) which condones Homosexuality. Gay marriage does not even exist in the Bible and the Quran and is therefore not even an option. Such a debate should not even be on the table in Judaism, Christianity nor Islam. Liberals are the ones who relatively recently initiated such a debate by quoting some verses out of context or distorting them and conveniently turning the blind eye on others. We will later easily expose all the reasons they invoke.

To sum up, marriage prohibitions in the Torah and the Quran are mostly identical which shows their common divine origin. The only differences is that it is possible for a man to marry his niece in Judaism (the daughters of his brother or daughters of his sister), which is not the case in Islam, and it is possible for a Muslim man to marry the wife of his uncle after a divorce or if he passes away because the Leviticus prohibition (Leviticus 18:14) is nowhere to be found in the Quran. Another Quranic prohibition not found in the Torah is that it is forbidden to marry a woman who nursed you or women who were nursed by the same woman as you (4:23). There is most likely a scientific reason for that, which I haven’t been able to identify. Milk is basically filtered blood with nutrients. It is possible that when a baby is nursed, it has physical and genetic repercussions which justify the Quranic prohibition. If a man married the woman who nursed him or a woman nursed by the same nurse, could it increase the chance of deformities or other issues if they had a child? God knows best.

Both Judaism and Islam (33:50) allow marriages between cousins. Both religions forbid sexual intimacy when a woman has her period.

An enormous difference between the book of Leviticus and the Quran is that punishment for fornication, adultery, marrying forbidden categories of people, homosexuality, prostitution, zoophilia are punishable by death (stoning to death, sometimes even burning people alive!!!), while in the Quran any form of fornication or adultery is punishable with 100 lashes (24:2) by default because the Quran does not specify any other physical punishment for fornication other than between a man and a woman.

I suspect that the punishment aspect of the book of Leviticus (Leviticus 20) may be a distortion of the word of God. We most notably see in the Bible (John 8:1-11) that Jesus prevented a woman who committed adultery from being stoned to death when the elders who wanted to challenge him asked him if the punishment for adultery should be stoning her to death in compliance with Mosaic law, upon which he famously replied: “Let anyone of you who is without sin throw the first stone at her”, which caused them to leave as they were all sinners, and Jesus simply asked her to leave and not do it again. He would have had no ground to prevent such a horrific sentence if it were God’s law, and it shows in my view that the capital punishments found in Leviticus are likely a distortion of the original revelation, even though it is very clear that most prohibitions in Leviticus 18 are inspired by God because they are almost identical as the ones in the Quran.

The Quran is fully detailed (7:52, 6:114, 10:37), therefore you cannot apply any other form of punishment than what is literally found in it, and the punishment mentioned in many hadiths regarding stoning to death the adulterer (Sahih al Bukhari, volume 7, book 63, number 196, Sahih Muslim Book 017, Number 4191, Sahih Muslim, Book 017, number 4201, and many more) and killing or stoning to death homosexuals (Jami at-Tirmidhi vol.3 book 15, hadith 56, Sunan Iban Majah, vol.3 book 20, hadith 2562, Bulugh al-Maram, book 10, hadith 1255,…) are illegal, atrocious and dishonor Islam. Hadiths are prohibited by name in the Quran (7:185, 12:111, 31:6, 39:23, 45:6, 56:81, 77:50, 17:46) and grossly contradict and defile Islam in numerous ways as proven in the article “Are hadiths legitimate?”.

Islam is a religion of love and mercy where it is almost always possible to repent and reform, no matter how serious the sin may have been (39:53). One extreme example is that Moses committed no less than a homicide (!) but repented and God forgave him (28:15-16).

The Quran addresses sexuality with a lot of tact and, to a higher degree than the Bible, shies away from explicitly mentioning many deviant acts and prefers a more subtle approach to refer to them:

وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلْمَحِيضِ قُلْ هُوَ أَذًى فَٱعْتَزِلُوا۟ ٱلنِّسَآءَ فِى ٱلْمَحِيضِ وَلَا تَقْرَبُوهُنَّ حَتَّىٰ

يَطْهُرْنَ فَإِذَا تَطَهَّرْنَ فَأْتُوهُنَّ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَمَرَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلتَّوَّٰبِينَ وَيُحِبُّ ٱلْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ

(2:222) They ask you (O Muhammad) about menstruation: say, “It is harmful; you shall stay away from women during menstruation; do not approach them until they are cleansed. Once they are cleansed, you may approach them (feminine pronoun) in the manner ordained by God (مِنْ حَيْثُ أَمَرَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ). God loves those who repent, and He loves those who are clean.”

نِسَآؤُكُمْ حَرْثٌ لَّكُمْ فَأْتُوا۟ حَرْثَكُمْ أَنَّىٰ شِئْتُمْ وَقَدِّمُوا۟ لِأَنفُسِكُمْ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّكُم مُّلَٰقُوهُ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

(2:223) Your wives are farmland for you. So, come to your farmland as you please, and elevate yourselves. Fear God, and know that you are going to meet Him. And give good news to the believers.

2:222 forbids a sexual relationship during a menstrual cycle, which points at vaginal bleeding. Therefore, when we read in the same verse that “You (male believers) may approach them (feminine pronoun) in the manner ordained by God, it indicates that the correct sexual relationship between a husband and his wife is what God intended it to be when He created us, that is to say that the genitalia of the husband is designed and intended by God to meet the genitalia of his wife. It is as simple as that.

It therefore disqualifies by definition all deviant sexual acts, for instance sodomy, oral sex, sex with animals, sexuality with what is non-human (for instance sex toys, sexbots), homosexuality and lesbianism.

Important note: Sex robots, known as “sexbots” are a form of deviance that presents an enormous danger for the future of mankind and has no place whatsoever in a pure Muslim society because, according to 2:222, a normal, natural intimate relationship shall always between a man and a woman, not between a human and an android or else. Such deviance will threaten the renewal of populations because many people will prefer to have sex with a soulless robot that looks like a top model instead of a human being. It will also open the door to more widespread sexual deviance, and it will destroy human to human relationships and prevent the formation of healthy families, which are the fabric of society. Would you accept your wife or husband to have sex with a robot instead of you? Only ignorant, perverted people would accept such a thing. I rest my case.

All these deviant sexual behaviors are impure, often filthy, and against the universal order designed and intended by God. Therefore, they are forbidden. Moreover, it is profoundly meaningful that God states in key verse 2:222 that “He loves those who are clean, because acts such as sodomy and oral sex are repugnant and filthy to say the least, in addition of being proscribed by definition because contrary to “the manner ordained by God” mentioned in the same verse. Some people argue that in extremely rare cases some animals engage in sodomy or oral sex trying to legitimate such deviances. Human beings have been appointed by God as “califs” (viceregent) on earth (2:30) and God revealed to us enlightening scriptures to establish the difference between right and wrong. We therefore have no excuse to behave like animals. If some categories of humans lower the bar by modelling their sexual behavior (and themselves!) to that of animals, they automatically stray off the right path and will pay the consequences of their sinful acts.

Furthermore, verse 2:223 states that “Your wives are farmland for you. So, come to your farmland as you please, and elevate yourselves.”. By definition,farmland is designed by God to generate crops, and none of the above mentioned deviant sexual relationships can produce any offspring and can only pollute and harm your soul, unlike a pure sexual relationship between a husband and his wife which is intended to generate children. This is how God tells us in a tactful manner what a sexual relationship should be. Deviant sexual behaviors are the equivalent of a barren, impure, forbidden land, not a fertile farmland.

I witnessed while doing online research for this article that some Sunni imams fail to condemn oral sex claiming it is not mentioned in the Quran nor in the hadiths. We have just demonstrated that such a prohibition is inferred in 2:222 (“You (male believers) may approach them (feminine pronoun = your wives) in the manner ordained by God), bearing in mind that the Quran is the Word of God and does not lower itself to mention such deviant acts by name. The following verse is multiple meaning and shall serve as a divine warning for people who deviate from “the manner ordained by God” and refuse to purify themselves:

(24:24) The day will come when their own tongues, hands, and feet will bear witness to everything they had done.

The question a human being needs to ask himself is the following: “Do you want to live a life of purity, which implies for people who committed sins that they shall atone for their sins and reform themselves, or do you want to wait until your own bodies will bear witness against you on the day of judgment if you sinned and failed to reform?” As said in the introduction, no matter what kind of sin one may have committed, God forgives all sins as long as you are sincere in your repentance and reform:

قُلْ يَٰعِبَادِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا۟ مِن رَّحْمَةِ

ٱللَّهِ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ

satan (there is never any capital letter to start that name because he is the lowest) wants people to despair as a result of their sins and give up. It is critically important never to despair (according to 15:56, “none despairs of his Lord’s mercy except the strayers”) and believe in God’s infinite mercy from the bottom of our hearts, because it is the absolute truth, and purify our souls. Furthermore, and to put things in perspective, according to the Quran, there is not one single human being who would go to heaven if it were not for God’s immense mercy, not even messengers and prophets:

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَتَّبِعُوا۟ خُطُوَٰتِ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنِ وَمَن يَتَّبِعْ خُطُوَٰتِ

ٱلشَّيْطَٰنِ فَإِنَّهُۥ يَأْمُرُ بِٱلْفَحْشَآءِ وَٱلْمُنكَرِ وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُۥ

مَا زَكَىٰ مِنكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ أَبَدًا وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُزَكِّى مَن يَشَآءُ وَٱللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

وَلَوْ يُؤَاخِذُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلنَّاسَ بِمَا كَسَبُوا۟ مَا تَرَكَ عَلَىٰ ظَهْرِهَا مِن دَآبَّةٍ وَلَٰكِن

 يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى فَإِذَا جَآءَ أَجَلُهُمْ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهِۦ بَصِيرًۢا

(35:45) If God were to punish the people for their actions, He would not leave a single creature standing. But He respites them until a predetermined term. Once their term is fulfilled, then indeed,  God is Fully Perceptive of His servants.

The Quran is a miracle of concision and because it is pure, shies away from providing the detail of abject satanic practices for instance of the like that occurred in Sodom and Gomorrah and have been common in the LGBT community throughout history just like they are today. When it condemns something, it always does so in a tactful manner that allows people to identify what it refers to if they are sincere.

An unfortunately common deviant behavior that people tend to deny as being immoral is oral sex. It is dirty, degrading, and against what God created us for. The mouth is designed by God to eat, drink and breathe. It is not intended to come in contact with a sexual organ. It is that simple. Oral sex can easily spread venereal diseases and even indirectly cause cancer by spreading a virus called HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) which has been a known trigger for cervical cancer for women as well as throat cancer for both men and women for many years.

People whose goal is to embrace purity in their lives will recognize that this is the truth, while people who are trapped in immoral behavior will try to lie to themselves and find excuses.

The bottom line is that deviant sexual behaviors such a homosexuality, lesbianism, oral sex, zoophilia, fornication, adultery, etc… expose sinners to dangerous diseases at an exponentially higher rate than people who remain chaste and do not engage in deviant sexual behaviors.

Sexual position during an intimate relationship:

هُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَٰحِدَةٍ وَجَعَلَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا لِيَسْكُنَ إِلَيْهَا فَلَمَّا تَغَشَّىٰهَا حَمَلَتْ حَمْلًا

 خَفِيفًا فَمَرَّتْ بِهِۦ فَلَمَّآ أَثْقَلَت دَّعَوَا ٱللَّهَ رَبَّهُمَا لَئِنْ ءَاتَيْتَنَا صَٰلِحًا لَّنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلشَّٰكِرِينَ

(7:189) He is the one who created you from one single soul (Adam) and made from it its mate so he can live with her (the female soul). And when he covers her, she (as a result) carries a light burden and lives as usual with it. But when she grows heavy, they implore God their Lord: “If You give us a good [child], we will most certainly be appreciative.”

The Quran is fully detailed and the above verse seems to suggest that a husband is supposed to cover his wife during an intimate relationship rather than the other way around.

Be careful what you wish for:

كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْقِتَالُ وَهُوَ كُرْهٌ لَّكُمْ وَعَسَىٰٓ أَن تَكْرَهُوا۟ شَيْـًٔا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ

لَّكُمْ وَعَسَىٰٓ أَن تُحِبُّوا۟ شَيْـًٔا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَّكُمْ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

(2:216) Fighting was decreed upon you, even though you abhor it. But it may be that you dislike something which is good for you, while it may be that you like something which is bad for you. God knows while you do not know.

The approach in 2:216 regarding fighting, which was decreed at the time of the prophet, is the same regarding many aspects of our lives. We may dislike studying hard something which is very important for us to learn. Some people may dislike working intensely when it is one of the most essential quality to acquire in life. It is crucial to get over our weaknesses and force ourselves to do what is good for us. Concerning sexuality, it is the same. satan is always ready to tempt us to embrace immorality, and we may intensely be attracted to some of the deviant fantasies that he has to offer; but we must fight, stay in touch with the Quran on a daily basis, resort to prayer, reason and fully embrace the only thing which will ever be good for us, which is purity.

No one can ever reach true happiness by embracing deviant sexual behaviors. satan can provide deviant pleasure that will always harm our souls, but he cannot ever provide any form of happiness. True happiness resides in faith in God, good deeds and purity. For that reason, we have to carefully study the Quran all along our lives, obey God, consistently pray on time (4:103), and never transgress the limits.

7. Progressive Muslims are increasingly embracing homosexuality and other deviant behaviors. What does the Quran say?

أَئِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ ٱلرِّجَالَ وَتَقْطَعُونَ ٱلسَّبِيلَ وَتَأْتُونَ فِى نَادِيكُمُ ٱلْمُنكَرَ فَمَا

كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّآ أَن قَالُوا۟ ٱئْتِنَا بِعَذَابِ ٱللَّهِ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰدِقِينَ

(29:29) Indeed, you (second person masculine) approach men [sexually], ambush the highway, and engage in abominable acts in your social gatherings. But the only answer of his people was to say: “Bring upon us God’s retribution if you (Lot) are among the truthful!” (29:30) He (Lot) replied: “My Lord, help me against the corrupted people.”

7.1 The progressive narrative regarding homosexuality, lesbianism and deviant acts.

Satan’s approach is always the same: It is about claiming that what is right is wrong and that what is wrong is right. This is what the enemy has been able to achieve in modern liberal societies regarding prostitution, homosexuality, lesbianism, transgenderism and more which are now viewed as normal when they are plain wrong in the eyes of God and do not pass the test of His Holy Scriptures.

Observant Christians, Jews and Muslims are increasingly perceived by liberals and the mainstream media as being fundamentalist, bigoted, and intolerant when they stand for their beliefs. Many Christians, Jews and even Muslims are ashamed of what their religious scriptures advocate or are themselves entrenched in sin and give in to public pressure and compromise with their faith by developing liberal interpretations of the Bible and the Quran to attempt to justify sexual behaviors that are condemned by their own scriptures. What are such liberal interpretations that justify homosexuality, lesbianism and other deviant behaviors and do they stand the test of the Bible and the Quran or should they be classified as deviance and a form of religious apostasy?

– Some liberal Muslims claim that the Quran “doesn’t talk about homosexuality for a simple reason. It is a concept which was invented during the 19th century by psychatrists. It did not exist as such in the Arabo-Islamic culture.” (reference: Musulman.e et homosexual.le):

Translated from French by the author of the article.

The above statement is utterly false because, on the contrary, the Quran clearly and extensively condemns homosexuality, for instance:

أَئِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ ٱلرِّجَالَ شَهْوَةً مِّن دُونِ ٱلنِّسَآءِ بَلْ أَنتُمْ قَوْمٌ تَجْهَلُونَ

(27:55) “Why do you approach men lustfully, instead of women? Verily, you are ignorant people!

liberals Muslims typically avoid mentioning the above verse and many which we will quote later for the simple reason that they instantly expose their deviant agenda. The Quran is so specific in its condemnation of homosexuality that it even specifies “Why do you approach men lustfully, instead of women!”. It is because the path of God regarding sexual relations is for men to approach women (and by definition vice versa) and never the same sex.

It is also to be noted that verses 7:81, 27:55 and 29:29 condemn homosexuality in very general terms (meaning that they condemn primarily consensual, homosexual relationships and are not specifically linked to the episode when Sodomites attempted to rape the angels who visited Lot and were sent to annihilate Sodom and Gomorrah (11:78). They were blinded by the angels as a result (54:37, Genesis 19:11), shortly before they were showered by rocks from the heavens. Any form of rape is obviously beyond extreme immorality which is even worse than consensual homosexuality and is punishable as we pointed out earlier by 100 (severe in this case) lashes and a lifetime assignment to residence or imprisonment (4:15).

Lesbianism is proscribed in 4:15 (which we will explain grammatically in the next section), as much as it is in all verses condemning homosexuality. The universal rule in the Quran is that what is forbidden for men is forbidden for women. For instance, when God forbids the meat of pigs (2:173, 5:3, 6:145), it is valid for both genders, even though the second person masculine pronoun “kum” (كم = you) is used in 2:173 and 5:3. Lesbianism is exactly the same sin as homosexuality and there is likely a profound, hidden reason why Lot’s wife decided to return to Sodom and was predicted to incur the same fate as the Sodomites (7:83, 15:60, 26:171, 27:57, 29:32-33, 37:135). If you look at cities such as San Francisco, Palm Springs (California) and Tel Aviv where there is an extremely large homosexual population, there is always a comparably large population of lesbians.

– Liberal Muslims often claim that verse 24:31 mentions or refers to transgender people. It is factually untrue. Let us read the verse:

(24:31) And tell the believing women that they shall subdue their eyes, and that they shall maintain their chastity and that they shall not reveal their adornment, except that which is apparent. They shall draw their headscarves over their bosoms, and shall not reveal their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, the fathers of their husbands, their sons, the sons of their husbands, their brothers, the sons of their brothers, the sons of their sisters, their women, their servants or attendants whose sexual drive has been nullified among the men (i.e. eunuchs), or children who are innocent regarding the intimate aspect of women (i.e. who haven’t reached their puberty); They shall not strike their feet to reveal what they conceal of their adornment. All of you shall turn to God in repentance, O you believers, that you may succeed.

“Attendants whose sexual drive has been nullified among the men” (ٱلتَّٰبِعِينَ غَيْرِ أُو۟لِى ٱلْإِرْبَةِ مِنَ ٱلرِّجَالِdoes not designate transgender people but eunuchs, who were slaves who had been castrated. Contrary to common Sunni belief because they typically try to evade from the truth, the Arab tradition of Eunuchs does not originate from the Ottoman empire even though it was widespread under their rule: It is mentioned in 24:31 which is incontrovertible proof that it was a common practice among the Arabs at the time the Quran was revealed. This satanic practice has lasted for thousands of years in the Arab and Islamic world and has almost entirely disappeared today. Castration is proscribed by the Quran in 4:119 which states that changing God’s creation is satanic by nature. The reason why the Quran mentions it is certainly not because it condones it, but because it was unfortunately widespread in the Arab culture of slavery at the time. The Quran is fully detailed and therefore mentions it, but again, clearly condemns it (4:119). The fact that such a satanic tradition has lasted up to this very day in Saudi Arabia [there are still a few eunuchs who guard the tomb of the prophet in Medina as I am writing this article (!) and there were eunuchs appointed to serve the Kaaba and pilgrims up to the late 20th century]. This is just one of numerous proofs that Arabs and the Muslim world in general has treated the Quran as if it were a forsaken thing (25:30) and that they have favored instead satanic traditions condemned by the Quran and mostly found in hadiths.

To sum up, in the decadent Arabo-Islamic culture, eunuchs are male slaves who are castrated for the purpose of serving a specific social function, which is completely different from transgender people who undergo what is termed in so called “modern” societies a “gender reassignment”. In other words, the liberal Muslim claim that the Quran mentions transgender people is utterly and factually false.

– Another verse that is commonly misinterpreted and distorted by liberal, pro LGBT Muslims are verses about cupbearers in paradise:

مُتَّكِـِٔينَ عَلَىٰ سُرُرٍ مَّصْفُوفَةٍ وَزَوَّجْنَٰهُم بِحُورٍ عِينٍ

(52:20) They relax on luxurious furnishings, and we match them with beautiful spouses.

….

وَيَطُوفُ عَلَيْهِمْ غِلْمَانٌ لَّهُمْ كَأَنَّهُمْ لُؤْلُؤٌ مَّكْنُونٌ

(52:24) Serving them will be servants like protected pearls.

يَطُوفُ عَلَيْهِمْ وِلْدَٰنٌ مُّخَلَّدُونَ

(56:17) Serving them will be immortal servants.

وَحُورٌ عِينٌ

(56:22) Beautiful mates.

كَذَٰلِكَ وَزَوَّجْنَٰهُم بِحُورٍ عِينٍ

(44:54) We grant them wonderful spouses.

مُتَّكِـِٔينَ عَلَىٰ سُرُرٍ مَّصْفُوفَةٍ وَزَوَّجْنَٰهُم بِحُورٍ عِينٍ

(52:20) They relax on luxurious furnishings, and we match them with beautiful spouses.

وَيَطُوفُ عَلَيْهِمْ وِلْدَٰنٌ مُّخَلَّدُونَ إِذَا رَأَيْتَهُمْ حَسِبْتَهُمْ لُؤْلُؤًا مَّنثُورًا

(76:19) Serving them will be immortal children. When you see them, they will look like scattered pearls.

The masculine plural word “wildanun” (وِلْدَٰنٌ) in the above verse signifies “children”, meaning male or female in the context, not necessarily “boys” as evidenced for instance in verse 4:98 because the masculine plural prevails in Arabic, just like in other human languages, and includes both males and females. In other words, it does not even refer to “boys” but “children” in general. My question is: Do liberal, pro LGBT Muslims who claim without any substance that 76:19 and other verses about the afterlife indicate that there will be homosexuality in paradise advocate or provide an excuse for pedophilia or incest? This is exactly what it comes down to.

The fact that children will serve people in paradise does not imply in any way that they will molest children like people did in Sodom and Gomorrah and Pompei. On the contrary, it is clear that life in paradise is based on purity and the dwellers of paradise will have pure “spouses” of the opposite sex, and will therefore not deviate from their sacred marriages before God.

Another typical liberal claim to attempt to justify LGBT behavior is the question of hermaphrodism. If in very rare cases some people present both male and female characteristics, shouldn’t the difference between male and female and sexual orientation be a matter of choice and shouldn’t we promote gender inclusivity and LGBT tolerance in Muslim societies?

The truth is: God decreed that He created us male and female (53:45, 92:3, Genesis 1:27, Matthew 19:4-6). Therefore, as explained in section 3, people who presents hermaphrodite characteristics are in reality always more male or female; in other terms, they are either male or female from the point of view of Holy Scriptures, never both, even though the difference is smaller in this particular case. There is no such thing as a true hermaphrodite as claimed by some so called experts on the subject. As indicated earlier, from a Quranic standpoint, the strongest Quranic evidence that will determine for certain if a person who presents hermaphrodite characteristics is male or female is if the person menstruates or not:

(2:222) They ask you about menstruation: say, “It is harmful; you shall stay away from women during menstruation; do not approach them until they are cleansed. Once they are cleansed, you may approach them (feminine pronoun) in the manner ordained by God. God loves those who repent, and He loves those who are clean.”

A person who menstruates is a woman. Period, end of story, which solves decisively most cases.

This said, and to repeat what we said earlier, if a person who presents hermaphrodite characteristics does not menstruate (it is a fact that some women do not menstruate) and there is still a very strong ambiguity regarding the fact that the person is more female than male, then it should be up to the person to listen to his or her heart and decide which gender he or she is, and give the person plenty of time to make a firm legal commitment before the Islamic society without any pressure so the person can marry like any other person if he or she chooses to.

To sum up, so called “hermaphrodites” are and will always be either male or female simply because Allah Himself proclaims it (53:45, 92:3, Genesis 1:27, Matthew 19:4-6), and the liberal, progressive narrative is, as usual, utterly baseless.

7.2 The Quran irrevocably condemns homosexuality and lesbianism.

7.2.1 The Quran condemns same sex relationships.

7.2.1.1 Homosexuality overwhelmingly condemned

Many more verses than the two quoted earlier condemn homosexuality very specifically:

وَلُوطًا إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِۦٓ أَتَأْتُونَ ٱلْفَٰحِشَةَ مَا سَبَقَكُم بِهَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ مِّنَ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ

(7:80) And when Lot said to his people: “Is your goal to engage in the fahichah (immorality) like no one before you in the universe?!”

إِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ ٱلرِّجَالَ شَهْوَةً مِّن دُونِ ٱلنِّسَآءِ بَلْ أَنتُمْ قَوْمٌ مُّسْرِفُونَ

(7:81) Indeed, you approach men lustfully, instead of women! Verily, you are transgressing people.

أَتَأْتُونَ ٱلذُّكْرَانَ مِنَ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ

(26:165) “Do you, among all worldly creatures, [decide to] approach the males?!”

وَتَذَرُونَ مَا خَلَقَ لَكُمْ رَبُّكُم مِّنْ أَزْوَٰجِكُم بَلْ أَنتُمْ قَوْمٌ عَادُونَ

(26:166) You forsake the mates that your Lord has created for you! Indeed, you are transgressing people.”

(27:54) and when Lot said to his people: “Why do you engage in the fahichah (immorality) while you [are given] the ability to see?

أَئِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ ٱلرِّجَالَ شَهْوَةً مِّن دُونِ ٱلنِّسَآءِ بَلْ أَنتُمْ قَوْمٌ تَجْهَلُونَ

(27:55) “Why do you approach men lustfully, instead of women? Verily, you are ignorant people!

Again, no sincere Muslim can deny here that homosexuality is indeed one of the many forms of “fahichah” (immoral behavior).

وَلُوطًا إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِۦٓ إِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ ٱلْفَٰحِشَةَ مَا سَبَقَكُم بِهَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ مِّنَ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ

(29:28) Lot said to his people: “Indeed, you engage in the fahichah (immorality) like no one before you in the universe!”

أَئِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ ٱلرِّجَالَ وَتَقْطَعُونَ ٱلسَّبِيلَ وَتَأْتُونَ فِى نَادِيكُمُ ٱلْمُنكَرَ فَمَا

كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّآ أَن قَالُوا۟ ٱئْتِنَا بِعَذَابِ ٱللَّهِ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰدِقِينَ

(29:29) “Indeed, you approach men [lustfully], you ambush the highway, and you engage in evil acts during your meetings.” The only response from his people was to say: “Bring upon us God’s retribution if you are among the truthful!”.

All these verses speak for themselves, for instance 7:81 which proclaims that “Indeed, you approach men lustfully, instead of women!”. A man is created by God to have a sexual relationship with a woman and vice versa, and never the same sex which is labelled as “fahichah” (immorality), and in this case is an advanced form of it. As said earlier, liberal Muslims who try to distort the meaning of the Quran to claim otherwise have strictly nothing to say about verses 7:81 as well as 27:55 and 26:166 which permanently close the door to homosexuality.

7.2.1.2 Lesbianism is prohibited in the same way as homosexuality

وَٱلَّٰتِى يَأْتِينَ ٱلْفَٰحِشَةَ مِن نِّسَآئِكُمْ فَٱسْتَشْهِدُوا۟ عَلَيْهِنَّ أَرْبَعَةً مِّنكُمْ فَإِن شَهِدُوا۟

فَأَمْسِكُوهُنَّ فِى ٱلْبُيُوتِ حَتَّىٰ يَتَوَفَّىٰهُنَّ ٱلْمَوْتُ أَوْ يَجْعَلَ ٱللَّهُ لَهُنَّ سَبِيلًا

(4:15) And [regarding] those (feminine plural relative pronoun) who engage in the fahichah (immorality) among your women, you must gather four witnesses among you against them (feminine plural pronoun). Then, if they do bear witness, you shall then keep them (feminine plural pronoun, i.e. those sinful women) in dwellings until they pass away, or until God provides a path for them (feminine pronoun).

One may wonder why the verse specifically points out at gathering four witnesses against women who engage in fahichah and not men, and keeping them (women) under house arrest or in prison until they die if they are found guilty. One who pays attention to the grammatical structure of the verse without placing it in its true context may regard it as being sexist. Why not men as well? The reason is that 4:15 does not refer to a regular type of fornication of adultery (in which case a man and a woman only both incur 100 lashes according to 24:2 and can only remarry a person who also committed zinâ or a polytheist and live a normal life afterwards as evidenced in 24:3) but to severe cases of “fahichah”, that is to say types of immorality that are one or several degrees more severe than a regular type of fornication or adultery between a man and a woman, which case is addressed in 24:2:

(24:2) [When it comes to] the woman guilty of fornication or adultery, as well the man guilty of fornication or adultery, flog both of them with a hundred lashes, and do not let pity towards them overcome you in implementing God’s law, if you believe in God and the last day. And let a group of believers witness their [dual plural] punishment.

Note: As indicated in red above, 24:2 shows that a regular type of fornication/adultery between a man and a woman incurs 100 lashes.

(24:3) The men guilty of fornication or adultery won’t be able to marry except a women guilty of fornication or adultery or a polytheist, and the women guilty of fornication or adultery won’t be able to marry except a man guilty of fornication or adultery or a polytheist. Such a thing has been forbidden for believers.

Note: 24:3 exposes the deviance of hadiths which advocate the death penalty for adultery, because it shows that people who commit zinâ (fornication/adultery) are allowed to marry or remarry. In addition, it proves that the type of fahichah mentioned in 24:2 (fornication or adultery between a man and a woman) is not a type of fahichah (immorality) that is as severe as the type mentioned in 4:15 which is punishable by a lifetime house arrest or imprisonment (which can be commuted if people repent and reform) and is by definition one or several degrees higher (we are going to explain this concept) than fornication/adultery between a man and a woman.

(24:4) And those who accuse chaste women (Muhsanat = chaste women, married or not, as evidenced in 5:5), without producing afterwards four witnesses, flog each of them with eighty lashes, and do not accept their testimony ever again. They are the ones who transgress;

Note: The word “muhsanat” (مُحْصَنَٰت) signifies “chaste women”, married or not, as evidenced in 5:5 (Today, all good things are made lawlul for you….as well as the chaste women among the female believers, and the chaste women among those who received the book before you, provided that you give them their dowry…), which, as regards to 24:4, is one of several proofs that the word “zinâ” signifies “fornication” as well as “adultery”, and not simply “adultery” as many have claimed.

(24:5) Except those who repent after that, and reform, because God is the one who protects, the Most Merciful. (24:6) And those who accuse their spouses, but do not have any witnesses other than themselves, the testimony of each of them has to be four testimonies before God that he is indeed among the truthful,

Note: The words “their spouses” (أَزْوَٰجَهُمْ = azwajahum) is used above, which further confirms that the sin of “zinâ” applies both to unmarried (again, a “muhsanat”, mentioned in 24:4, can be married or not according to 5:5) and married people. The fact that two different words (“muhsanat” and “azwajajum”) are employed is by design, to provide the precise definition of “azzaniyatu” (الزَّانِيَةُ = the female fornicator or adulteress).

(24:7) and the fifth that God’s curse may be upon him if he is among the liars. (24:8) But the punishment [of 100 lashes] will be spared to her if she testifies four times towards God that he (her husband) is among the liars, (24:9) and the fifth [testimony] that God’s curse may be upon her if he is among the truthful. (24:10) And [could you even fathom what would happen] if it were not for God’s grace towards you, as well as His Mercy, and [the fact] that He is Oft Returning (when it comes to forgive), Most Wise!?

Zinâ (fornication or adultery) between a man and a woman is the first degree of immorality (24:2). If you now look for instance at homosexuality or lesbianism, we are dealing by definition with a case of fornication (first degree of immorality), but which goes further because it also involves the sin of homosexuality (second degree of immorality), which typically implies a series of deviant, unnatural sexual behaviors (sodomy, oral sex, in most cases bdsm, sex with or between multiple partners and more = third degree of immorality). The same thing goes for prostitution, which is a case of fornication to begin with (first degree of immorality), but also a case of prostitution [engaging in sin in exchange for money with multiple people thus presenting a danger for society morally and medically (due to the spread of diseases) = second degree of immorality], and typically also involves various types of sexual immorality (third degree of immorality) similar to the sexual deviance in the gay community.

In other terms, the use of the word “nisâeekum” (نِّسَآئِكُمْ = your women, and not “your wives”) in 4:15 and the feminine plural pronoun in “you must gather four witnesses among you against them” (عَلَيْهِنَّ) indicate (given the fact that 24:2 which deals with fornication and adultery between a man and a woman does not require house arrest or imprisonment) that it relates to any advanced forms of immorality (fahichah) such as any type of prostitution, lesbianism, pedophilia, and rape, zoophilia and more.

The verse is thus multiple meaning (which is very typical of Sacred Scriptures) because it is correctly interpreted as condemning mainly prostitution and lesbianism, two advanced types of fornication which we saw cumulate by definition several types of immoralities, making them even worse than fornication or adultery between a man and a woman, which is already a very grave sin.

4:15 therefore deals with cases of immorality (fahichah) that are so grave that isolation from the Muslim society is required to protect the general public and such women are assigned to residence until they pass away, unless God can provide a path to redemption for them. It means that the sentence can be commuted and is not necessarily permanent if they are willing to repent and reform, which is perfectly in line with the fact that Islam is extremely firm when it comes to protect society from sexual deviance, but also that the door is always wide open for forgiveness.

Four witnesses are required which is the same number of witnesses as in a regular case of fornication or adultery (24:2) between a man and a woman. Four witnesses is therefore the norm to prove any case of “fahichah” (immorality) such as fornication, adultery, homosexuality, lesbianism, incest, prostitution, rape, pedophilia, zoophilia, necrophilia.

For that reason, such sins are hard to prove (although it is far much easier to prove them in a modern society with the use of pictures, video cameras and DNA analysis, which can then be witnessed by four or more witnesses or experts).

Additional proofs that lesbianism is strictly forbidden in Islam is that extra marital sex is prohibited (5:5, 23:5, 24:2, 24:30-31, 66:12, 70:29) and that a marriage cannot be legal without a husband paying a dowry to his wife (2:236-237, 4:24-25, 33:50, 60:10), as well as inheritance laws (4:11-12, 4:176). The reason why women inherit less than men in Islam is because a marriage is exclusively between a man and a woman (2:221, 4:12, 33:50, 2:230, 2:234 and more) and that men are financially responsible for their family (2:233, 4:34). If lesbianism were authorized in Islam, it would be unjustified for them to inherit less and the case would be addressed in the Quran fully detailed. The fact that they do inherit less is further solid proof that lesbianism has zero place in Islam.

Equivalence is the law

Because prostitution and lesbianism fall within the scope of 4:15 regarding women, it also applies de facto by equivalence to male prostitution and homosexuality in a Muslim society as well as all even more severe types of immorality (rape, pedophilia, zoophilia, and more).

This is how the Quran works: The goal of the 4:15 is to draw attention to severe cases of immorality in general by putting the emphasis primarily on the sins of lesbianism and prostitution when it comes to women because several other verses focus specifically on male homosexuality and immorality (7:80-81, 27:54-55, 29:29). Quranic law is ruled by the law of “equivalence” (الْقِصَاصُ = al qisâs). For example, both a man or woman who commits zinâ (fornication, adultery) incur 100 lashes. It is the same punishment for men and women. Similarly, a proven case of male or female prostitution, lesbianism or homosexuality, rape, pedophilia, zoophilia and more (again, a minimum of four witnesses is required) which are all advanced forms of fahichah (immorality) all fall within the scope of 4:15 according to the law of equivalence, which decrees a possibly permanent isolation from society, unless it can be established (preferably by experts) that sinners have genuinely repented and reformed after serving a meaningful sentence.

Modelling a three-strikes law after verses 3:90 and 4:137

I propose that in case of three repeated offenses for the most severe cases of immorality, public safety should prevail and that a lifetime imprisonment with no possibility of parole could be modelled after verse 3:90 and especially 4:137:

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بَعْدَ إِيمَٰنِهِمْ ثُمَّ ٱزْدَادُوا۟ كُفْرًا لَّن تُقْبَلَ تَوْبَتُهُمْ وَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلضَّآلُّونَ

(3:90) Those who disbelieve after believing, then increased in disbelief, their repentance will never be accepted from them; those are the ones who have gone astray.

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ثُمَّ كَفَرُوا۟ ثُمَّ ءَامَنُوا۟ ثُمَّ كَفَرُوا۟ ثُمَّ

ٱزْدَادُوا۟ كُفْرًا لَّمْ يَكُنِ ٱللَّهُ لِيَغْفِرَ لَهُمْ وَلَا لِيَهْدِيَهُمْ سَبِيلًۢا

(4:137) Surely, those who believe, then disbelieve (1), then believe, then disbelieve (2), then plunge deeper into disbelief (3), God will not forgive them, nor will He guide them in any way.

The warning of a possible lifetime assignment to residence or imprisonment in 4:15 has to be taken seriously. Islam is very forgiving but very firm at the same time. Someone who would have committed an advanced type of immorality but allegedly repented and reformed is the equivalent of believing because it is acknowledging the validity of Quranic or Biblical law. If he or she repeats the offense, it is the equivalent of disbelieving (second offence) but it can still be forgiven if the person sincerely repents and reforms. If he or she commits a great immorality a third time, it is the equivalent of “increasing in disbelief” or “plunge deeper into disbelief” [we have to bear in mind that sex crimes beyond fornication/adultery between a man and a woman can be seen as advanced cases of disbelief (see for instance 7:80, 29:28) because the Quran places them in a separate category in 4:15] and we can safely argue in my opinion that repentance will never be sincere and therefore he or she shouldn’t be forgiven beyond a certain point, which would imply a lifetime house arrest or imprisonment without parole for advanced sex crimes (i.e. more serious than fornication or adultery between a man and a woman) when a person incurred three convictions for advanced sex crimes.

By equivalence based on 4:137, this is in my view the maximum of times that a person could be forgiven for the same type of crime by an Islamic judicial system. This said, a convicted serial rapist or serial pedophile should in my view never be released from house arrest or prison after being convicted even once because he represents a permanent danger to society and no life should be put at risk because a judge decided to take a chance and forgive such people.

Despite being very hard to prove, the sentence of being assigned to residence possibly until death in 4:15 is, needless to say, extremely harsh (such a sentence is in addition to 100 lashes per 24:2), but is designed as a powerful deterrent to protect society at large and offers a possible path of redemption for sinners who engage in advanced types of immorality because they can be forgiven if they repent and reform (the sentence is then commuted). The goal is to, God willing, spare them from the much more extreme and permanent retribution of the hellfire.

Which person is more forgiving?

– One who has no guidance and lies to people by telling them that prostitution and homosexuality are normal and should be legal in a human society.

– Or one who is guided by the word of God and offers sinners a true possibility of redemption by applying the Quranic law (by isolating advanced sinners from society per 4:15) and giving them an opportunity to seriously reflect upon the gravity of their sins so they can repent and reform, thus liberating them from sin and from being isolated from society, in which case they would be saved from the much more extreme sentence of the hellfire?

7.2.1.3 Homosexuality and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)

Sexual deviance and sin in general often result in contracting diseases, which are a form of divine retribution (John 5:14, Quran 38:44) and can also be tests that we have to experience during our lifetime.

وَخُذْ بِيَدِكَ ضِغْثًا فَٱضْرِب بِّهِۦ وَلَا تَحْنَثْ إِنَّا وَجَدْنَٰهُ صَابِرًا نِّعْمَ ٱلْعَبْدُ إِنَّهُۥٓ أَوَّابٌ

(38:44) “And take in your hand a bunch of grass and heal with itand do not sin”. Indeed, we found him (Job) patient, an excellent servant; he was indeed inclined towards repentance”.

The relationship between diseases and sin is a reality of this world and it is an established fact that the homosexual population is exponentially more impacted by sexually transmitted diseases than the heterosexual population. Heterosexuals are also, to a lesser degree, largely impacted when they have sex outside of wedlock, simply because they deviate from God’s commandments to remain chaste. The only population which is in a safe position pertaining to STDs are heterosexual Muslims, Christians, Jews and people who follow God’s command to remain chaste before marriage and remain faithful their entire life. Purity in households is what keeps people away from STDs, which include HIV/AIDS, gonorrhea, syphilis, human papillomavirus, chlamydia, trichomoniasis and more. 

STDs have reached epidemic levels in the LGBT population (read the very telling article written by Mike Miksche, a gay man, in Jan 16, 2017 and entitled “America may be heading into an STD epidemic and gay and Bi men are going to be the hardest hit”). The CDC (Center for Disease Control) states that “Gay, bisexual and other men represent an incredibly diverse community. However, these men are disproportionately impacted by syphilis, HIV, and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)” (cdc.gov/std/life-stages-populations/msm.htm).

The impact of HIV/AIDS on the gay population: “In the United States, gay men are at a disproportionately high risk of getting HIV and AIDS. In 2016, 68% of all HIV infections in the US affected men who have sex with men.” (source: “Why do gay men have an increased risk of HIV?” verywellhealth.com, November 3, 2020).

When 68% of all HIV infections in the US affect the homosexual population while the LGBT population only represent about 4.5%, it is truly alarming and speaks for itself. The US population infected by HIV is approximately 1.3 million in 2021. If we consider that “68% of homosexuals are infected by HIV” out of 1.3 million cases, it means that approximately 884,000 homosexuals in the US are HIV positive, when the LGBT population represents about 4.5% (which includes lesbians and transgenders as well). If we consider that gay men represent half of the LGBT community or 2.25% of a population of 330 million people in the US, it means that there are about 8,250,000 gay men in the US, 884,000 of whom have HIV, which implies that, according to my calculation, approximately 10.71% of the gay men population is infected by HIV!!! By comparison, the non-gay men population infected by HIV in the U.S. is about 0.13% or about 82 times lower than homosexuals according to this calculation.

In fact, the reality is even more alarming: According to KFF.org (The Kaiser Family Foundation), “It is estimated that 12-13 percent of gay and bisexual men are HIV positive (KFF analysis of CDC data), including one in five in many major US cities (CDC, HIV testing Among Men Who Have Sex With men — 21 Cities, United States, 2008, MMWR, volume 60(21), June 2011.)”. Well over a decade later, we can be certain that the actual percentage is now much higher. 13% of gay men being HIV positive is severe epidemic levels and signifies that the infection rate is comparatively about at least 100 times higher than for the non-gay men population which is infected at a rate of approximately 0.13% (13/0.13 = 100) in the United States based on data gathered in 2008.

Other factors to consider is that it is statistically proven that mental diseases, illegal drugs consumption and addiction as well as alcoholism affect the LGBT population to a much higher degree than the heterosexual population.

In other words, a deviant lifestyle is likely to cause diseases, mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse and many more issues in the life of a human being, which is a divine retribution and a warning from God to His servants that they have transgressed the limits are in great danger of ending up in the hellfire if they do not repent and reform.

7.2.2 Marriage is always between a man and a woman in the Quran and the Bible.

وَلَا تَنكِحُوا۟ ٱلْمُشْرِكَٰتِ حَتَّىٰ يُؤْمِنَّ وَلَأَمَةٌ مُّؤْمِنَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِّن مُّشْرِكَةٍ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَتْكُمْ وَلَا تُنكِحُوا۟

ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ حَتَّىٰ يُؤْمِنُوا۟ وَلَعَبْدٌ مُّؤْمِنٌ خَيْرٌ مِّن مُّشْرِكٍ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَكُمْ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى

ٱلنَّارِ وَٱللَّهُ يَدْعُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱلْجَنَّةِ وَٱلْمَغْفِرَةِ بِإِذْنِهِۦ وَيُبَيِّنُ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ

(2:221) Do not marry idol worshippers (feminine) until they believe; indeed, a female servant (feminine) who believes is better than an idol worshipper (feminine), even if she (feminine) pleases you. Nor shall you give [your daughters] in marriage to idolatrous men (by definition, marriage is always between a man and a woman in the Quran), unless they believe. A male servant who believes is better than an idol worshipper, even if you like him. They invite to the fire, while God invites to Paradise and forgiveness thanks to His Grace. He clarifies His verses for people, that they may take heed.

وَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِيمَا عَرَّضْتُم بِهِۦ مِنْ خِطْبَةِ ٱلنِّسَآءِ أَوْ أَكْنَنتُمْ فِىٓ أَنفُسِكُمْ عَلِمَ ٱللَّهُ أَنَّكُمْ

سَتَذْكُرُونَهُنَّ وَلَٰكِن لَّا تُوَاعِدُوهُنَّ سِرًّا إِلَّآ أَن تَقُولُوا۟ قَوْلًا مَّعْرُوفًا وَلَا تَعْزِمُوا۟ عُقْدَةَ ٱلنِّكَاحِ

حَتَّىٰ يَبْلُغَ ٱلْكِتَٰبُ أَجَلَهُۥ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِىٓ أَنفُسِكُمْ فَٱحْذَرُوهُ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ حَلِيمٌ

(2:235) There is no blame upon you (masculine) if you announce your engagement to the [widowed] women (feminine), or keep it secret. God knows that you will think about them (feminine pronoun). Do not make an appointment with them secretly unless you have something righteous to discuss. And do not tie the knot of marriage until their waiting interim (of four lunar months and ten days) is fulfilled. You shall know that God knows what is in [the depth of] your souls, so beware of Him, and you shall know that God is Forgiver, Clement.

وَلَا تَنكِحُوا۟ مَا نَكَحَ ءَابَآؤُكُم مِّنَ ٱلنِّسَآءِ إِلَّا مَا

قَدْ سَلَفَ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ فَٰحِشَةً وَمَقْتًا وَسَآءَ سَبِيلًا

(4:22) Do not marry (second person masculine plural) any women who were previously married to your fathers, exempted those contracted in the past. Indeed, it is an immorality, abominable, and an evil path.

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ إِنَّآ أَحْلَلْنَا لَكَ أَزْوَٰجَكَ ٱلَّٰتِىٓ ءَاتَيْتَ أُجُورَهُنَّ وَمَا مَلَكَتْ يَمِينُكَ مِمَّآ أَفَآءَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ

 وَبَنَاتِ عَمِّكَ وَبَنَاتِ عَمَّٰتِكَ وَبَنَاتِ خَالِكَ وَبَنَاتِ خَٰلَٰتِكَ ٱلَّٰتِى هَاجَرْنَ مَعَكَ وَٱمْرَأَةً مُّؤْمِنَةً إِن

 وَهَبَتْ نَفْسَهَا لِلنَّبِىِّ إِنْ أَرَادَ ٱلنَّبِىُّ أَن يَسْتَنكِحَهَا خَالِصَةً لَّكَ مِن دُونِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ قَدْ عَلِمْنَا مَا

 فَرَضْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ فِىٓ أَزْوَٰجِهِمْ وَمَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَٰنُهُمْ لِكَيْلَا يَكُونَ عَلَيْكَ حَرَجٌ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا

(33:50) O prophet, we have made your wives lawful for you, those to whom you have given their dowry, as well as those (feminine plural relative pronoun) whom you rightfully possess whom God restored to you. Also (are lawful in marriage) the daughters of your paternal uncles, the daughters of your paternal aunts, the daughters of your maternal uncles, the daughters of your maternal aunts who emigrated with you…

فَإِن طَلَّقَهَا فَلَا تَحِلُّ لَهُۥ مِنۢ بَعْدُ حَتَّىٰ تَنكِحَ زَوْجًا غَيْرَهُۥ فَإِن طَلَّقَهَا فَلَا جُنَاحَ

عَلَيْهِمَآ أَن يَتَرَاجَعَآ إِن ظَنَّآ أَن يُقِيمَا حُدُودَ ٱللَّهِ وَتِلْكَ حُدُودُ ٱللَّهِ يُبَيِّنُهَا لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ

(2:230) If he (masculine) divorces her (feminine, i.e. for the third time), it is not lawful for him [to remarry her] subsequently, unless she (feminine) marries a spouse (masculine) other than him; then, if he (masculine) divorces her (feminine), there is no sin upon them if they reconcile as long as they think they can abide by God’s laws. These are God’s laws; He explains them for people who know.

Just like a marriage is always between a man and a woman in the Quran, a divorce is also by definition always between a man and a woman.

Fact: Islam does not accept a marriage other than between a man and a woman.

وَٱلَّذِينَ يُتَوَفَّوْنَ مِنكُمْ وَيَذَرُونَ أَزْوَٰجًا يَتَرَبَّصْنَ بِأَنفُسِهِنَّ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشْرًا فَإِذَا

 بَلَغْنَ أَجَلَهُنَّ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِيمَا فَعَلْنَ فِىٓ أَنفُسِهِنَّ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ

(2:234) Those among you (masculine) who die and are outlived by [their] wives (feminine), they (the widows) shall wait four months and ten days (before they remarry). Once they fulfill their (waiting) interim, you incur no sin regarding what they (women) decide for themselves as long as they abide by the rules of decency. God is Fully Aware of everything that you do.

Same thing above, a wife survives a husband and vice versa. Marriage is always between a man and a woman.

I challenge any person who would claim that gay marriage is allowed in the Quran or the Bible to provide one single example in the Holy Scriptures. No matter how hard you try, you will never be able to, because it is forbidden and illegal in Islam as well as Judaism and Christianity, and because homosexuality and lesbianism is clearly categorized as “immorality” (fahichah).

Note: The LGBT movement frequently organizes “gay prides” all over the world. From a faith perspective, only truly lost people get to the point that they are “proud” of their sins and make a public display of their immorality. Being proud of your sins is defying God and signifies that you have possibly reached a point of no return in your ability to seek forgiveness because you don’t even feel any guilt. The Quran says:

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بَعْدَ إِيمَٰنِهِمْ ثُمَّ ٱزْدَادُوا۟ كُفْرًا لَّن تُقْبَلَ تَوْبَتُهُمْ وَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلضَّآلُّونَ

(3:90) Those who disbelieve after believing, then increased in disbelief, their repentance will never be accepted from them; those are the ones who have gone astray.

As long as one feels guilt when he or she sins, there is still hope. But if you get to the point that you do not even experience any guilt, or worse, are proud of your sins (!), it is the equivalent of “increasing in disbelief” (3:90) and you are possibly permanently lost. This is why satan inspired to LGBT communities around the world to organize “gay prides”. It is to make sure that they double down on their sins, hoping that they will permanently be doomed.

Because a marriage, as well as a divorce, is always between a man and a woman in the Quran and the Bible, gay marriage, same sex civil unions and tolerance of homosexuality in general are strictly unacceptable in a Muslim society. Some liberal Muslims have proposed to allow gay marriage or same sex civil unions, which is the equivalent of trying to abolish Quranic law which forbids same sex relationships. God proclaims that nothing abrogates His words:

وَتَمَّتْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ صِدْقًا وَعَدْلًا لَّا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَٰتِهِۦ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ

(6:115) The word of your Lord has been perfected in truth and justice. Nothing shall abrogate His words. He is the Hearer, the Omniscient.

See also 6:34 and 18:27.

Sunnis and Shias who claim that “hadiths other than God and His verses” (45:6) which advocate stoning to death the adulterer have abolished Quranic law [which only advocates 100 (moderate) lashes] literally ruin their souls by doing so because it is engaging in disbelief. By comparison, if you try to accommodate gay marriage or gay civil unions in a Muslim society, you commit the exact same type of crime and literally engage in disbelief as well because no one is allowed to abrogate God’s words (لَا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ = Nothing shall abrogate His words, 6:34) for any reason.

7.2.3 The miraculous symbolism of Sodom and Gomorrah: The cities of sin were destroyed right by the lowest point on earth.

7.2.3.1 The romans were defeated in “the lowest land”

The coming sections establish the link between the beginning of sura 30 and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, universal sign condemning homosexuality. According to the Holy Quran, which is never wrong because it is the divine word of God, the Romans (Byzantines) where defeated by the Persian empire at “the lowest point on earth” at some time during the process of revelation of the Quran:

غُلِبَتِ ٱلرُّومُ

فِىٓ أَدْنَى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَهُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ غَلَبِهِمْ سَيَغْلِبُونَ

(30:3) In the lowest land. After their defeat, they will prevail.

فِى بِضْعِ سِنِينَ لِلَّهِ ٱلْأَمْرُ مِن قَبْلُ وَمِنۢ بَعْدُ وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ

(30:4) Within a few years. Such is God’s command, [regarding what happened] before and [what will happen] after. And on that day, the believers shall rejoice.

The above verses refer to the Byzantine-Sassanid (i.e. Persian) war of 602-628. From the Byzantine’s point of view, the worst defeat they initially incurred against the Persian empire (a polytheist empire) was the loss of Jerusalem in 614 CE because of its profound religious significance: It is where the church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of Jesus’ crucifixion according to Christians, is located, and which held the “True Cross” – alleged cross where Jesus was crucified (4:157 makes it clear that it never happened) – which relic was venerated by Christians and was confiscated by the Persians upon seizing Jerusalem.

7.2.3.2 Why does the Quran mention specifically the battle which caused the fall of Jerusalem?

The Quran is miraculously specific and informs us that this initial major defeat of the Romans (Byzantines) against the Persians took place at the “lowest land” point on earth [(30:2) The Romans were defeated. (30:3) In the lowest land…]. The lowest land on earth is the Dead Sea, which is located about 30 km from Jerusalem. The Byzantines incurred a number of losses against the Persians in the early stages of the war. Why does the Holy Quran mention specifically the battle which caused the fall of Jerusalem in 614 CE? The answer is both simple and profound. At the time, and for most of Muhammad’s ministry, it is a historical fact that Muslims, just like Jews, prayed towards Jerusalem. The Quran announces the change of Qiblah from Jerusalem to Mecca in verse 2:142. Sura 2 is the 87th sura revealed according to the traditional classification and is the first Medinan sura. Therefore, it was revealed shortly after the Hijrah (July 19, 622 CE). Muhammad died on the 8th of June 632 and the Quran was revealed on the 27th night of Ramadan in 609 CE. As a result, Muhammad prayed about 13 years towards Jerusalem and only about 10 years towards Mecca, which implies that Muslims prayed towards Jerusalem when verses 30:2-3 which refer to the battle near Jerusalem “at the lowest point on earth” were revealed (likely in 614 CE, when the battle occurred). This is precisely the reason why the Quran focuses on that particular key defeat for Byzantine Christians at the Dead Sea which resulted in the fall of Jerusalem. Because Jerusalem was still the Sacred Temple of Muslims and Qiblah at the time, no other defeat of the Byzantine Christian empire could have been of a greater concern for them given the fact that Persians were Polytheists, while the Quran declares that Christians are the closest to the Muslim faith (5:82). It sheds light on the fact that 30:4, which announces that the Byzantine would eventually reclaim Jerusalem and win the war, states that “on that day, the believers shall rejoice.”.

7.2.3.3 Nearest land or lowest land?

Many translators claim that the beginning of verse 30:3 should be translated as “the nearest land” instead of “the lowest land”. Such translations are obviously inaccurate because “the nearest land” from Mecca (where the sura was revealed) would have been Abyssinia, or Saba (today’s Yemen), and certainly not Palestine.

In the Quran, the word “adnâ” (أَدْنَى) signifies “lowest” or “lower” (2:61 = “would you exchange that which is lower instead of what is better”, 7:169 = “this lowest life”, 30:3 = “the lowest land”, 58:7 = “and not lower than that”) or “nearest”, “more appropriate” (2:282, 4:3, 5:108, 33:51, 33:59, 53:9).

Given the fact that the Byzantine empire was not defeated in Abyssinia or Saba which are “the nearest lands” from Mecca, but in Palestine with the fall of Jerusalem, by default, it is obvious that the correct translation in 30:3 is “the lowest land”, which concurs with the meaning of the word “adnâ” in 2:61, 7:169 and 58:7.

Incredibly, “the lowest land” point on earth is the Dead Sea, situated only about 30 kilometers away from Jerusalem, and which elevation is currently approximately at 430 meters below sea level.

7.2.3.4 Major Quranic prophecy fulfilled

Byzantine Emperor Heraclius had unsuccessfully launched a major counter offensive against the Persians in 614 CE in Syria but was severely defeated as acknowledged in 30:2. The Quran predicted that within a few years, the Romans would prevail, which was a very bold prediction at the time sura 30 was revealed because their initial defeat was seen as devastating. Sura 30 is a late Meccan sura, the 84th sura revealed according to traditional classification, and was likely revealed in 614 CE given the fact that it mentions the battle near Jerusalem. The Romans, still led by emperor Heraclius, managed to counterattack, and eventually defeat the Persians at the battle of Niniveh on December 12, 627 CE, as predicted in the Holy Quran.

Despite the Byzantine victory over the Persians, both empires were left crippled after such a long, costly war, which paved the way for the subsequent enormous Arabo-Islamic conquests (634-751) which are historically seen as an unprecedented tsunami of conquests.

7.2.3.5 The lowest point on earth and its connection with Sodom and Gomorrah

The underlying Quranic symbolism regarding “the lowest land on earth” mentioned in 30:3 and the horrific sins of Sodom and Gomorrah is self-evident and extremely profound because it is a historical fact that the doomed cities were very precisely located at the southern tip of the Dead Sea in the valley of Siddim (Genesis 13:12, Genesis 14:2-3,8-12). Moreover, the Quran indicates that the ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah intersect with the historical trading route Mecca-Gaza which intersects with the valley of Siddim:

In red, Ancient Mecca – Gaza Nabatean/Arabian trading route in pre-Islamic Middle East (brown color represents other trading routes).

(29:29) “Indeed, you approach men [lustfully], you ambush the highway (i.e. the trading route) and you engage in evil acts during your meetings.” The only response from his people was to say: “Bring upon us God’s retribution if you are among the truthful!”.

(37:137) Indeed, you (i.e. “you the Quraysh and Arabs who conduct caravans”, see sura 106) still pass by their ruins (i.e. the ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah) in the morning(37:138) And at night. Will you then not use reason?

37:137 reveals that Meccan caravans (sura 37 is a Meccan sura) commonly passed by the ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah “in the morning and at night”, which reflects the well-known fact that, for millennia, caravans all over Africa and the Middle East travelled in the morning and at night to avoid the scorching heat in the afternoon.

Hashim ibn Abd Manaf, Muhammad’s great grandfather, famously died while doing business in Gaza and is buried there, which concurs with the traditional Mecca-Gaza trading route alluded to in 37:137.

In red Ancient Mecca – Gaza Nabatean/Arabian Trading route in pre-Islamic Arabia and Middle East (brown color represents other trading routes).

Another famous trading route which passes right by the ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah is “King’s Highway” which runs along the heights of the eastern shore of the Dead Sea. Both trading routes fulfill 37:137 and were historically used by Meccan caravans.

In blue: King’s Highway (which leads towards Damascus).

In Orange: Left turn towards Gaza (Mecca-Gaza trading route).

Red dots: Bab Ad Dhraa (Sodom) and Numeira (Gomorrah).

As witnessed above, 37:137-138 allude likely both to the Mecca-Gaza trading route and King’s highway which leads to Damascus, both trading routes pass at a very close proximity of the ruins of Sodom (Bad Ad Dhraa) and Gomorrah (Numeira).

7.2.3.6 The Torah confirms that Sodom and Gomorrah were located at the southern tip of the Dead Sea

The Southern tip of the Dead Sea is the same area mentioned in Genesis 14 which depicts “the battle of the valley of Siddim” (Genesis 14:1-17). It is also known as the war of the nine kings (which opposed the five kings of the plain of Siddim to four Mesopotamian kings), which occurred at the time of Abraham and Lot, and during which Lot was captured in Sodom (when it was sacked by the Mesopotamian kings, Genesis 14:10-12), then rescued by Abraham (Genesis 14:16). This war occurred about 14 to 24 years before the annihilation of Sodom and Gomorrah around 2070 BC. The kings of the five cities of the plain of Siddim (Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboyim, Bela) were opposed to four kings of Mesopotamian kingdoms (Elam, Shinar, Ellasar, Goyim). The valley of Siddim, where Sodom and Gomorrah were located, is the valley of “the Salt Sea” (Known today as the “Dead Sea” because of its extreme salinity) according to Genesis 14:3:

(Genesis 14:3) All these have been joined together unto the valley of Siddim, which is the Salt Sea.

The Torah thus confirms that Sodom and Gomorrah were located at a very close proximity of “the lowest point on earth” (30:3), as it is a scientific fact that the Dead Sea is the lowest land point on earth (about 430 meters below sea level).

7.2.3.7 The miraculous lesson of Sodom and Gomorrah:

To sum up, the miraculous allegorical, hidden, underlying message for future generations is that the doomed cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, approximately in 2070 BC, right next to “the lowest land on the earth” (30:3), pinpointed in the Quran to indicate the location of the Byzantine-Sassanid (i.e. Persian) battle which took place at the Dead Sea (30:2-3) and resulted in the loss of Jerusalem in 614 CE. No one could possibly have known such a fact at the time. Again, that particular battle is mentioned in the Quran mostly because Jerusalem was the sacred landmark towards which Muslims prayed at the time. The actual ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah are found at the sites of Bab edh Dra and Numeira in Jordan, located at the south of the Dead Sea. Please read the excellent article:

Furthermore, according to the Torah, Sodom and Gomorrah were one of the five “cities of the plain” (Genesis 13:12) of the valley of Siddim (Genesis 14:3-12) which is situated right at the southern tip of the “Salt Sea”, that is to say the Dead Sea (Genesis 14:3).

The Quran indicates that the ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah intersects with a famous trading route commonly used by Meccans who “passed by their ruins in the morning, and at night” (37:137-138). Sura 37 is a Meccan sura and travelling “at night and in the morning” has always been the travelling pattern of caravans in the Middle East for thousands of years in order to avoid the afternoon heat. The ruins of the sin cities intersect with the Mecca-Gaza historic Quraish trading route (Hashim ibn Abd Manaf, Muhammad’s great grandfather is famously buried in Gaza), as well as King’s highway which borders the Eastern shore of the Dead Sea and leads to Damascus. The sites of Sodom and Gomorrah are both visible from the Mecca-Gaza route and King’s highway.

The location of the two sin cities is no coincidence because they symbolically represent “the lowest point” an entire population has ever gone down when it comes to immorality in the history of mankind (7:80, 29:28): They engaged in homosexuality (firmly condemned by the Quran in 7:80-81, 26:165-166, 27:54-55, 29:28-29) and commonly related sexual deviances in the gay community (such a group sex: 29:29), as well as rape (Genesis 19:5, 11:78, 15:68-71) and highway robbery (29:29). All those terrible sins combined are why God annihilated Sodom and Gomorrah and set them as a lesson and warning for subsequent generations, knowing that most humans would not take heed of the lessons of the past and that history unfortunately repeats itself.

Above: Two carbonized, unburied skeletons that were found under a collapse tower in Numeirah (Gomorrah).

وَلَقَدْ أَتَوْا۟ عَلَى ٱلْقَرْيَةِ ٱلَّتِىٓ أُمْطِرَتْ مَطَرَ ٱلسَّوْءِ

 أَفَلَمْ يَكُونُوا۟ يَرَوْنَهَا بَلْ كَانُوا۟ لَا يَرْجُونَ نُشُورًا

(25:40) And verily, they have passed by the community that was showered with a terrible shower (Sodom). Did they not see it? The fact is, they never envisioned to be resurrected.

إِنَّآ أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ حَاصِبًا إِلَّآ ءَالَ لُوطٍ نَّجَّيْنَٰهُم بِسَحَرٍ

(54:34) Indeed, We poured upon them a shower of rocks; except for Lot’s family which We saved at dawn.

7.2.4 The lesson of Pompei.

Another famous city which widely engaged in moral decadence was Pompei, which was destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE.

Verse 29:29 indicates, referring to the Sodomites, that “you engage in evil acts during your meetings”. It is a well-known fact that some homosexuals commit their sinful acts in groups, for instance in night clubs in what they call “backrooms”, and the same deviant pattern is very well documented on the frescos of Pompei. I saw a documentary on Pompei (“The Story of God With Morgan Freeman” Season 3, episode 5) where an Italian historian explains the meaning of a well preserved very large fresco which depicts a group of lesbians who engage in the same types of perversion that we typically witness today in the LGBT community (in this particular case lesbianism and bdsm). Homosexuality, lesbianism, oral sex, group sex, bdsm, pedophilia, etc… are very well documented on the frescos of Pompei and it is no surprise that the city was destroyed in a similar fashion as Sodom and Gomorrah. We can assume that it is the same type of sexual deviance that was happening in Sodom and Gomorrah because the sins witnessed in the LGBT community today and in the past reflect the exact same pattern as those engraved on the frescos in Pompei.

7.3 Homosexuality, lesbianism: Where they “born this way”?

Liberals around the world, including many “progressive” Muslims, claim that homosexuals were “born this way”, to paraphrase the unfortunately famous song often identified as the LGBT anthem worldwide. They claim that it is not their fault if they are gay, because it is how they were born, and it is who they are.

The Quran proves them wrong, for instance with the story of Sodom and Gomorrah:

قَالَ فَمَا خَطْبُكُمْ أَيُّهَا ٱلْمُرْسَلُونَ

(51:31) He (Abraham) said, “What is your objective, O messengers?

قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّآ أُرْسِلْنَآ إِلَىٰ قَوْمٍ مُّجْرِمِينَ

(51:32) They said, “Indeed, We have been sent to criminal people”.

لِنُرْسِلَ عَلَيْهِمْ حِجَارَةً مِّن طِينٍ

(51:33) “In order to rain down upon them rocks of clay”.

مُّسَوَّمَةً عِندَ رَبِّكَ لِلْمُسْرِفِينَ

(51:34) “Stamped by your Lord to the intention of the transgressors.”

فَأَخْرَجْنَا مَن كَانَ فِيهَا مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

(51:35) We then separated from it (Sodom) the believers.

فَمَا وَجَدْنَا فِيهَا غَيْرَ بَيْتٍ مِّنَ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ

(51:36) And We did not find in it (Sodom) but one single house of Muslims.

وَتَرَكْنَا فِيهَآ ءَايَةً لِّلَّذِينَ يَخَافُونَ ٱلْعَذَابَ ٱلْأَلِيمَ

(51:37) And We set it up as a sign for those who fear the painful retribution.

The site identified as the city of Sodom by many Biblical archeologists based on the Biblical narrative is Bad edh-Draa, which was excavated in the 1960s by archeologist Paul Lapp. A large cemetery of about 500,000 people was uncovered nearby. The pottery shards found in the tombs and charnel houses amount to approximately 3,000,000 pottery vessels. It is therefore quite obvious that Sodom and Gomorrah were fairly large cities that thrived in a then fertile valley which Genesis 13:10 states was “like the garden of the Lord”.

My question to progressive Muslims who condone homosexuality and claim that homosexuals were “born this way” is the following:

“Since the angels could not find “one single house of Muslims” (51:36) except for Lot’s House in the entire fairly large cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, were the entire populations of Sodom and Gomorrah “born this way” (we are talking here about at least 99.9%), that is to say were they all born homosexual, lesbian or bisexual?”.

If you identify as a Muslim and believe like I do that the Holy Quran is the Word of God and you answer is “yes”, my reply to you is that you are deceiving yourself. I am sorry, but two entire cities do not become 99.9% homosexual by accident or because they were “born this way”.

My opinion does not rely on pseudo-science produced by fallible, biased scientists who may defend the LGBT cause by claiming that it is in their genes, but the Quran itself, which every enlightened Muslim knows is the absolute truth because of the endless miracles it contains. Furthermore, a massive scientific study of the genomes of close to 500,000 people in the U.S., United Kingdom and Sweden (thus making the results statistically reliable) has recently concluded that there is no such thing as a single or even several homosexual genes and that sexual orientation is on the contrary influenced by many genes as well as familial and societal factors (Ganna, A et al. science 365, eaat7693, 2019).

The only viable explanation why only Lot and his daughters managed to stay away from the sin of homosexuality and related deviances (even his own wife was doomed!) is because people who grow up or live in an environment where perversion is the norm are extremely likely to become perverted as well. This is the one and only real reason.

If you tolerate perversion in a society, even to a seemingly minor degree in today’s calamitous standards (let’s say for instance by only allowing pornography and civil unions for homosexuals at first), immorality will continue to spread at a rapid pace and in a matter of few years or decades, the entire moral foundation of such a society will have collapsed. This is how the world has evolved between the time I was born in the late 60s (as gay civil unions and gay marriage were both unlawful) and where we are right now a few decades later where some liberals have gone as far as trying to impose sexual education classes at public schools in California to 12 year old children to teach them, masturbation, oral sex, anal sex and more (we provide more details about the “California Healthy Youth Act” of 2016 in a few paragraphs). Who in his right mind would want his children to learn in such schools and decadent environment? Progressive, LGBT leaning democrats in California and liberals in many other countries around the world want deviance and LGBT behavior to become the norm and this is just one isolated example.

Therefore, no, none of the people who identify as LGBT were “born this way”, but unfortunately became that way, which is a process that often starts at a very young age because of the highly perverted environment where they grow up and/or lack of sound religious foundation that they receive. I am not saying that the sexual preference that they experience is not real, because in most cases it certainly is; what I am saying is that it is the result of their choices and the environment where they grew up (family, parents, friends, society), what they have been personally exposed to (the educational system, watching TV, the internet, reading books), and possibly the abuse that they experienced, especially during their childhood (abusive parental education, sexual abuse, rape) and which have negatively affected and shaped their minds.

If you grow up in an environment where a boy can choose to dress either as a boy or girl, or a girl can dress as a boy, that they are taught at school, on TV and on the internet since their early childhood that being homosexual is perfectly normal and natural because such people are “born this way”, or if, when they go to a local store to choose their clothes there is not even a separate section for boys and girls, nor even a tag indicating the gender because it is forbidden by law (which is the exact law that pro LGBT democrats in California are trying to pass as I am writing this article), the likelihood that a person will become a homosexual, lesbian or transgender is dramatically higher. The pro LGBT progressive deviance that is gradually being imposed on heterosexual populations relates to why 99.9% of the populations of Sodom and Gomorrah eventually became homosexual or at the very least bisexual. It is the same process and nefarious agenda that is being implemented by the progressives to the detriment of entire populations around the world.

The Quran also teaches us that homosexuals in Sodom criticized Lot and his family by saying: “Indeed, they are people who keep themselves pure” (7:82, 27:56). The contrary of “being pure” is evidently “being impure”, and this sentence is meant to reveal in their own words that homosexuals know full well that they engage in immorality and perversion. They become impure on their own volition because of their choices, the social environment and because of their lack of morality and faith, not because of their genes or natural inclination.

لَعَمْرُكَ إِنَّهُمْ لَفِى سَكْرَتِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ

(15:72) By your life (O Muhammad), they were totally blinded by their passions.

وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِۦ وَنَهَى ٱلنَّفْسَ عَنِ ٱلْهَوَىٰ

In other words, the Quran teaches us that faith and reason shall allow us to triumph over sinful desires, instead of allowing ourselves to be blinded by our passions. Do not accept “the born this way” satanic narrative, perform the salaat constantly, read and meditate the Quran every single day (29:45, 17:78) and stay very close to people of faith (18:28); it will allow you to triumph over sin God willing.

The Quran teaches us sexual restraint by prohibiting sexual relationships outside of marriage and by commanding us to remain faithful to our spouses during our entire life. During the month of Ramadan, it is forbidden to have any sexual activity during the daytime and at the time of Abraham people were commanded not to have any sexual activity during the entire month of Ramadan (2:187). All this is meant to teach us how to resist temptation by submitting to God and abiding by God’s commandments.

A typical example of the liberal, LGBT intrusion in politics to pervert children: The California Healthy Youth Act passed in 2016:

In January 2016, California passed the so called “California Healthy Youth Act”, also known as AB-329, which mandates comprehensive sex education at least once in 7th and 8th grades (ages 12-13), and once in high school (ages 14-18). The law also stipulates that “It is permissible to teach knowledge and skills related to comprehensive sexual health and HIV prevention education in grades kindergarten through grade 6 (K-6) inclusive…content that is required in grades 7-12 may also be included in an age appropriate way in earlier grades (EC sections 51933, 51934[b].)”. In other words, the bill allows sexual education from about age 5 to 11, and mandates it from 12-13 years old to the end of high school. It aims at teaching so called “healthy” attitudes towards sexual orientation (i.e. homosexuality, lesbianism), gender and relationships and to “promote understanding of sexuality as a normal part of human development.”

Because of the protest of many parents due the extremely inappropriate sexual content of these teaching materials, the so called “California Healthy Youth Act” currently allows parents to opt out of sexual education (at first it was mandatory but the progressives pro LGBT had to back off because of the heavy protest), but it does prohibit parents from opting their children out of materials that discuss gender, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation. The bill also stipulates that starting in 7th grade (age 12), children must be taught “All FDA-approved methods preventing pregnancy and transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (including condoms, contraceptives, and antiretroviral treatment) and abstinence.” Instructors who teach these materials are obliged to “affirmatively recognize different sexual orientations and be inclusive.” In other terms, children must be taught that homosexuality and transgenderism are perfectly normal and acceptable. The “California Healthy Youth Act” includes books such as “S.E.X.: The All-You-Need-to- Know Sexuality Guide to Get You Through Your Teens and Twenties”, which explains in detail sexual activity and condones gender theory (the progressive theory that challenges the concept that we were created male and female and that gender is on the contrary a fluid concept). A California curriculum destined to children (entitled “Positive Prevention Plus Sex Ed Curriculum”) contains explicit pictures and drawings which depict sexual activity, and mention for instance anal and oral sex as an alternative to regular sex. The curriculum also teaches children various types of masturbation including mutual masturbation. The California sex and gender “health” curriculum also normalizes kinky (bdsm) and other perverse sexual activities.

It is crystal clear that the progressive LGBT agenda is of satanic nature and is designed to turn our children into sexual perverts starting at a very young age, normalize homosexuality, lesbianism and transgenderism and destroy Judeo-Christian traditional family values (which are exactly the same as Islamic values) in the U.S. and around the world.

This is exactly how you turn a Judeo-Christian or Muslim society with decent, faith based values and low rates of homosexuality into a highly decadent society with increasingly high percentages of homosexuality and sexual deviance just like Pompei and Sodom and Gomorrah. Regardless of the progressive, LGBT agenda which is imposed on society and designed to pervert it, liberals and LGBTs will always lie by claiming that lesbians, gays and transgenders were “born this way” and promote blatantly false theories such as gender theory when it is most obvious that they were in reality perverted by the materials taught to them in the education system starting from a young age, as well as what they were exposed to in the media, including of course, other familial and personal factors.

My personal experience interacting with the gay community in New York as a teenager

I lived six months in New York in the late 1980’s when I was 19 years old and a family member was sharing an apartment with two French homosexuals to alleviate the cost of the rent. I was not a Muslim at the time but had received good Judeo-Christian values (I have, thank God, never been attracted by the same sex in my life) and since I spent a lot of my spare time with my relative, we were occasionally invited to parties, gay bars and night clubs by my relative’s gay friends, and I witnessed the following:

– Homosexuals try to proselytize straight men and women because they want them to become like them, which illustrates the following verse:

وَٱللَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَن يَتُوبَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَيُرِيدُ ٱلَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ ٱلشَّهَوَٰتِ أَن تَمِيلُوا۟ مَيْلًا عَظِيمًا

(4:27) God wishes to redeem you, while those who pursue their passions wish that you stray off down a deeply tortuous path.

– I personally witnessed that several homosexuals openly admitted behind closed doors that they are attracted to young teenagers (for instance 15 years old and younger), which qualifies them as pedophiles. Why would homosexuals be “born this way” while pedophiles would not? Or is it that neither homosexuals nor pedophiles were born this way but became this way? In any case, it is an incontrovertible fact that part of the homosexual population is attracted by young teenagers or boys.

– Both French homosexuals who shared the apartment with my relative admitted that they were sexually approached (and abused) by pedophiles while going to public restrooms in parks in Paris when they were young boys (12-13 year old). They were among the people (they were in their early to mid-20s at the time) who openly confessed that they were sexually attracted to young boys. My question is: “Were they “born that way”, or were they in reality perverted by pedophiles?”.

– Drugs are very widespread in the gay community.

–  Bdsm is extremely widespread in the Gay community (anyone who would claim otherwise would either be completely ignorant or a liar). Both French homosexuals admitted it and they were undeniably attracted by it. Are people born sadists or masochists or do they become that way as a result of allowing perversion in their lives?

– The late 80s was still the time that many people were dying of HIV- aids, which is more present than ever in the gay community to this day (about 100 times more than among heterosexuals), as well as other sexually transmitted diseases, sometimes incurable. Whether it is homosexuality or having sex outside of marriage in general, both lead to the spread of STDs and therefore present a grave danger to society. This is part of why the Bible and the Quran forbid sexual relationships outside of marriage as well as homosexuality.

– “Backrooms” were present in some gay night clubs in New York in the 1980s, I do not know about now. Backrooms are rooms where homosexuals engage in random group sex, exactly like people in Sodom and Gomorrah used to as described in 29:29. Do people who engage in such despicable acts were “born this way” or do they become that way as a result of following their acquired lusts?

None of what I witnessed in New York many years ago has changed. The only thing that has changed is that homosexuality is now typically considered normal when it was overwhelmingly considered sexual deviance at the time in the US and western countries, and gay marriage as well as gay civil unions were forbidden by law when they are now legal in almost all western societies. Scores of people who would never have been homosexuals in a decent society now embrace such a lifestyle as a result of the social environment they have been subjected to, because they lack the moral foundation to protect themselves, and because they make bad choices.

To sum up, the message of the Quran is clear: There were not one single household in Sodom and Gomorrah that had not been perverted by homosexuality and commonly related sins except for Lot and His daughters (51:36). This will prove to people who have been blessed to believe that the Quran is the word of God that it is indeed the social environment that perverts people and that the “born this way” liberal narrative is nothing but falsehood and is not even supported by any sound science. 79:40 demonstrates that faith in God and the day of resurrection allows us to “restrain our souls from sinful desires”. Faith allows people to triumph over sin, while the liberal agenda claims that people who engage in sins such as homosexuality shall accept and embrace them because they were “born this way”. I watched the video of the song “Born This Way” for research purposes writing this article and it is overwhelmingly evident that it is a satanic message from A to Z. It does not even attempt to hide it. Please do not watch that video. Still, the LGBT community has made it its anthem. What does it tell you? I urge people to follow the Holy Quran and stay away from the progressive, liberal deviance, which goes much farther than the topic of homosexuality and transgenderism.

At the rate decadence is spreading in western societies and all other parts of the world, I predict that sins such as pedophilia will also be considered normal in the future (just like it was in the declining Roman empire and Pompei) if enough people do not wake up and react very fast and get close to God. People will also claim that they were “born this way” and pedophiles as well as some liberals already do. We must protect our children because liberals and progressives are in the process of destroying them by every possible means. Homosexuality was ranked at the same level as pedophilia when I grew up, and look what happened. Please give me one single valid reason why homosexuals would be “born this way” while pedophiles should be classified as deviant people? What about all those who are both homosexuals and pedophiles? Was part of themselves (resulting in their attraction to adult men) “born this way” while the pedophile part resulting in their attraction to boys should be deemed mental sickness? And at what age do you establish that being attracted to the same sex becomes a disease? The truth is: Neither homosexuals nor pedophiles were “born this way”, they unfortunately all become that way.

This said, and as often repeated throughout this study, I want to insist that people who have engaged in homosexuality and other sins and experience a spiritual awakening shall not despair because the Quran is an extremely powerful, life changing message designed to provide a way of life that can heal almost every kind of sin, and God forgives all sins of people who are sincerely willing to repent and reform (39:53).

One more time: Lesbians, Gays and transgenders were never “born this way” and there is no such thing as “gay genes”, but they unfortunately became that way as a result of a decadent society and their personal experience and choices.

7.4 LGBT intolerance

The Quran chooses very carefully all examples it provides because it is a testament of the history of mankind from which we are supposed to draw lessons. We learn that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were highly intolerant people who threatened to banish Lot and his family because of their faith (26:167, 27:56) and even forbade them to meet other people (15:70) to further isolate them. These examples can be related to how the LGBT community operates around the world and the increasing intolerance and harassment they are subjecting people of faith to. LGBT people often claim they are tolerant people, but facts show exactly the opposite, especially against people of faith who disagree with their way of life.

LGBT intolerance takes many forms. For instance, we have witnessed in the early 21st century that lesbians, gays and transgenders often file lawsuits against people of faith or businesses which refuse to take part in any way in gay marriages for religious reasons. The famous case of Mr. Jack Phillips, baker in Colorado and owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop (Craig versus Masterpiece Cakeshop) comes to mind and is one example among many. Mr. Phillips was sued by a gay couple in 2018 for refusing to sell them a wedding cake with a gay couple sitting on top of the cake because it contradicted his Christian religious beliefs. He initially lost the case in Colorado and was found guilty of human rights violations, but finally won in the Supreme Court by a narrow margin (Masterpiece Cakeshop versus Colorado, 584 US, 2018).

At the time I am writing this article, Mr. Jack Phillips is facing a second lawsuit because of his refusal to make a “gender transition cake” because a transgender woman called his bakery under the pretense that the person wanted to order a custom made designer cake to celebrate her “gender transition”. This is the type of anti-religious persecution from the LGBT movement and their supporters that people of faith have to face in a growing number of countries around the world.

We can also cite the example of Kimberly Davis, who gained international recognition in August 2015 while working as a county clerk for Rowan county, Kentucky, USA by refusing to sign marriage licenses for gay couples because it contradicted her Christian beliefs. A lawsuit was filed (Miller versus Davis) and Davis was ordered to start issuing same sex marriage licenses. She appealed to the Supreme court, but her appeal was denied. She still refused to issue same sex marriage licenses “under God’s authority” (what an extraordinary stance!) and was sent to jail for 5 days for contempt of court. She eventually requested that same sex marriage licenses issued by her clerks would not mention her name not to take part is what she considers a grave sin. If the LGBT movement were really tolerant, why would they not respect people who refuse to take part in what they consider sinful and accommodate them in society instead of suing them and sending them to jail for standing for their faith?

Harassment against people of faith by LGBT supporters is looming and we can also mention that Beto O’Rourke, former congressman from Texas and candidate for the presidential election in the US in 2020 proposed during his campaign to deny the tax exempt status to churches and religious institutions who would refuse to perform gay marriages. I mention this because it is very obvious that the future of religious institutions which openly reject homosexuality is highly threatened by the progressive pro LGBT agenda because of their intolerance. It is obviously forbidden from a religious standpoint to perform a gay marriage in a synagogue, church or mosque in the light of the Bible and the Quran and the atheists and pro LGBT advocates are getting more and more creative by the day to find more ways to harm religious institutions financially and in any way they can to gradually implement what I view as an atheist LGBT dictatorship.

At the time I am writing this article, pro LGBT democrats are going to the next level of perversion by trying to pass a new “gender inclusive” law in California which would be in effect starting 2024 to forbid by law to all businesses beyond 500 employees (such as Target, Walmart, Macy’s, etc…) to have separate boys and girls sections in stores regarding clothes, toys and childcare and forbid them to have any signage that stipulates which sex or gender they are designed for [CA AB2826 (19R)]. Businesses which would refuse to comply would be fined $1000. The goal of such a law is to manipulate people and children and make them embrace gender theory that claims that there is no border between genders when God Himself decreed the opposite (53:45, 92:3, etc…), in order for children to become confused regarding their natural, God given sexual orientation and identity. An article on CNN in March 2021 written by Devan Cole claimed that “it is not possible to know a person’s gender identity at birth, and there is no consensus criteria for assigning sex at birth”, thus trying to deny the fact that God created us male and female (53:45, 92:3, Genesis 1:27, Matthew 19:4-6). The agenda of the LGBT movement is to lead people astray and gradually destroy all faith based foundations of society by abandoning all laws instituted by God in the Torah, Gospel and Quran.

Liberal societies are even trying to change languages on earth to make them “LGBTQ+ inclusive” in order to make people believe that such behavior is normal when it is all but grave deviance in view of the Holy Scriptures. In the Quran, Bible and all languages on earth, the masculine prevails over the feminine. It is engraved in the Quran and the Bible that a marriage shall be between a man and a woman, and that homosexual behavior and sex change is a great sin. Male and female and traditional marriage are the natural order instituted by God, and if you question such an order, you conspire against God and engage in a path of perdition.

It is increasingly evident that liberal societies are gradually becoming LGBT totalitarian regimes and there are many other examples of harassment and persecution other than the ones we pointed out in the US and around the world. If people of faith do not react, LGBT advocates will end up demanding to redact or forbid religious texts such as the Torah, Gospels and Quran and close places of worship because they teach values that go against the decadence that they profess.

As said at the beginning of this section, the Quran shows that the population of Sodom and Gomorrah hated people of faith and persecuted them (15:70, 26:167, 27:56) when they did not condone their sins and it is the exact same trend that we observe today in the world.

For these reasons and the fact that homosexuality is forbidden in the Holy scriptures (the Bible and the Quran), a Muslim society cannot open the door to so called “gay rights” because it is ignoring and transgressing against the Word of God, and any society that allows itself to compromise with decadence, even on apparently minor issues, will eventually and inevitably collapse.

7.5 Sex change is proscribed by the Quran.

وَلَأُضِلَّنَّهُمْ وَلَأُمَنِّيَنَّهُمْ وَلَءَامُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُبَتِّكُنَّ ءَاذَانَ ٱلْأَنْعَٰمِ وَلَءَامُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُغَيِّرُنَّ

 خَلْقَ ٱللَّهِ وَمَن يَتَّخِذِ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنَ وَلِيًّا مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ فَقَدْ خَسِرَ خُسْرَانًا مُّبِينًا

(4:119) “I will surely mislead them, I will surely entice them, I will command them to stamp the ears of livestock, and I will command them to distort God’s creation.” Anyone who accepts the devil as an ally beside God has incurred a profound loss.

فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا فِطْرَتَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّتِى فَطَرَ ٱلنَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا

لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ ٱللَّهِ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْقَيِّمُ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

(30:30) Therefore, you shall devote your face to the upright religion. God’s orderly way which He has instilled in mankindThere shall be no change in God’s creation. This is the correct religion, but most people do not know.

God creates us either male or female:

وَأَنَّهُۥ خَلَقَ ٱلزَّوْجَيْنِ ٱلذَّكَرَ وَٱلْأُنثَىٰ

(53:45) And He is the One who created the two kinds: Male and female.

وَمَا خَلَقَ ٱلذَّكَرَ وَٱلْأُنثَىٰٓ

See also 75:39.

Male and female is “God’s orderly way which He has instilled in mankind” (30:30), and He is the one who decides who shall be a male or a female. Islam is about submission to God, and it is critical for someone who would have a gender identity crisis to eventually submit to what God decided for him or her at birth.

Another strong indication that sex change is not acceptable in Islam are inheritance laws. A male inherits more than a woman in most (but not all) cases (see 4:11-12, 4:176), and anyone who would have undergone a so called “sex change” cannot inherit differently than according to the gender that was assigned to him or her at birth.

We read in verse 3:36 regarding the birth of Mary that God says:

وَلَيْسَ ٱلذَّكَرُ كَٱلْأُنثَىٰ

(3:36) “the male is not the same as the female

The Bible says:

(Genesis 1:27) So God created man in His own likeness, in the likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.

(Genesis 2:24) Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

A gender is always defined at birth in Islam. 24:31 indicates that there is a very specific dress code for Muslim women who wear a “khimar” (headscarf long enough to be folded over the chest) and long clothes which do not reveal the shape of their bodies. Therefore, a woman shall dress as a woman, and a man shall dress as a man. Confusing genders is one of satan’s ruses to misguide people and it is against God’s natural order.

Quranic inheritance law assigns different shares depending on a person’s gender (in most cases but not always). A woman who would undergo surgery to attempt to look like a man cannot possibly inherit like a man and vice versa, because it is God Himself who assigns a specific gender to a person at birth (53:45, 75:39, 92:3). It is what Allah decrees that matters and shall consistently prevail in the course of law in a Muslim society. No one has the right to reverse the natural order that God has decreed, whether it be concerning His creation, gender and inheritance.

Let us start by quoting Deuteronomy 22:5:

A woman shall not wear a man’s apparel, nor shall a man wear a woman’s garment, for everyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord your God.

The Quran sends the same message:

وَلَا تَمُدَّنَّ عَيْنَيْكَ إِلَىٰ مَا مَتَّعْنَا بِهِۦٓ أَزْوَٰجًا مِّنْهُمْ زَهْرَةَ

ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا لِنَفْتِنَهُمْ فِيهِ وَرِزْقُ رَبِّكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰ

(21:131) And do not covet with your eyes what we have bestowed upon other classes among them regarding the splendor of this life, so we may test them thereby; Your Lord’s sustenance is better and more enduring.

The message in the above verse is multiple meaning and signifies that we shall be content with our lot, accept who we are (male or female) and what God has bestowed upon us, and not covet what God granted to other classes of people, for instance the opposite sex, whether it be material or physical. Sunnis often claim that the Quran does not address the issue of crossdressing to try to prove that the Quran is not fully detailed (and even though God repeatedly claims otherwise) and that only hadiths address such a topic. It is because they do not study the Quran carefully (4:82). The Quran is what it claims: Fully detailed (6:114, 7:52, 10:37), and it addresses all possible subjects related to the life of a human being. Furthermore, the Quran defines a specific dress code for women (24:31), which implies that men are dressed differently. God states that “the male is not the same as the female” (3:36). Evidently, crossdressing is against the natural order set by God in His book.

People who experience a gender identity crisis need to reflect, pray, take their time, and just like for any situation in general, never despair, because God forgives all sins (39:53) if you are willing to repent and reform. No one says that what they experience is easy to resolve and any human being is meant to be subjected to severe tests in this worldly life:

أَحَسِبَ ٱلنَّاسُ أَن يُتْرَكُوٓا۟ أَن يَقُولُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا وَهُمْ لَا يُفْتَنُونَ

(29:2) Do people think that they will be merely allowed to say, “We believe”, without being subjected to the test?

For some people, part of their test is that they will have to go through a gender identity crisis. Just like for any test, one must never give up and find a way to overcome it. No matter what kind of mistake we make, the Quran is always the best guide and remedy.

Transgender people are often persecuted in Muslim countries and in the world in general and although it is important to send the right message that sex change blatantly contradicts the precepts of the Quran and is therefore illegal in Islam, persecuting them is dead wrong, unproductive, and contrary to the message of Islam which is about love and forgiveness. It is individuals who would perform such surgeries in a Muslim society who should be liable and prosecuted, not victims. Islam invites all of us to reform ourselves in order to become better people and there is not one single human being who does not have serious issues to resolve. Therefore, the first thing we need to do is look at ourselves before condemning and oppressing people. Yes, Islam is extremely firm on values, especially regarding sexuality, but the door is always wide open for repentance and forgiveness. Here’s a verse to meditate:

ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ يَعِدُكُمُ ٱلْفَقْرَ وَيَأْمُرُكُم بِٱلْفَحْشَآءِ وَٱللَّهُ

يَعِدُكُم مَّغْفِرَةً مِّنْهُ وَفَضْلًا وَٱللَّهُ وَٰسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ

(2:268) satan promises you poverty and commands you [to engage in] vice, while God promises you forgiveness from Him and grace. God is Bounteous, Omniscient.

God is about forgiveness in the face of sin. Therefore, Muslims should always be the first to forgive. Let us never forget that what matters most are not our current beliefs, but in what spiritual state we will be from now on and especially when we die. Someone may have made a mistake and be transgender or homosexual, but there is absolutely no reason why he or she could not make necessary adjustments in his or her life to the best of his or her ability and purify his soul. What matters most is not our body, but who we are deep inside, as well as our actions.

We have to be pragmatic. No one who has true faith in God shall despair (15:56), exaggerate any given situation and worry unnecessarily because the truth is that “God forgives all sins” (39:53). Once we understand that, we can overcome anything, God willing.

7.7 Bdsm, sexual role-play: More deviant acts.

Examples of deviant acts are indirectly hinted at in verses that depict the hellfire.

We reap what we saw (Job 4:8, 2 Corinthians 9:6, 48:29) and paradise and the hellfire are the direct result of our actions on earth. Sexual deviance and deviance in general must be avoided at all costs, or it will become our reality in the hereafter. 

The angel iblis refused to obey and submit to God when He commanded to the angels to prostrate before Adam (2:34). iblis was irrevocably sentenced to the hellfire as a result, but granted a respite until the day of resurrection (7:14). satan, a now fallen angel blinded by disbelief and hatred, is unable to admit his immense disbelief and even blames God for his own despicable behavior (15:39). His goal is to seek revenge against humans by misleading and enticing them (4:119) with vain desires:

وَلَأُضِلَّنَّهُمْ وَلَأُمَنِّيَنَّهُمْ وَلَءَامُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُبَتِّكُنَّ ءَاذَانَ ٱلْأَنْعَٰمِ وَلَءَامُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُغَيِّرُنَّ

خَلْقَ ٱللَّهِ وَمَن يَتَّخِذِ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنَ وَلِيًّا مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ فَقَدْ خَسِرَ خُسْرَانًا مُّبِينًا

(4:119) “And I (Iblis) will surely mislead them, I will entice desires in them, I will command them to punch [a sample of] the ears of livestock (as is typically done by genetic scientists when they engage in genetic manipulations on animals) and I will command them to distort God’s creation.” Anyone who accepts the devil as an ally beside God has incurred a profound loss.

(15:39) He said, “My Lord, because You misled me, I will surely entice them on earth; I will mislead them all”. (15:40) “Except your sincere servants among them.”.

One of satan’s many tricks is to entice people to embrace perversion. Because he refused to obey and submit to God when the latter commanded to him to prostrate before Adam, which was the ultimate act of disbelief, his ultimate goal is to strive to have them submit to him physically or allegorically and worship him instead of God. A perfect example of such demonic scheme is bdsm relationships, where one partner takes a dominant role (allegorically representing satan), while the submissive one submits and allegorically or literally worships a demonic figure (thus engaging in idol worship).

People usually have a preference regarding being either active or passive during an intimate relationship, which is normal and acceptable, but satan craves to push such a preference to the extreme in an attempt to destroy the human soul. We saw earlier that “fahichah” (فَٰحِشَة, immorality) derives from the verb “fahusha” (فَحُشَ) which signifies “to be excessive”, immoderate, unreasonable, guile, indecent, shameful or infamous”, which illustrates perfectly such “extreme” deviance.

Islam signifies “submission” and a Muslim most obviously can only submit to God. satan’s mission in life is to prevent people from submitting to God and worshipping Him alone, because he miserably failed in that respect by rebelling against God.

Bdsm signifies bondage sadism and masochism. satan manipulates people to have one person submit to another, therefore submitting and worshiping other than God, namely an allegorical devil. They thus engage in satanic rituals and get addicted to vain desires (4:119). satan basically grooms both the dominant and submissive partners for the hellfire, in a similar way that a pedophile grooms his victims.

People who engage in such perversion typically claim in their ignorance that it is their own free will and their own bodies and that they can do whatever they want with them. The Word of God proves them wrong and warns that they will be held accountable on the day of judgment for abusing and causing harm to their bodies:

وَيَوْمَ يُحْشَرُ أَعْدَآءُ ٱللَّهِ إِلَى ٱلنَّارِ فَهُمْ يُوزَعُونَ

(41:19) And the day the enemies of God will be summoned to the fire. They will be then assembled in rows.

حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا مَا جَآءُوهَا شَهِدَ عَلَيْهِمْ سَمْعُهُمْ وَأَبْصَٰرُهُمْ وَجُلُودُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ

(41:20) Once they get to it, their hearing, their eyesand their skins will bear witness against them regarding what they used to do.

This verse tells us that our bodies and organs are independent living entities that must be respected or we will be punished on the Day of Judgment if we mistreat them because they will bear witness against sinners.

For the same reason, sports like boxing, extreme martial arts where people hurt their opponents and get hurt should be illegal in a Muslim society. Engaging in violence for no valid reason and enjoying seeing violence are simply evil.

Our present lives (what we sow) will be reflected in the hereafter (what we reap) and people who engage in deviance in this world and do not repent and reform in time will be subjected to abominable torture in the hereafter:

وَلَوْ تَرَىٰٓ إِذْ يَتَوَفَّى ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ يَضْرِبُونَ وُجُوهَهُمْ وَأَدْبَٰرَهُمْ وَذُوقُوا۟ عَذَابَ ٱلْحَرِيقِ

(8:50) And if you could see when the angels take away the souls of those who disbelieved forcibly! They strike their faces and their backs: “Taste the retribution of the blazing fire”.

فَكَيْفَ إِذَا تَوَفَّتْهُمُ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ يَضْرِبُونَ وُجُوهَهُمْ وَأَدْبَٰرَهُمْ

(47:27) What will it then be when the angels put them to death, striking their faces and their backs.

ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمُ ٱتَّبَعُوا۟ مَآ أَسْخَطَ ٱللَّهَ وَكَرِهُوا۟ رِضْوَٰنَهُۥ فَأَحْبَطَ أَعْمَٰلَهُمْ

(47:28) This is because they followed what angered God and hated what pleases Him. As a result, He nullified their deeds.

ٱلَّذِينَ تَتَوَفَّىٰهُمُ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ ظَالِمِىٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ فَأَلْقَوُا۟ ٱلسَّلَمَ مَا

 كُنَّا نَعْمَلُ مِن سُوٓءٍۭ بَلَىٰٓ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌۢ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

(16:28) Those whom the angels put them to death in a state of wronging their souls. That is when they (finally) submitted: “We did not commit any evil!”. No, indeed, God is fully cognizant of everything that you did!

The following verses provide more examples of why satan literally grooms his victims in this world for instance regarding bdsm fantasies knowing full well that such deviance will be reflected in the afterlife:

وَإِن تَعْجَبْ فَعَجَبٌ قَوْلُهُمْ أَءِذَا كُنَّا تُرَٰبًا أَءِنَّا لَفِى خَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟

بِرَبِّهِمْ وَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ ٱلْأَغْلَٰلُ فِىٓ أَعْنَاقِهِمْ وَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلنَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَٰلِدُونَ

(13:5) And if you are skeptical, their saying is similarly filled with skepticism: “Once we turn into dust, do we really turn into a new creation?” Those are the ones who have disbelieved in their Lord, and those are the ones who will have iron collars around their necks. Those are the companions of the fire, wherein they will abide permanently.

See also 34:33.

إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا فِىٓ أَعْنَٰقِهِمْ أَغْلَٰلًا فَهِىَ إِلَى ٱلْأَذْقَانِ فَهُم مُّقْمَحُونَ

(36:8) Indeed, we have placed around their necks iron collars up to their chins. As a result, their heads are forcibly raised.

وَتَرَى ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ يَوْمَئِذٍ مُّقَرَّنِينَ فِى ٱلْأَصْفَادِ

(14:49) And, on that day, you will see the criminals bound in chains.

إِذِ ٱلْأَغْلَٰلُ فِىٓ أَعْنَٰقِهِمْ وَٱلسَّلَٰسِلُ يُسْحَبُونَ

(40:71) With iron collars around their necks, they will be dragged with chains.

خُذُوهُ فَغُلُّوهُ

(69:30) Seize him and shackle him.

ثُمَّ ٱلْجَحِيمَ صَلُّوهُ

(69:31) Then burn him in the Hellfire.

ثُمَّ فِى سِلْسِلَةٍ ذَرْعُهَا سَبْعُونَ ذِرَاعًا فَٱسْلُكُوهُ

(69:32) Then, lock him up in a chain that is seventy arms long.

إِنَّآ أَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَٰفِرِينَ سَلَٰسِلَا۟ وَأَغْلَٰلًا وَسَعِيرًا

(76:4) Indeed, We have prepared for the disbelievers chains, and iron collars, and a blazing fire.

All what we see above is clearly reminiscent of what people do when they engage in bdsm fantasies. Again, satan grooms his victims and paves the way for what they will experience in hell, unless they can escape his claws and repent and reform before it is too late.

It is certainly no coincidence if bdsm is extremely widespread in the LGBT community. Deviance breeds more deviance. Some frescos in Pompei that have survived bear witness to such deviant sexual practices, and you can be 100% certain that it also happened in Sodom and Gomorrah, simply because it is always a big part of what homosexuality and lesbianism lead to. Anyone in the LGBT community who would try to deny it would be a hypocrite, because they all know and openly admit it. It was true at the time of Sodom and Gomorrah and Pompei, and it is true now. Because they cannot have a normal intimate relationship as designed by God, their sexual relationships cannot be based on other than deviance.

God is the Most gracious, Most Merciful and it is possible God willing to evade such satanic behaviors if one repents and reforms before he or she dies. Life is not a game and everything has consequences.

In short, satan’s goal (satan is a fallen angel) regarding bdsm is to enslave people with sexual fantasies and have people allegorically submit to him and worship him instead of God. satan creates satanic rituals that replicate what the companions of the fire will experience being enslaved and tortured by the angels of hell as a result of their sins, putting “iron collars around their necks” (13:5, 36:8, 40:71), “dragging them with chains” (40:71) and torturing them (8:50, 47:27). satan entices his preys to allegorically or literally worship him instead of God (the dominant person is spiritually possessed by satan taking allegorically the role of a demonic figure, while the other partner is in submission to other than God and allegorically worships a demonic figure being equally possessed, bearing in mind that idol worship is the most grievous sin, one that lead straight to the hellfire. This perfectly illustrates why God does not send anyone to the hellfire (89:25-26): Sinners go there on their own volition, reaping the harvest of the catastrophic choices that they made on earth.

Sexual roleplay

According to Wikipedia, sexual roleplay is widely associated with bdsm deviance which is why it was placed in this section. People invent “scenarios”, I quote Wikipedia, such as “master – slave” (bdsm), “gender role play” (reversing genders = cross dressing), “animal roleplay” (alludes allegorically to zoophilia), “incest fantasy” (!), ravishment roleplay (mimicking rape!), uniform fetichism such as school student role play (which alludes to pedophilia), prison role play (more common in the LGBT community according to Wikipedia) and I will stop here regarding the list because it is so overwhelmingly obvious that sexual roleplay is 100% demonic and represents all the deviant, satanic fantasies imaginable.

These few examples make it clear that satan wants people to engage in all the sins he advocates and destroy the human soul, which are bdsm, homosexuality, crossdressing, zoophilia, incest, infidelity, rape and more.

Allegedly “playing a role” can never be an excuse for your behavior. God and His angels witness and record everything. The only role a Muslim is allowed to play is the role of a Muslim, which is based on faith and purity, and nothing else.

To sum up regarding this section:

– Domination and submission are strictly forbidden in an intimate relationship.

– Inflicting or incurring any physical violence is strictly forbidden. The only violence that is tolerated in Islam are corporal punishments inflicted within the course of law for engaging in immorality (24:2) or if you are forced to defend yourself as a result of an aggression or in war.

– Any form of bondage is strictly forbidden because you do not want your life to resemble what people experience in hell. On the contrary, our model shall always be the freedom and purity of what people experience in paradise.

People often have a preference regarding having either an active or passive role (or both) during an intimate relationship. As long as people do not go to the extremes by engaging in any of the above mentioned deviance and decadence and remain pure, it is acceptable.

7.8 Pornography

قُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا۟ مِنْ أَبْصَٰرِهِمْ وَيَحْفَظُوا۟

فُرُوجَهُمْ ذَٰلِكَ أَزْكَىٰ لَهُمْ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ خَبِيرٌۢ بِمَا يَصْنَعُونَ

(24:30) Tell believing men that they shall subdue their gaze (i.e., not stare at women), and maintain their chastity. This is purer for them. God is fully aware of everything they do.

وَقُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنَٰتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَٰرِهِنَّ وَيَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا

 ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَىٰ جُيُوبِهِنَّ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ

 ءَابَآئِهِنَّ أَوْ ءَابَآءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَآئِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَآءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ إِخْوَٰنِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِىٓ إِخْوَٰنِهِنَّ

 أَوْ بَنِىٓ أَخَوَٰتِهِنَّ أَوْ نِسَآئِهِنَّ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَٰنُهُنَّ أَوِ ٱلتَّٰبِعِينَ غَيْرِ أُو۟لِى ٱلْإِرْبَةِ مِنَ

 ٱلرِّجَالِ أَوِ ٱلطِّفْلِ ٱلَّذِينَ لَمْ يَظْهَرُوا۟ عَلَىٰ عَوْرَٰتِ ٱلنِّسَآءِ وَلَا يَضْرِبْنَ بِأَرْجُلِهِنَّ

 لِيُعْلَمَ مَا يُخْفِينَ مِن زِينَتِهِنَّ وَتُوبُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

(24:31) And tell believing women that they shall subdue their gaze and that they shall maintain their chastity and that they shall not reveal any of their adornment, except that which is apparent. They shall draw their headscarves over their bosoms, and shall not reveal their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, the fathers of their husbands, their sons, the sons of their husbands, their brothers, the sons of their brothers, the sons of their sisters, their women, their servants or attendants whose sexual drive has been nullified among the men (eunuchs), or children who innocent regarding the intimate aspect of women (i.e. who haven’t reached their puberty); They shall not strike their feet to reveal what they conceal of their adornment. All of you shall turn to God in repentance, O you believers, that you may succeed.

24:31-31 make it clear that pornography is forbidden since both men and women are commended to lower their eyes when a person from the opposite sex other than your wife and family is present. Furthermore, believing women are commanded “not to reveal any parts of their bodies”, which makes it clear that pornography is unlawful and should unquestionably be forbidden and banned in an Islamic society. Without question, pornography is poison and shall have no part in the life of a Muslim, man or woman. As mentioned earlier, the human race was created weak (4:28) and it is the reason why God urges us to worship Him day and night (performing the salaat and reading the Quran) and remain in close contact with people who are close to God:

وَٱصْبِرْ نَفْسَكَ مَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُم بِٱلْغَدَوٰةِ وَٱلْعَشِىِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُۥ وَلَا تَعْدُ عَيْنَاكَ عَنْهُمْ

تُرِيدُ زِينَةَ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَلَا تُطِعْ مَنْ أَغْفَلْنَا قَلْبَهُۥ عَن ذِكْرِنَا وَٱتَّبَعَ هَوَىٰهُ وَكَانَ أَمْرُهُۥ فُرُطًا

(18:28) Keep yourself patiently steadfast with those who invoke their Lord morning and late afternoon, seeking his countenance. Do not turn your eyes away from them, seeking the vanities of this worldly life. Do not obey one whose heart we have rendered oblivious to our remembrance and pursues his own desires, and whose priorities are driven by excess.

Performing the salaat on time (4:103) and during our entire life (20:14), reading the Quran daily, especially at dawn (17:78), frequent people who are close to God are the solutions to stay away from pornography and sin in general.

To conclude this important section, I will say that if you compromise in any way with the satanic liberal, progressive agenda (homosexuality, lesbianism, transgenderism, gay marriage, prostitution, fornication, adultery, group sex, pornography and other deviances) you depart from the Word of God (the Quran, the Bible), which leads to the collapse of society.

8. Masturbation

Masturbation is purposely not addressed in an obvious manner in the Quran nor in the Bible. Some Hadiths claim it is forbidden while some others claim it is not, but they are all forbidden by the Quran (45:6) and we cannot attach any value to them. In other terms, it is not explicitly forbidden, but it is up to us to explore the Quran to gradually deepen our understanding of it and become better persons. This particular issue is in my view one of those that the Quran states it is better not to ask because it could potentially harm us:

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَسْـَٔلُوا۟ عَنْ أَشْيَآءَ إِن تُبْدَ لَكُمْ تَسُؤْكُمْ وَإِن تَسْـَٔلُوا۟ 

 عَنْهَا حِينَ يُنَزَّلُ ٱلْقُرْءَانُ تُبْدَ لَكُمْ عَفَا ٱللَّهُ عَنْهَا وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ حَلِيمٌ

(5:101) O you who believe, do not ask about matters which, if made clear to you, would hurt you. If you ask about them as the Quran is being revealed to you, it will be elucidated for you. God has forgiven you about it. God is Forgiver, Clement.

All issues are addressed by the Quran fully detailed including this one, and it is better for everyone to find a personal answer in this particular case rather than to attempt to explain it.

The goal of our lives is to remain pure or purify ourselves, which is often challenging, especially in our deeply corrupt societies. One problem with masturbation is that someone can easily be tempted to think about someone who is not his or her spouse, and/or associate harmful fantasies with it. At the very least, one has to force himself to imagine a pure situation with his or her spouse (even if a person is not married). One has to avoid any mental sin and stay away from the poison of pornography.

Sexuality provides pleasure and much needed mental relief and contentment (30:21). In any case, we have to be pragmatic and it is far better, especially for someone who is not married, to resort to self-gratification rather than engaging in great sins such as fornication or adultery, or even worse.

9. Is dressing sexy acceptable?

The best answer to this question is what we see regarding the dwellers of paradise:

أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ لَهُمْ جَنَّٰتُ عَدْنٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهِمُ ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ يُحَلَّوْنَ فِيهَا مِنْ أَسَاوِرَ مِن ذَهَبٍ وَيَلْبَسُونَ

ثِيَابًا خُضْرًا مِّن سُندُسٍ وَإِسْتَبْرَقٍ مُّتَّكِـِٔينَ فِيهَا عَلَى ٱلْأَرَآئِكِ نِعْمَ ٱلثَّوَابُ وَحَسُنَتْ مُرْتَفَقًا

(18:31) Those are the ones who have deserved the gardens of Eden under which rivers flow. They will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold, and will wear garments of green silk and brocade, reclining on comfortable furnishings. What an excellent reward and what a wonderful abode!

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُدْخِلُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ جَنَّٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا

ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ يُحَلَّوْنَ فِيهَا مِنْ أَسَاوِرَ مِن ذَهَبٍ وَلُؤْلُؤًا وَلِبَاسُهُمْ فِيهَا حَرِيرٌ

(22:23) God will admit those who believe and do righteous deeds into gardens under which rivers flow. They will be adorned therein with golden bracelets and pearls, and their garments therein will be made of silk.

عَٰلِيَهُمْ ثِيَابُ سُندُسٍ خُضْرٌ وَإِسْتَبْرَقٌ وَحُلُّوٓا۟ أَسَاوِرَ مِن فِضَّةٍ وَسَقَىٰهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ شَرَابًا طَهُورًا

(76:21) They will wear garments of green silk and brocade and silver bracelets. Their Lord will provide them with pure drinks.

See also 44:53.

As long as a couple remains pure, dressing sexy, luxury and beauty is absolutely acceptable as demonstrated by the dwellers of paradise. The danger is when dressing sexy sends the wrong message and deviates to such things as wearing uniforms (alluding to roleplay) and other deviant fantasies mentioned earlier.

Note: We see in verse 14:50 that the dwellers of the hellfire will have “garments made from tar”. Hell is a world that is completely unsuitable for human life because its inhabitants rebelled against God on earth and it completely lacks any biodiversity as result (37:62-66, 44:43-44, 56:52). For that reason, there are no natural fibers like on earth and heaven which are heavily blessed by God. The fact that garments will be “made from tar” is a miracle of the Quran because we now know that we can make clothes out of synthetic fibers (polyester. Acrylic, spandex, etc…) that are derived from petroleum products (such as tar). In other words, we see that the companions of the hellfire will wear inferior synthetic clothes derived from tar, while the dwellers of paradise will be blessed by God and enjoy garments made of silk.

10. The Quran condemns rumors and suspicion. What does it imply regarding sexuality in a Muslim society?

لَّئِن لَّمْ يَنتَهِ ٱلْمُنَٰفِقُونَ وَٱلَّذِينَ فِى قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ وَٱلْمُرْجِفُونَ

فِى ٱلْمَدِينَةِ لَنُغْرِيَنَّكَ بِهِمْ ثُمَّ لَا يُجَاوِرُونَكَ فِيهَآ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا

(33:60) If the hypocrites do not cease, as well as those who have a disease in their hearts and spread rumors in the city, we will surely grant you the upper hand over them. Then, they won’t be your neighbors any more therein except for a few.

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱجْتَنِبُوا۟ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ ٱلظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ ٱلظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا۟ وَلَا يَغْتَب

 بَّعْضُكُم بَعْضًا أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ تَوَّابٌ رَّحِيمٌ

(49:12) O you who believe, avoid the slightest suspicion. Indeed, any suspicion is sinful. Do not spy nor backbite on one another. Would anyone of you like eating the flesh of his dead brother? No, you would abhor it. Fear God! Indeed, God is Redeemer, Most Merciful.

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ جَآءُو بِٱلْإِفْكِ عُصْبَةٌ مِّنكُمْ لَا تَحْسَبُوهُ شَرًّا لَّكُم بَلْ هُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ لِكُلِّ

ٱمْرِئٍ مِّنْهُم مَّا ٱكْتَسَبَ مِنَ ٱلْإِثْمِ وَٱلَّذِى تَوَلَّىٰ كِبْرَهُۥ مِنْهُمْ لَهُۥ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ

(24:11) Indeed, those who fabricated the calumny are a group among you. Do not think that it was bad for you; on the contrary, it was good for you. Every person among them has earned his share of the sin. As for the one who initiated it, he has incurred a terrible retribution.

لَّوْلَآ إِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوهُ ظَنَّ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتُ بِأَنفُسِهِمْ خَيْرًا وَقَالُوا۟ هَٰذَآ إِفْكٌ مُّبِينٌ

(24:12) Why, when you heard it, didn’t the believing men and women react with goodness and say: “This is an obvious calumny!”.

لَّوْلَآ إِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوهُ ظَنَّ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتُ بِأَنفُسِهِمْ خَيْرًا وَقَالُوا۟ هَٰذَآ إِفْكٌ مُّبِينٌ

(24:13) Why didn’t they bring four witnesses? And if they do not produce four witnesses, then they are, according to God, liars.

The above verses condemn rumors (33:60), suspicion (49:12) and calumny (24:11-13) in the strongest possible words. It implies regarding accusations of immorality that a defendant is not even obligated to respond to rumors or accusations of immorality unless four witnesses are produced in a court of law or more modern evidence such as DNA, semen analysis, and other types of compelling evidence can be witnessed by four experts. The sentence for failing to produce four witnesses if you formally accuse a married woman of adultery is 80 lashes (24:4), which is meant to prevent defamation, one of the most horrendous sin. By equivalence, this applies to other types of accusation of immorality or sex crimes where four witnesses or compelling evidence certified by four legal experts have to be produced before a court of law.

If you consider publicly accusing anyone of fornication, adultery, homosexuality, and other types of deviance in a Muslim society, you’d better be 100% certain that you can produce compelling evidence, otherwise, you will be regarded as a sinner and will be punished.

Homosexuality and other terrible sins are unfortunately widespread in modern liberal societies. The Quranic approach regarding immorality protects citizens from suspicion and unfounded accusations in a way that is quite similar to the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that was in force in the American military from 1994 to 2011. If people who engage in fornication, adultery and homosexuality choose not to repent and reform in a Muslim society, no one has to right to suspect, harass them or accuse them as long as they do sin publicly.

To give an example, about 3 to 4% of the American population is currently LGBT. The purpose of Islam is certainly not to persecute large categories of people, but to protect society at large and help sinners to repent and reform by sending a strong, deterrent message, bearing in mind that Quranic law makes it very difficult to accuse anyone. It is actually a merciful, balanced, pragmatic approach to address a problem that is very real in society with people who experience real issues regarding their sexual orientation and need help rather than being automatically ostracized and condemned.

Muslims are law abiding citizens. The Quran prohibits and condemns compulsion (2:256), which indicates that Islam favors democracy. Therefore, Quranic laws are meant to be implemented in a Muslim society and should never be forced upon societies which have not democratically decided to embrace Islam.

Conclusion

Sexuality is a great blessing from God if we respect His commandments. On the other hand, satan uses every possible means to try to destroy our souls (7:16-17) and sexuality is one of his weapons of choice because the human being was created weak (4:28). No human being can ever reach true happiness by exceeding the limits defined by God and by submitting to vain desires. We reap what we saw (Job 4:8, 2 Corinthians 9:6, 48:29) and the one and only path to happiness resides in purity and faith in the One True God.

It is absolutely crucial for a human being to preserve his or her chastity before marriage and to remain faithful and pure while married his or her entire life (23:5, 24:30-31). Having some romance is an important part of a married life and God decrees secrecy in marriage in this regard (4:34). There is nothing wrong about romance as long as a married couple does not transgress the limits instituted by God in the Holy Quran. The allegory of paradise shall be our model (2:25, 3:15) and Muslims shall remain pure during marriage as well, which means that we shall stay away from any type of deviant sexual acts. Performing the salaat consistently and on time until we die (19:31), reading the Quran daily (17:78) and always remain very close to people who glorify God (18:28) is the best defense to avoid sin (29:45).

The question of hermaphrodism, although very rare, is one typical argument used by liberals and progressive, pro LGBT Muslims asan attempt to justify homosexuality and transgenderism. God decreed that He created us male and female (53:45, 92:3, Genesis 1:27, Matthew 19:4-6) and there is no such thing as a true hermaphrodite as claimed by some so called experts on the subject. From a Quranic standpoint, the strongest Quranic evidence that will determine for certain if a person who presents hermaphrodite characteristics is male or female is if the person menstruates or not:

(2:222) They ask you about menstruation: say, “It is harmful; you shall stay away from women during menstruation; do not approach them until they are cleansed. Once they are cleansed, you may approach them (feminine pronoun) in the manner ordained by God. God loves those who repent, and He loves those who are clean.”

A person who menstruates is a woman. Period, end of story. This said, if a person who presents hermaphrodite characteristics does not menstruate and there is still a strong ambiguity regarding the fact that the person is more female than male, then it should be up to the person to decide which gender he or she is, and give the person plenty of time to make a firm legal commitment without any pressure so that the person can marry if he or she chooses to. In any case, so called “hermaphrodites” are always either male or female just like anybody else, and the liberal, progressive narrative in this regard is absolutely baseless.

“Fahichah” signifies “immorality” and it designates primarily sexual deviance and decadence. The types of sexual deviance tied to the word “immorality” in the Quran are:

– Marrying a woman previously married to your father (4:22) (by equivalence, it applies to all other forbidden categories in marriage which are therefore all classified as “immorality”, see 4:23).

– Adultery or fornication (17:32).

– Prostitution (4:15).

– Homosexuality/lesbianism (4:15, 7:80-81, 26:165-166, 27:54-55, 29:29).

– Grand theft, sexual perversions of the type commonly practiced by homosexuals in Sodom and Gomorrah (sodomy, rape, group sex…) are also called “immoralities” (29:28-29).

– A “fahichah” (immorality) can be obvious or hidden (7:28, 7:33, etc…), it will always be an immorality. Hiding behind closed doors will always be witnessed by God and His angels.

The Bible and especially the book of Leviticus heavily concurs with the Quran regarding what is defined as immorality and condemns other types of sexual immorality by name such as zoophilia (Leviticus 20:15-16) and crossdressing (Deuteronomy 22:5). The major difference between the Bible and the Quran is that the Quran does not condone the death penalty for sexual deviance but 100 lashes and temporary or permanent assignment to residence or imprisonment for grave sexual immorality that goes beyond fornication or adultery between a man and a woman (24:2, 4:15).

Verses 2:222-223 are foundational when it comes to define boundaries regarding sexuality:

(2:222) They ask you about menstruation: say, “It is harmful; you shall stay away from women during menstruation; do not approach them until they are cleansed. Once they are cleansed, you may approach them (feminine pronoun) in the manner ordained by God. God loves those who repent, and He loves those who are clean.” (2:223) Your wives are farmland for you. So, come to your farmland as you please, and elevate yourselves. Fear God, and know that you are going to meet Him. And give good news to the believers.

Menstruation points specifically at vaginal bleeding. Therefore, when we read in the same verse that “You (male believers) may approach them (feminine pronoun) in the manner ordained by God, it indicates that the sexual relationship “in the manner ordained by God” between a husband and his wife (the only type that is allowed) is for the male genitalia to meet the female genitalia, which excludes homosexuality, lesbianism, sodomy, oral sex, bdsm, zoophilia, sexbots (which we explained present a major danger for the future of society) and other unclean, impure, unnatural and deviant sexual behaviors. We note that verse 2:222 declares that God “loves those who are clean: Sexuality shall be pure, never impure and/or unclean. It is no accident if such a profound statement is present in this most fundamental verse pertaining to sexuality, which implicitly condemns all forms of sexual deviance as we have just explained.

Progressive Jews, Christians and Muslims have increasingly developed so called “liberation theologies” which often lead them to embrace homosexuality and other deviant behaviors quoting the Bible and the Quran out of context and conveniently avoiding verses that condemn them in the most straightforward manner.

Regarding the Quran (as well as the Bible) and the topic of homosexuality, one cannot escape from the truth as Lot was inspired by God Almighty to condemn it:

(7:81) Indeed, you approach men lustfully, instead of women! Verily, you are transgressing people. (see also 27:55).

The above verse (and many others such as 2:221, 2:230, 2:234, 2:235, 4:22, 33:50, 2:25, 3:15, etc…) indicate clearly that a sexual relationship as defined by God is between a (married) man and a woman (his wife), meaning that homosexuality and lesbianism are therefore categorically forbidden. Lesbianism and prostitution are specifically condemned in 4:15. Additional proofs that lesbianism is strictly forbidden in Islam is that sex outside of marriage is prohibited (5:5, 23:5, 24:2, 24:30-31, 66:12, 70:29) and that a marriage cannot be legal without a husband paying a dowry to his wife (2:236-237, 4:24-25, 33:50, 60:10), as well as inheritance laws (4:11-12, 4:176) and that 2:222 points at the fact that the male genitalia is designed by God to meet the female genitalia as we have just explained. The reason why women inherit less than men in Islam is because a marriage is exclusively between a man and a woman (2:221, 4:12, 33:50, 2:230, 2:234 and more) and that men are financially responsible for their family (2:233, 4:34). If lesbianism were authorized in Islam, it would be unjustified for them to inherit less and the case would be explicitly mentioned in the Quran fully detailed (6:114, 7:52, 10:37). The fact that they do inherit less in general in Islam is further solid proof that lesbianism, just like homosexuality, has zero place in Islam.

The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were highly intolerant people who threatened to banish Lot and his family because of their faith and Lot’s warning them that they would face a divine retribution for their decadence (26:167, 27:56). The sodomites had even forbidden them to meet or interact with anyone (15:70) to further isolate them. Quranic examples are always carefully chosen because history keeps repeating itself because most humans are ignorant and LGBT intolerance is as much a fact today as it was at the time of the sin cities. It is now widespread in all modern societies that have allowed gay rights. We provided a few examples in this article and, mark my words, we are merely at the beginning of the liberal, LGBT persecution against people of faith.

The Quran teaches us in 4:27 that deviant people “who pursue their passions wish that you stray off down a deeply tortuous path” because they want pure people and society at large to become like them. It is not up to a minority to impose deviance and false claims such as gender theory (claiming that the male-female concept does not exist but is fluid) to the majority. Unfortunately, it is what is currently happening in Western societies, and the LGBTs and their progressive allies are now even targeting our children insisting that it should be mandatory to teach children at school that homosexuality and transgenderism are normal, and sometimes goes as far as teaching to young boys and girls how to masturbate, as well as oral and anal sex and other sexual deviances condemned by the Bible and the Quran. Such perversion is currently taught in California schools under the name of the so called “California Healthy Youth Act” passed in 2016.

The “progressive” agenda in California is so nefarious and comprehensive that liberal and LGBT groups are currently trying to pass a new “gender inclusive law” which would take effect starting 2024 and would forbid by law to all businesses beyond 500 employees (such as Target, Walmart, Macy’s, etc…) to have separate boys and girls sections in stores regarding clothes, toys and childcare and forbid them to have any signage that stipulates which sex or gender they are designed for [CA AB2826 (19R)]. Again, we are dealing with an attempt to deny the teachings of the Holy Scriptures that “God created us male and female” (53:45, 92:3, Genesis 1:27, Matthew 19:4-6) in order to confuse and deny the natural, God given gender of our children as well as their natural heterosexual orientation to further destroy the fabric of society and replace it with the nefarious concept of gender theory to further pervert society.

Because homosexuality is an abnormal, deviant behavior by nature, the LGBT population is exponentially more impacted by sexually transmitted diseases than the heterosexual population: The CDC (The American “Center for Disease Control”) states that “Gay, bisexual and other men represent an incredibly diverse community. However, these men are disproportionately impacted by syphilis, HIV, and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)” (cdc.gov/std/life-stages-populations/msm.htm). For instance, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, “It is estimated that 12-13 percent of gay and bisexual men are HIV positive (KFF analysis of CDC data), including one in five in many major US cities (CDC, HIV testing Among Men Who Have Sex With men — 21 Cities, United States, 2008, MMWR, volume 60(21), June 2011.)”. We are obviously dealing with a an unprecedented epidemic and we can be certain that, well over a decade later, the actual percentage is now much higher.

A deviant lifestyle is likely to cause diseases, mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse and many more issues in the life of a human being, which is a divine retribution (38:44, John 5:14) and warning from God to His servants that they are in great danger of ending up in the hellfire if they do not repent and reform before it is too late.

(79:40) As for the one who fears [the day] he will stand before his Lord, and restrained his soul from sinful desires.

The above verse proclaims that faith in God and the day of resurrection (when we will physically stand before God) provides true believers the strength to prevail over sinful desires.

The Quran proclaims the triumph of faith over sin. This is additional proof that the “born this way” liberal/progressive narrative is nothing but falsehood and that we shall make choices based on the guidance provided by the Word of God, and not based on lust or bestiality or the advice of people who have no guidance. Progressives and liberals who compromise with the forces of darkness and embrace sexual deviance claim that because very rare species of animals do practice homosexuality it should then be acceptable, thus lowering themselves to those categories of animals. On the contrary, we shall not deviate and behave like animals and stay away from the sins condemned or inferred by the Holy Quran. We shall manifest in our lives the victory of faith over sin instead of following the path of darkness.

satan declares in 4:119 that he “will command humans to distort God’s creation”, while 30:30 proclaims that “There shall be no change in God’s creation” (لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ ٱللَّهِ). God created us male and female (53:45, 92:3, Genesis 1:27, Matthew 19:4-6). “Islam” signifies “submission” and the definition of a Muslim is one who “submits” to God unconditionally which is why we have to “submit” to the gender that God assigned to us at birth. In consequence, we must respect God’s creation and sex change is therefore prohibited in Islam. Another proof that sex change is not acceptable in Islam are inheritance laws. A male inherits more than a woman in most (but not all) cases (see 4:11-12, 4:176), and anyone who would have undergone a so called “sex change” cannot inherit differently than according to the gender that was assigned to him or her at birth. Transgender people, just like homosexuals, are people who made an important mistake in their lives. It is critical for them to understand that what matters is not to focus on their mistakes (and we humans all make many), but to repent and reform and put all their trust in God when He says that He forgives all sins:

(39:53) Say: “O My servants who have transgressed against their own souls: Never despair of God’s mercy. Indeed, God forgives all sins. He is the Forgiver, Most Merciful.”

A person who would be homosexual or transgender but repents and reforms and follows the Quran alone is far above someone who would be atheist or someone who associates partners beside God. Let us never forget that true faith in God and the day of resurrection translates into the triumph of faith over sin (79:40) and it is rarely too late to make adjustments in our lives. The Quran proclaims that God is One (112:1) and that He is Most Gracious, Most Merciful (1:1). As far as I am concerned, people who deviate (and we most certainly all have to various degrees) and eventually find the strength to repent and reform are admirable examples, and as a Muslim I can only and will always defend them, and I don’t care if they were homosexuals, lesbians, transgenders or else. Moreover, according to 24:21 and 35:45, not a single creature in the universe would be purified or even left standing if it were not for God’s immense Mercy; the goal of our lives is to purify ourselves, and what matters most is to leave this earth as Muslims (7:126). We shall therefore look at ourselves first before condemning too fast people who have committed grave sins because, like all of us, they may also seek one day a path of redemption.

Both the Bible (Deuteronomy 22:5) and the Quran forbid crossdressing:

Deuteronomy 22:5: A woman shall not wear a man’s apparel, nor shall a man wear a woman’s garment, for everyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord your God.

The Quran sends the same message:

وَلَا تَمُدَّنَّ عَيْنَيْكَ إِلَىٰ مَا مَتَّعْنَا بِهِۦٓ أَزْوَٰجًا مِّنْهُمْ زَهْرَةَ

ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا لِنَفْتِنَهُمْ فِيهِ وَرِزْقُ رَبِّكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰ

(21:131) And do not covet with your eyes what we have bestowed upon other classes among them regarding the splendor of this life, so we may test them thereby; Your Lord’s sustenance is better and more enduring.

Furthermore, the Quran defines a specific dress code for women (24:31), which implies that men are dressed differently. God states that “the male is not the same as the female” (3:36). Evidently, crossdressing is against the natural order set by God in His book.

Most people prefer to have an active or passive role in a sexual relationship and there is nothing wrong with it. The problem begins when satan takes such preferences to the extreme with what is known as bdsm rituals and dominates and possesses people with vain desires (4:119) by having some people take a dominant, sadistic role while some others take a subservient, masochist role. It is forbidden in Islam to submit to other than God and engaging in such sins is extremely grave. People who are addicted to such sins typically claim that it is their own bodies and that they can harm people or themselves if they choose to, as long as it is consensual. The Quran proves them wrong because whoever harms someone or allows any abuse to his own body will have his own organs testify against his or her soul on the day of judgment (41:20), unless they repent and reform before it is too late. Our bodies do not belong to us, but to God Almighty, and we are responsible for respecting them and taking care of them. The other reason why satan (a fallen angel) inspires bdsm rituals is because they symbolically reflect the fate of the companions of the fire whom the angels of hell will strike on their faces and backs (8:50, 47:27); the guilty will wear “iron collars around their necks” (13:5) and “up to their chins” (36:8) by which they will be dragged in chains (40:71). They will also be “locked up in a chain that is seventy arms long” (69:32)Sexual role playis an integral part of bdsm and is therefore also forbidden. Therefore, to say the least, such deviance is pure satanism and has zero place in Islam.

Pornography is also forbidden because believers are commanded to lower their gaze and not stare at women:

قُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا۟ مِنْ أَبْصَٰرِهِمْ وَيَحْفَظُوا۟ فُرُوجَهُمْ ذَٰلِكَ أَزْكَىٰ لَهُمْ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ خَبِيرٌۢ بِمَا يَصْنَعُونَ

(24:30) Tell believing men that they shall subdue their gaze (i.e., not stare at women), and maintain their chastity. This is purer for them. God is fully aware of everything they do.

In addition, 24:31 commands women not to “reveal any of their adornment.

It is therefore both forbidden to take part in providing pornographic materials or look at them. Pornography is poison. The solution to stay away from it and other sins is to always perform the ritual prayer on time (4:103), read the Quran daily (understanding and meditating it), and always remain very close to people who are good Muslims and glorify God (18:28).

Masturbation is not explicitly proscribed by the Quran nor the Bible, but our goal is to purify ourselves and it is up to us to find personal answers depending on our degree of purity and knowledge of the Quran. In any case, it is much preferable than engaging in grave sins such as fornication, adultery or worse.

Romance is an important part of marriage and dressing sexy is not forbidden as long as it remains within the frame of purity and that people do not transgress the limits defined by the Quran. The best example is paradise: 18:31, 22:23 and 76:21 depict its extraordinary beauty where people wear bracelets of silver and gold, pearls, garments of silk and brocade. This is part of the beauty of this world as well and none of that is forbidden on earth if people can afford it and still generously pay their zakat and contribute to charity, which is immensely more important than the ornaments and vanities of this fleeting life. The only thing that is forbidden in this regard is excess (100:8).

The Quran heavily condemns rumors and suspicion:

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ جَآءُو بِٱلْإِفْكِ عُصْبَةٌ مِّنكُمْ لَا تَحْسَبُوهُ شَرًّا لَّكُم بَلْ هُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ لِكُلِّ

ٱمْرِئٍ مِّنْهُم مَّا ٱكْتَسَبَ مِنَ ٱلْإِثْمِ وَٱلَّذِى تَوَلَّىٰ كِبْرَهُۥ مِنْهُمْ لَهُۥ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ

(24:11) Indeed, those who fabricated the calumny are a group among you. Do not think that it was bad for you; on the contrary, it was good for you. Every person among them has earned his share of the sin. As for the one who initiated it, he has incurred a terrible retribution.

It also forbids us to “spread rumors” (33:60) and commands us to “avoid the slightest suspicion” (49:12). If some categories of people commit sins behind closed doors (which is obviously forbidden according to 6:151 and 7:33) in a Muslim society and choose not to repent and reform, no one has the right to say anything unless compelling evidence can be produced.

People who engage in grave sins such as fornication, adultery, homosexuality, lesbianism, prostitution cannot therefore be accused lightly, but the punishment in a Muslim society is severe (24:2, 4:15) if they are proven guilty before a court of law as Islam is the opposite of a weak society.

To conclude, life is a fight between the forces of good and evil and Islam advocates purity and faithfulness when it comes to sexuality. Muslims are blessed with the last divine revelation to mankind, the Holy Quran, which provides us all the details and guidance to separate right from wrong, as well as the perfect way of life to stay close to God and avoid following the path of satan who inspires immorality and sexual deviance to attempt to ruin the soul of human beings and send them to the hellfire.

We must always remember that our best defense against sin are the five daily prayers which must be performed on time (4:103, the night prayer is optional in the Quran according to 17:79 but highly recommended), together with reading the Quran daily, especially at dawn (17:78) and remain very close to people who glorify God (18:28).

Article published on 4/20/2021