What is the standpoint of Islam on gays and lesbians?

Answer

Islam looks at homosexuality as something contradictory to the very nature according to which God created man. God’s creation is generally in pairs. A complete phenomenon is generally divided into two complementary parts. Human being, as a complete entity is divided into males and females. The mental, emotional and physical completion of humans is generally achieved through the combination of a male and a female. Homosexuality is based on a refutation of this obvious fact, and is, therefore, in contradiction with the very nature on which man has been created. Islam does not support anything that is, in anyway, contrary to the nature on which God created man. Therefore, purely from an intellectual perspective, it can be said that homosexuality is a natural prohibition and natural prohibitions are of an equal, if not of more importance as compared to religious prohibitions. To understand the two kinds of prohibitions more thoroughly, consider the example of sexual relations between men and women. Sexual relation between a man and a woman is the way nature has meant it to be. Now, Islam has restricted the allowance of this relation between a man and a woman to only after Nika’h(Official marriage). Thus, the prohibition of sexual relation outside Nika’h is a religious prohibition based on the nature of man, but not a natural prohibition.

Though the Shari`ah does not specify the punishment for homosexuality, but the legislature of an Islamic state may promulgate any punishment for this purpose. In the promulgation of this punishment, one of the basic principles that must be kept in mind is that according to the Qur’an , death sentence can only be pronounced for two kinds of crimes. One is where the person has killed another person and the second is where the person is involved in “Hiraabah” and/or “Fasaad fil Ardh¹”. “Hiraabah” and/or “Fasaad fil Ardh ” include crimes committed against the community, rather than an individual or crimes that are of the nature of religious persecution or crimes committed with the objective of spreading a wave of terror through the community or those committed against the state. Keeping this principle of the Qur’an  in mind, the legislature of an Islamic state may promulgate any punishment for Homosexuality.However,it must be borne in mind that Islamic punishments can only be given in a proper Islamic state where all other requirements of shariah are being carried out.

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UIUK

1. Literally meaning ‘creating unrest or disturbance in the land’.