Full Lecture Transcript (Cleaned)
The Question — 0:00
The first question we're going to be doing insha'Allah is the permissibility of self-stimulation or masturbation. Is it permissible in Islam, or is this act sinful?
The Majority View and the Quranic Evidence — 0:36
Generally speaking, the majority of scholars, the majority of madhhabs, view masturbation as being haram or sinful. They base this on the fact that Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) forbids all sexual activity except with one's spouse. Allah says in the Quran that He praises those who protect their private parts, except with their spouses or their right-hand possessions. Whoever is within these confines, that is permissible. Whoever goes beyond this, they have transgressed.
Now, Imam al-Shafi'i explicitly used this verse to say that self-stimulation is therefore not allowed, because according to him this is going beyond the verse. This is the most explicit verse that has been used to forbid masturbation. There is nothing else in the Quran that forbids it, and there is no authentic hadith. There are a number of very weak and actually fabricated hadith about masturbation, but there is nothing explicit that is authentic.
Imam al-Shafi'i did derive this from the verse, but again the verse doesn't explicitly mention self-stimulation. It is correct to point out that this is the mainstream position of the Shafi'i school, the Maliki school, and the majority of the Hanafi school as well. However, some of the scholars of the past did consider it makruh, and others considered it to be mubah.
The Three Positions — 2:15
There are three primary positions in this regard. The first is that it is actually sinful, so it would be basically within the realm of haram. The second is that it is makruh — and makruh means that it is not sinful but it is better not to do — and this is the position that I advocate. The third is that it is completely mubah — there is not even a discouragement, it is not even something that is against nobility, it is completely permissible.
As for the position that it is mubah, that it is completely permissible, it is one of the positions of the Hanbali school (the Hanbali school has other positions as well). It is also the position of Imam al-Shawkani, the famous scholar of Yemen.
As for the position that it is makruh, it is reported by a number of tabi'un, and one can derive this as well from the statements of some of the Sahaba as we will mention. It is also the position of Ibn Hazm, the famous scholar of Andalus, who said it is not sinful but it is better not to do — which translates as makruh.
A number of quotations here to understand that this is not something that is a fringe opinion. It is something that is well known.
Scholarly Evidence for Conditional Permissibility — 3:26
The famous Hanbali scholar al-Mardawi mentions that if one resorts to masturbation out of a fear of falling into fornication, it is mubah. In fact, he goes so far as to say that it might even be obligatory, so that he avoids the bigger sin of actual zina, of actual intercourse that is haram. He also mentions very explicitly that the same ruling applies for a woman — that a woman can also resort to this if there is a fear of falling into zina.
There are a number of reports from the Sahaba and tabi'un that indicate that this position was found amongst them as well.
The Narration of Ibn Abbas — 4:08
A young man came to Ibn Abbas, the cousin of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), and he mentioned that he is not married and that he basically stimulates himself until he ejaculates. Ibn Abbas said to him: "What you are doing is better than committing zina, but if you were to marry a slave girl, that is even better than what you are doing." Now, marriage to an amma, to a slave girl, is something that is strongly discouraged for reasons that are beyond the scope of our answer here.
Ibn Abbas is saying that were he to do that, it is better — but what you are doing of self-stimulation, it is better than zina. And so Ibn Abbas is basically saying it is makruh. This is the position of many of the scholars: it is not encouraged, but it is not something that is going to take you to Jahannam. It is not something that is inherently sinful in the eyes of Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala).
This is the position that is reported from many of the students of Ibn Abbas, and in fact many of them even went beyond this and said that it is completely permissible. Ibn Abbas's fatwa in this regard was basically interpreted by his students — many of them said it is makruh, and Mujahid said it is completely permissible.
More Reports from the Tabi'un — 5:21
Ata', the famous tabi'i, was asked about masturbation and he said: "I dislike it." His student asked him: "Is there any punishment if somebody does it?" And he said: "I haven't heard of anything — that's not what I'm saying. I'm not saying there's any punishment." All of these reports are in the Musannaf of Ibn Abi Shaybah, which has an entire chapter regarding masturbation.
Mujahid, again the famous tabi'i and student of Ibn Abbas, said: "Those before us would advise young men and women to do this to save themselves from zina." So the tabi'i Mujahid mentions that this is something that was known — that instead of committing zina, if the emotions or the lust is very powerful and one feels that they're going to fall into haram, then they should do this. And it is both for men and women that they were told it is better than zina.
Jabir ibn Zayd, one of the students of Ibn Abbas as well, was asked about masturbation and he said: "It is your fluid. It is your fluid — you may do with it as you please." In other words, he is saying that it is something that belongs to you, and if you expel it of your own, then there is no sin because you're not doing it with another person.
Ahmad ibn Nasr said: "I don't see any problem with this act of self-stimulation."
Al-Hasan al-Basri, the famous tabi'i, said that they would do this when they were on expeditions, when people did not have their spouses with them and they were on long expeditions and journeys. This is reported in the Muhalla of Ibn Hazm.
Ibn Hazm's Argument — 7:00
Ibn Hazm has an entire section on this as well, the famous scholar of Andalus. He mentions that it is allowed to touch one's organ, even if it is with the left hand. And Ibn Hazm said: if it is allowed to touch, then there is no prohibition in touching more than just a touch. One touch and the other touch is not going to be haram — if it is allowed to touch until one climaxes, then Ibn Hazm says it is not sinful.
However, Ibn Hazm adds that he does not encourage it, because he said it is not from the noble manners. It is not from the noble manners.
Yasir Qadhi's Position — 7:39
And so from all of this, the position that I think seems to be the reasonable one, based upon the evidences of the Quran and Sunnah, the plethora of evidences from the tabi'un, and from the realities that we live in — because, dear brothers and sisters, we need to be very practical. Fiqh is not just quoting and pasting fatwas from earlier authorities. It also means one looks at the context of one's environment and the levels of sexual openness — frankly, depravity even — the hedonism and the licentiousness that the current civilizations we live in are demonstrating.
It is almost impossible for young men and women to remain firm. The desires are overpowering at that age. And for us to forbid this act, which is definitely a gray area, and to cut off any avenue to express one's desires before the possibility of marriage — I think that is putting a very difficult burden on our young men and women.
And no doubt — and I say this very frankly — no doubt that this is not the norm. No doubt self-stimulation is not natural, despite what psychologists might say. It is not the norm, and that is why the default is that there is a sense of shame and a sense of regret when somebody does this, even if you're not a Muslim. There are movements out there that are discouraging self-stimulation — and these are not Muslims, they're not calling to any Sharia — they say that it is not something that is natural, that one should find this pleasure with one's partner. They say "partner," we say with one's spouse. And I cannot agree with them more in this regard.
The Purpose of Intimacy in Marriage — 9:31
Allah created this pleasure, and it is a beautiful pleasure — it's one of the strongest pleasures that Allah has given us. Allah created it in us. They say nature put it; we say Allah put it in us. Why? So that we find love in marriage. So that when we are married, the one act that the married couple does that no one else can do — you can speak with a lot of people, you can find comfort in a lot of people, emotional comfort — but the one thing that is exclusive to a long-term marriage and relationship is this act of intimacy. Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) has put an immense amount of pleasure and joy in it, and it is meant to be enjoyed and shared with the person that you're sharing your life with. These types of pleasures bring about love and bring about a tenderness that is intended and desired.
Permissibility with Conditions — 10:18
Now, if a person is not married and if a person is unable to get married — which is very common in our times — the teenagers and the young men and women in their 20s, they cannot get married, and it is the prime of their sexuality, and everybody around them is engaging in blatant haram. I think that in this case there should be no problem whatsoever in us telling them that it is permissible, but with a number of conditions. And of those conditions:
- We understand that this is not the default or the norm
- We understand that it is something that is temporary
- We are eagerly looking to get married and making dua to Allah to help us get married
- Even if the act is permissible — and I do believe that there's no sin in doing it — the default is that it is makruh, and makruh means it's better not to do
The Warning Against Pornography — 11:40
And we have to make a very clear, unconditional point here: without any exception, we cannot allow this to lead to visual stimulation or the viewing of pornography, because that is something that is without a doubt not allowed. It is something that is considered to be the zina of the eyes — may Allah (azza wa jal) protect all of us.
The point being that unfortunately this deed and this act is linked to visual haram, and that visual haram needs to be very clearly pointed out. Even if one is forced because of circumstance to relieve oneself in this manner, it should not be done with visual aids. To look upon these types of images or websites is something that there is no doubt is harmful to the soul and harmful to the psyche. And no doubt there is long-term damage that is done. And by the way, it's not just the sin of looking — it is also the problem of one's own level of sexuality being impacted. It becomes problematic to even have normal marital relations with one's spouse if one becomes addicted to such videos.
This is well known, and many books have been written — actually, some good TED Talks as well — in this regard. The problems of pornography: we are just now realizing what is going on, because this is the first generation in human history that such explicit images have been bombarded upon them since they were born until adulthood. And we are seeing the deterioration of the family and the breakdown of intimacy between couples.
So I say that it should not just be said that masturbation is halal — no, that should not be said. Rather, what we should say is that the default is that it is makruh, but it might become completely mubah and maybe even recommended to protect oneself from zina. No doubt about that.
The Problem Within Marriage — 13:43
Now the problem comes twofold. Number one: the linkage of masturbation with visual stimulus — we need to make sure that is understood, that we should separate the two.
And then number two — worse than this in my opinion really — and unfortunately, because I'm a community leader and I get emails all the time, and I am contacted by people for their most personal problems, unfortunately it is all too common for me to hear this complaint, especially from our sisters. I have gotten more emails than I can count, unfortunately, over the last many years — I'm not talking about just in a short period of time — where a wife basically is not satisfied. Her husband does not approach her, her husband has abandoned her, and her husband is resorting (audhu billah) to masturbation and pornography. And the wife doesn't know this. She's wondering: "What's wrong? Why is he not approaching me? I'm dressing up, I'm looking pretty, I'm trying to do everything, and he's not even coming close, not even touching me." She begins to doubt, she begins to wonder what's going on. Then she discovers — because generally, obviously, the man does not say it — she discovers that in fact her husband is having an outlet.
And this is the problem of pornography: in pornography, what you see is not real. The bar of stimulation is raised so high that an average beautiful lady no longer looks beautiful to you, and you want something that is unreal. And this is the problem.
Before and After Marriage — 15:14
We have to be very clear, brothers and sisters: when I say that it is permissible, what I mean is before marriage, or in a situation where you're away from your spouse or something of this nature — no problem, I can understand. But once a marriage takes place and everything is normal between the couple, then there is no question that the couple needs to concentrate on each other and the couple needs to resolve their own issues, so that insha'Allah they are satisfying each other and they're not resorting to anything outside of their own internal bonds.
Even According to Those Who Say Haram — 15:52
Now, for those that say it is haram and sinful — even for those that said it is sinful — do realize that according to them, this would not be a major sin (kabira). This would be something that is of the minor sins. I'm not trying to trivialize according to their view, but it is not something that would be considered one of the kaba'ir or one of the major sins. It is something that should be avoided according to them.
Responding to the Quranic Verse — 16:12
And by the way, as for the verse "whoever goes beyond this" that Imam al-Shafi'i used — again, with our utmost respect to all of those who use the verse — by unanimous consensus, one can be intimate with one's spouse and doesn't have to actually engage in intercourse. The wife can stimulate her husband and the husband can stimulate his wife without actual penetration, and this is by unanimous consensus allowed. And in fact, some of our scholars have pointed out (those that allowed masturbation) — they said: why would it be allowed for the spouse to do it with her hand and it's not allowed for you to do it with your hand? And that's a valid point, to be honest, from a logical perspective — why would that be forbidden?
Now, again, I say that the default is one finds pleasure with one's spouse. But there's nothing wrong per se — there's no sin. And yes, it is not of the noble acts. And Allah knows best.