Masturbation in Islam

Sajid Iqbal —

Author
Shaykh Salim Ghisa

A few of my mates have confessed to me that they masturbate as its the only way they can stay away from entering in to haram relationships; they're too young or not financially stable to get married and some of them are even married- what does Islam say about masturbation and what advice can you offer?

A.

In the name of Allah the Most Beneficent and Merciful

Masturbation by one’s own hand or self is not permissible in Islam.

Allah (The Exalted) says: “Those who guard their sexual organs except with their spouses or those whom their right hands possess, for (with regard to them) they are without blame. But those who crave something beyond that are transgressors.” (23:5-7)

The above verse is used as evidence by all four Imams of Fiqh that masturbation is prohibited.

It is also mentioned in various Hadith as follows that Imam Ibn Kathir has wrote in volume 5 p. 458; Hasan Ibn Arifah reports: The Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) said,

'Seven persons are such that Allah will not look at them on the Day of Qiyaamat nor will He purify them nor will He include them among the learned and Allah will enter them into Jahannam. They will enter Jahannam first except for those who repent. As those who repent Allah will accept their repentance.

  1. A person who masturbates.

  2. A person who performs the act of sodomy.

  3. The person upon whom the act of sodomy is performed.

  4. A perpetual drunkard.

  5. The person who hits his parents so much that they appeal for help.

  6. The person who harms his neighbours so much so that they curse him.

  7. The person who commits adultery with his neighbour's wife.

It is spiritually wrong as well as morally wrong due to the fact that that when one masturbates they are taking away the right of their spouse (if they are married) or the fulfilment of getting married. However, many youth then claim that masturbation is the only way they can stay away from sin. Although one has to understand that normally sexual arousement occurs when a person either sees something that makes them want to commit a sexual act or they may involve themselves in a relationship which then leads on to masturbation. In both cases a person is not allowed to put themselves in that position.

The other problem is that their relationship with their spouse is not a fulfilling one and therefore to fulfil their sexual hunger they feel they have to masturbate. In this situation it is still not allowed and in some ways even worse as this could deprive their marriage of one of its essential ingredients.

It is permissible for a wife to masturbate her husband and vice versa. (Radd ul Mohtar). Therefore if the husband has the urge to this then he may allow his wife to do this for him. Also, if there are other reasons why a husband feels the need to masturbate then he must identify the root cause and discuss this with his spouse.

If a person knows for sure that if they did not masturbate then they would commit fornication, then in this situation the lesser of the two evils is to masturbate as fornication would be a worse sin. One should still repent after this.

If a person feels the urge to masturbate on a regular basis then they should get married if they can financially afford to do so. If this is not possible then a person should fast as this according to the Hadith will quell a person’s sexual urge (due to weakness resulting from the lack of food and drink).
Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) said,

'O group of youth! Whoever from among you can marry should do so because it keeps the gaze low and it protects the private parts. And he who cannot marry should make it compulsory upon himself to fast because it breaks lust.' (Bukhari & Muslim)

What else can I do to stay away from masturbation?

  1. The motive to seek a cure for this problem should be solely following Allah's orders and fearing His punishment.

  2. Lowering the gaze (from looking at forbidden things such as pictures, movies etc.) will help suppress the desire before it leads one to commit the haraam (forbidden).

  3. Using one's available leisure time in worshipping Allah and increasing religious knowledge.

  4. A person should pray after every Salaah and ask for help from Allah to refrain from sin.

  5. Trying to follow the Prophet's (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) recommendation concerning the etiquette of getting ready for bed, such as reading well-known supplications, sleeping on the right side, and avoiding sleeping on the belly (the Prophet forbade sleeping on the belly).

  6. Repenting, asking forgiveness from Allah, doing good deeds, and not losing hope and feeling despair are all prerequisites to curing this problem.

Of course Allah knows best.

Tags
Q and A
Shaykh Salim Ghisa
masturbation

88 comments

Sajid Iqbal Thu, 18 Nov 2010 - 15:51

malikhow dare you. this is a disgusting thing you postted.
didnt you think before putting such a topic on here.
dont you know respectable sisters are watching.

please brother, take it down. its really bad. Allah will grip you on the day of judgement.

as you know, this subject is not good. its discussed only in private and with scholars. we dont mention this kind of thing in the open. its not a dawah. its disgraceful.
have some shame brother. those who have no shame have no faith.

would you ever talk about this kind of thing to your mother. no you wouldnt. so its the same here. our sisters some here. both old and young.

please brother take it down. Allah will reward you for being courageous.
dont listen to satan. he invites to shameless deeds. just delete it.

thank you
jazakallah.

I thought these views were only amongst the very old...

there is NO TABOO in Islam

Any issue, especially one which concerns the youth, both men and women, should be discussed on platforms where youth can get access to them like a website or youth magazine.

Shouldnt women be educated on this topic. Dont/can't women do this act. Course they can so thats they need to be educated on it.

And if you think 10 /12 year old dont know what this is then you will be shocked!

Parents also need to know about this issue in light of quran n sunnah so they can be educated and answer to their young ones when asked.

shying away from the topic and saying ooh its disgusting, rude, hayaa is lost.... im afraid we're doing unjustice to our youth and need to adjust and understand the needs of the times.

Bijou Fri, 19 Nov 2010 - 09:39

shying away from the topic and saying ooh its disgusting, rude, hayaa is lost.... im afraid we're doing unjustice to our youth and need to adjust and understand the needs of the times.

Although I agree with part of what your saying here, and I understand what you mean in regards to doing unjustice to the youth of this time, I believe there are certain issues and topics which DO need some kind of restriction because the haya IS lost when it is discussed openly between men and women, theres no shame left when you talk about masturbation with strangers and when haya is lost there is no Imaan (and imaan is THE MOST important thing in Islam to get closer to Allah and Rasool ﷺ ). You are talking about your personal and sexual desires and needs openly.We cannot talk about anything and everything because it will do injustice to the youth. This is where I would assume the parents need to step in and educate their children. (which unfortuantely does not happen most of the times).

However, considering this article is for educational purposes I think its an exception because parents are put into a strange position when it comes to these topics and may not feel capable to discuss it openly with their child. So if strangers do refer to it for educational purposes I think there should not be a problem.

LookingToSee Fri, 19 Nov 2010 - 18:39

but the thing is, this is an article, the person reads it in the comfort of their home and there's no real "discussion". then if they have any more question, they can just ask parents (<--yes, yes, i did include them in my theory!)

You Sat, 20 Nov 2010 - 20:35

With the question of "hiya"/modesty and discussing this issue, I just want to note, that the comments are not actually discussing this issue, just whether it is appropriate to do so.

LA (not verified) Sat, 27 Nov 2010 - 13:08

oh my god!!! we so need more articles like this. our parents are so backwards and are too embarrassed to speak about these things and when they find out the children have been doing it they go off on one saying how bad it is and all. but if you havent been educated about it they cannot tell you that you are a disgrace to the family.
well done revival!!! i look forward to reading more open topics like this they are very informative and will hopefully keep the believing youth on the right path and bring the non practising youth back on the right path.

Sajid Iqbal Mon, 6 Dec 2010 - 15:15

LAoh my god!!! we so need more articles like this. our parents are so backwards and are too embarrassed to speak about these things and when they find out the children have been doing it they go off on one saying how bad it is and all. but if you havent been educated about it they cannot tell you that you are a disgrace to the family.
well done revival!!! i look forward to reading more open topics like this they are very informative and will hopefully keep the believing youth on the right path and bring the non practising youth back on the right path.

thanks for your post. Im glad someone has benefitted lol

Hisham (not verified) Wed, 5 Jan 2011 - 00:50

I frankly think it is unreal that you would even bother with an article like this. Is there no limit to the extent to which the Imams and so-called scholars will interfer in the lives of Muslims?

This is NONE of your business. It is ridiculous. Is there any wonder that no one on this earth respects Muslims?

Instead of making sure we are educated, lead fulfilling lives, improve our economic and political standing, we are obsessing over issues like this, or menstruation and other things that are PRIVATE and of concern only to INDIVIDUALS.

I would challenge all my bearded brothers to actually consider important issues. We are facing GRAVE issues and yet all we focus on is this basic 'Islam for dummies' stuff.

Has it ever occurred to you that once upon a time, Muslims were philosophers and scientists who occupied themselves with issues more challenging than masturbation or whether a woman's ears are covered. It's embarassing.

We must move away from these simplistic issues and actually start contributing positively to the world we live in.

Any non-Muslim looking at site would LAUGH at us.

Masturbation. Get a life.

You Wed, 5 Jan 2011 - 00:59

Knowing what is halaal and haraam is important.

Has it ever occurred to you that once upon a time, Muslims were philosophers and scientists who occupied themselves with issues more challenging than masturbation or whether a woman's ears are covered. It's embarassing.

Go read fiqh and you will read that they did not only deal with the philosophical but also the mundane.

TPOS Wed, 5 Jan 2011 - 14:57

@ Hisham

Do you agree with homosexuality? Or do you think that's a personal matter too?

You understand that Islam is a complete way of life, right?

LookingToSee Wed, 5 Jan 2011 - 20:33

ThE pOwEr Of SiLeNcE
You understand that Islam is a complete way of life, right?

+1

this is a youth side, dealing with YOUTH issues. Masturbation is quite a biggy. not one that needs to be dealt with over and over again. because there is ONE straight forward point of view about the matter. hence warning the youth is important. especially for us who lives in anon-muslim country where this might be seen as something normal and something that all "youth" go through and do at some point.

whereas in Islam its NOT allowed.

i dont see how this is a minor issue. For the YOUTH.

TPOS Wed, 5 Jan 2011 - 20:37

You also seem to have missed or ignored the ahadith in the article ^^. Which show how big of an issue it really is.

'Seven persons are such that Allah will not look at them on the Day of Qiyaamat nor will He purify them nor will He include them among the learned and Allah will enter them into Jahannam. They will enter Jahannam first except for those who repent. As those who repent Allah will accept their repentance.

1.A person who masturbates.
...

Anonymousharry (not verified) Thu, 12 May 2011 - 23:04

Those who curse Aisha and Hafsah, Also curse The Beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and all the believers too

1. "The Prophet is closer to the believers than their selves, and his wives are their mothers."
Qur'an 33:6

2. "Women impure are for men impure, and men impure for women impure and women of purity are for men of purity, and men of purity are for women of purity: these are not affected by what people say: for them there is forgiveness, and a provision honourable."
Quran 24: 26

ALLAH GAVE THE WIVES OF THE PROPHETS THE TITLE MOTHERS OF THE BELIEVERS, ALLAH ALSO STATED WOMEN IMPURE ARE FOR IMPURE MEN! SO WHEN YOU SAY OUR MOTHERS AISHA AND HAFSAH ARE IMPURE, YOU NOT ONLY CURSE THE PROPHETS WIVES BUT YOU ALSO CURSE THE HOLY PROPHET TOO!
Conclusion:
What better way to conclude than with more Ayahs of Quran:
"But the Unbelievers,- their deeds are like a mirage in sandy deserts, which the man parched with thirst mistakes for water; until when he comes up to it, he finds it to be nothing: But he finds Allah (ever) with him, and Allah will pay him his account: and Allah is swift in taking account."
Quran 24: 39

"Indeed, those who [falsely] accuse chaste, unaware and believing women are cursed in this world and the Hereafter; and they will have a great punishment. On a Day when their tongues, their hands and their feet will bear witness against them as to what they used to do.That Day, Allah will pay them in full their deserved recompense, and they will know that it is Allah who is the perfect in justice."
Quran 24: 23-25

“It is only those who believe not in the Ayah (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of Allah, who fabricate falsehood, and it is they who are liars."
Quran 16:105

Allah knows Best

Muslim Rebel Mon, 23 May 2011 - 14:04

s.b.f

ThE pOwEr Of SiLeNcEI DON'T KNOWWWWWW

I mean for all i know, he could ask me to DEFINE the word!!!!!!!!

Or just look at me weirdly, make me feel awkward.

Or just say that the mag is inappropriate!!

Or anything!

See I'm sitting in the student room, asking you what your dad might say/ask.

The title of the page is 'masturbation in Islam'

I'm sitting with my back to the door. So this man comes in and asks me how I am and blah blah. So whilst he's talking I click on the minimize button. He did look at my screen. I looked at the screen after to see that the title of the page when minimized had been reduced just to 'masturbation'. =/

Haha you made me laugh out LOuddddd

Aziza2011 Mon, 23 May 2011 - 17:32

malikhow dare you. this is a disgusting thing you postted.
didnt you think before putting such a topic on here.
dont you know respectable sisters are watching.

please brother, take it down. its really bad. Allah will grip you on the day of judgement.

as you know, this subject is not good. its discussed only in private and with scholars. we dont mention this kind of thing in the open. its not a dawah. its disgraceful.
have some shame brother. those who have no shame have no faith.

would you ever talk about this kind of thing to your mother. no you wouldnt. so its the same here. our sisters some here. both old and young.

please brother take it down. Allah will reward you for being courageous.
dont listen to satan. he invites to shameless deeds. just delete it.

thank you
jazakallah.

Its an issue which any respectable sister should be aware of..... we are future mothers after all. How do you expect the ummah to have knowledge about their deen if their parents or they themselves are too afraid or ignorant to seek it?

TPOS Sat, 16 Jul 2011 - 13:34

TheRevivalEditor

Allah (The Exalted) says: “Those who guard their sexual organs except with their spouses or those whom their right hands possess, for (with regard to them) they are without blame. But those who crave something beyond that are transgressors.” (23:5-7)

Slaves?

fnhdifhdkf (not verified) Thu, 18 Aug 2011 - 10:58

first of all i think people need to calm down you are allowed to ask anything you want why??? well first of all the prophet did things for reasons like marry wives for certain reasons and people thought it to be some sort of taboo at the time of the prophet you think women wernt allowed to ask questions openly you need to understand you need to rid yourself of backward thinking.. even at that time people wernt as backward as yourselves do u know children learn at a very young age and that it is common for young people as youngf as 10 to experiment so who will tell these kids??? from what age should you start reading namaz and it becomes a must for you the same with learning about these matters that should be OPEN not hidden and for people to feel embarassed about these problems must be discussed as it does happen... dont be ignorant!!!!

m3hvish (not verified) Wed, 7 Sep 2011 - 15:03

Im all thumbs up 4 this article and the many more to come....

lollywood Wed, 7 Sep 2011 - 18:53

There's nothing wrong with having fiddle

Its save, you're not committing any kind of zina
no child is born as a result

I can’t see the harm in it

lollywood Wed, 7 Sep 2011 - 19:05

YouYour word is not the law.

We go by the qur'an and hadith.

I never said it was

  • You’re not committing any kind of zina

  • no child is born as a result

TPOS Wed, 7 Sep 2011 - 19:22

lollywood

YouYour word is not the law.

We go by the qur'an and hadith.


I never said it was

  • You’re not committing any kind of zina

  • no child is born as a result

You're tryna make out it's ok.

You really should read up on aqeedah like Ya'qub suggested

lollywood Wed, 7 Sep 2011 - 19:28

ThE pOwEr Of SiLeNcE
You're tryna make out it's ok.

You really should read up on aqeedah like Ya'qub suggested

some scholars have designated it as a last resort for unmarried individuals attempting to avoid succumbing to the greater sin of zina

lollywood Wed, 7 Sep 2011 - 19:42

ThE pOwEr Of SiLeNcEThere is a difference between "there is nothing wrong with" and "as a last resort"

The point is that zina is the greater sin compared to this and if this "little sin" stops you from doing the "big sin" then it should have been allowed just for that if nothing else

TPOS Wed, 7 Sep 2011 - 19:43

lollywood

ThE pOwEr Of SiLeNcEThere is a difference between "there is nothing wrong with" and "as a last resort"

The point is that zina is the greater sin compared to this and if this "little sin" stops you from doing the "big sin" then it should have been allowed just for that if nothing else

It is allowed as a last resort.

lollywood Wed, 7 Sep 2011 - 19:48

ThE pOwEr Of SiLeNcE
It is allowed as a last resort.

I mean it should have been allowed as a first resort thinking that it may stop a person from committing zina

Comments are closed on this post.