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Masturbation? We all have done it, as adolescents and as adults, men and women, and some still do it despite the elder age. The point is that everyone (with a few exceptions) have done it, at least once in their life, since puberty begun.

لاستمناء (al-istimna’) is the most common term to indicate the self-stimulation of the sexual organ, but there are others like العادة السرية (al-‘ada al-sirriya; “the secret habit”) or نكاح اليد (nikah al-yad; “the wedding of the hand”). I perfectly remember my first time: it was between the furry little hands of a brown plush; an adventure companion, in the previous months, that I had to burn that very evening.

After a couple of weeks, the number of plushes in the house was halved.

Jokes aside, at the time I firmly believed that masturbation was forbidden and considered a sinful act, which was the reason for using the plush instead of my hands. Consequently, I had to get rid of it of the حرام‎ (haram, sin) which I thought I had committed, with fire. I was afraid to be subjected to punishment if discovered.

Here’s my question: what is the religious punishment for masturbation, in Islam?

Islam teachings about masturbation are clear: you just do not do it. Marriageable age used to be 9 years old for girls and 15 years old for boys, and unions were finalized to procreation. Nowadays, the marriageable age is 18 years old for women and 20 years old for men so why masturbation is still forbidden before being wed and to whom is not wed?

The main interpretation comes from a Quran verse: “[The believers are] those who safeguard their chastity; except from their spouse or their dependents […]; But whoever seeks anything beyond that—these are the transgressors” (Surah 23, The Believers 5-7). The last ayah (verse) is the one including -in both Sunni and Shia Islam- the self-stimulation of the haram realm, because all form of sexual gratification, practiced outside of marriage, is relentlessly prohibited since infringes on the law of Allah.

The tafsir of the ayah, the original interpretation given by the Muslim scholars, corresponds to all most famous academic’s translations (such as Ibn Kathir, Al-Ghazali, Al-Qurtubi, and Sayyid Qutb), and explains the pronoun “their” refers to the male population. Does this mean female can masturbate? Although the answer is negative, we cannot find tangible proof of the opposite.

Now, pretending to agree that masturbation is a muddy, hard to overcome sin, I turn my attention on the punishment that should be given. I’ve found many answers on the web but none of them are exhaustive: some consider it equal to زناء (adultery), and some consider it equal to engage in zoophilia.

Even on this subject, major Islamic denominations can’t agree: the Hanafi think it is utterly haram, the Maliki and the Shafi’I say that voluntary masturbation, even just the thought of it, is a punishable sin. The Hanbali and Zahiri prefer to claim that masturbation is hideous but not sinful, especially if practiced to avoid real carnal temptation, since nor the Quran neither the Sunnah -code of teachings, deeds and saying of prophet Muhammad- address the subject.

After all these researches, I am convinced there is a lot of confusion in this regard. Yet, masturbation is seen as an obscene, sinful, and deviant act, but without valid religious ground. I try to consciously believe in Islam and to look at it critically; therefore, I invite anyone more knowledgeable on the matter, to shed some light.

 

Lyas
translation by Barbara Burgio
©2017 Il Grande Colibrì

8 Comments

  • Muhammad idria says:

    Unfortunately the topic is wider and need adequate research to solve this critical problem.

  • Ameen Suma ameen may Almighty Allah ease our affairs because these is a case.Many wai to get married but Allah have not make it the time for us yet so we should keep on praying for the best cause Allah always accept our prayers

  • Aamir says:

    But brother how much time we can control on our desires e. g my age is 15 and after 10 years I will find my spouse at the age of 25 so it’s impossible to control 10 years or fast for 10 years what is the solution
    I am Amir from kashmir

  • SULAIMAN ALKALI LAWAN says:

    Masturbation is a sin in islam

  • Abubakar bashir says:

    Thanks so much brother really appreciate.

  • AL"ameen says:

    it was useful. thanks

  • Omar says:

    Aslam O alaikum!
    My brother!
    First thing first, Allah S.W has gifted humankind with a great sense of subconciousness which is the most persistent, and alert reminder.
    I have always been wandering to hunt for the answers just like you. No mufti or scholar would want to take that blame whether for allowing it or firmly forbidding it on their behalf. Well, shall we take a biological and a logical view over the scenario we’re tryng to solve.
    Points to be noted:

    Point no.1: Allah S.W Commands us(Via Prophet Muhammad PBUH in a hadith) “oy! You! The group of youth, marry if you can afford, or fast because it will decrease/lower your libido”

    Point no.2: We all know how badly it effects if a young one stop being sexually active as it’s going to create lots of nuerological dissruptions if the excesive semen is not released. And that psychological reason is the main factor that urg us to get involved in sexual activity in which the least a poor young person could afford is mastrubation. But we forget something that Allah S.W has added a feature for that too, (why wouldn’t He) and that’s night-fall/wet dreaming. So, this biological execuse is also failed to justify that “We will go crazy unless we get it out”.
    Point no.3: And the last point is that if any execuse would be powerful enough to justify the mastrubation-being-allowed, then why in the first place, would Allah S.W be ordering us to go through the painful process of ‘Fasting’ so that we might be able to over come and control the sexual desires?
    May Allah S.W strenghten our belief and give us the control on our desires. Amin…

    But the problem is that we still commit that sin and it’s all because of making the Nikah so expensive that nobody can easily afford it.
    Then who is it to blame?
    US ? Or Allah S.W (Na’uzo Billah)
    O Allah, the greatest and the creator of every single grain of anything, anywhere, forgive us and wash our sins and clean our souls and make us your slaves. Amin..
    (Wasallam)
    My name is Omar and I am from Pakistan.

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