Question: What does liwata mean? What is its sin?
ANSWER
Anal sexual intercourse between two men or between a man and a woman is called liwata (sodomy). It is a major sin to perform anal intercourse with one’s wife, too.
Allahu ta’ala says that liwata is a wicked deed. (Al-Anbiya 74)
It is stated in hadith-i sharifs:
(One who practices liwata is accursed.) [Imam-i Ahmad]
(The man who practices liwata with his wife is accursed.) [Shir’a]
(Allah does not show mercy to the one who has intercourse with a man or a woman through the anus.) [Tirmidhi]
(To whomever liwata is done three times with consent, he will get used to it and will always have a desire for it.) [Riyad-un-Nasihin]
The awrah of a man in the company of another man or the awrah of a woman in the company of another woman is that which is between the knee and the navel. A woman cannot look at that which is between the knee and the navel of another woman. If she looks at it without a dire necessity (darurat), she has committed a grave sin. The awrah of a woman in front of a non-mahram man is her whole body except her hands and face. It is haram to look at a person’s awrah without a need even if it is without lust. It is stated in hadith-i sharifs:
(A man cannot look at the awrah of another man, and a woman cannot look at the awrah of another woman. It is haram.) [Abdurrazzaq]
(It is haram for a man to look at a woman and for a woman to look at a man [lustfully].) [Tabarani]
Question: What is the number of major sins? What should one do if one is addicted to a sin?
ANSWER
The number of major sins is large in our religion. Some of them are as follows:
Murder, adultery, sodomy, consuming alcoholic drinks, theft, extortion, perjury, usury, disobedience to parents, neglecting salat, arrogance, gossip, sorcery, consuming from the property of an orphan, making accusations against a chaste woman, keeping on committing minor sins.
One who commits a sin does not become a disbeliever (kafir), but a sin may drift one into kufr (disbelief). It is very difficult for someone who is addicted to a sin to get himself/herself out of it. He/she does not consider it a sin, and tries to blame others for the sin he/she commits. He looks for false reasons for his/her sins. Becoming addicted to a sin does not turn it into something lawful.
The reality is that it is very difficult to overcome alcohol addiction even after treatment. So is the case with drug addiction. It is not easy to recover from them. First one thinks that there is no harm in a tiny amount, but then it leads to awful problems. Give an inch and they will take a mile. It is very dangerous to addict to gambling, adultery, or sodomy. One who gets used to cigars, even tea, cannot overcome it easily.
It is the nafs, not the soul, that makes one commit a sin. Everybody’s nafs-i ammarah is kafir. This nafs, which is kafir, always wants to commit a sin. One who can control the nafs abstains from sins. It is stated in a hadith-i sharif that to whomever liwata is done three times with consent he will get used to it and will always have a desire for it. If a man who has sodomy habit says, “I am a man, but my soul is a woman,” he follows his nafs and the shaytan. Whatever the reason, the one who does it and the one to whom it is done is accursed. He must repent of it right away. Allahu ta’ala forgives those who repent.
One’s environment is the biggest factor in developing an addiction to harmful things or sins. The environment should be changed, and one should be with good people and do one’s best to abstain from any sin and never miss a salat.
Question: Is there a hadith about AIDS?
ANSWER
There is no explicit hadith-i sharif about AIDS, but it is stated in a hadith-i sharif:
(If prostitutes increase and adultery becomes widespread among a society, the people will be exposed to contagious diseases not seen before. If there is cheating in buying and selling, financial difficulties will arise. If zakat is not paid, it will not rain. If there were not animals, no mercy would be received. When adherence to the religion weakens, enemies will attack. When the governors who do not abide by the religion appear, anarchy will be seen. People will fight with each other.) [Bayhaqi]
The communicable virus of AIDS seen in homosexuals is found in pigs.
Question: What is the remedy to cure sodomy or lesbianism?
ANSWER
One must perform the five daily salats correctly and marry immediately.
Question: I am a homosexual man, but I do not actually practice it. However, this desire does not leave me. I perpetually want to have sexual intercourse with a man, which annoys me. Doctors tell me that there is no cure for this. Should I commit suicide or live in such urges?
ANSWER
There is no illness without a cure. The cure may not be known. Our Master the Prophet, who was sent as a mercy for the worlds by Allahu ta’ala, who created the universe out of nothing, said:
(Allahu ta’ala has never created a disease without a remedy, which is known by some but not known by others. There is no remedy only for death.) [Tabarani]
(There is a cure for every disease. When medication is taken, Allahu ta’ala blesses one with recovery.) [Bukhari, Muslim]
(O slaves of Allah! Receive treatment. Allahu ta’ala has not created a disease without a cure, except old age.) [Abu Ya’la, Ibn Hibban]
There is a single remedy for all sins, e.g., drinking alcohol, adultery, theft, homosexuality. This remedy is explicitly stated in the Qur’an al-karim. Any Muslim who applies it will surely overcome his/her addiction to a major sin, no matter what it is. The Qur’an al-karim says (what means):
(Salat restrains one from munkar and fahsha [indecency, from evils such as marijuana, alcohol, adultery, homosexuality, and from all sins].) [Al-Ankabut 45]
A young man used to perform salats but at the same time perpetrate all evils. Our Master the Prophet said about him, “One day, salat will preclude him from committing the other sins.” The young man repented of his sins soon after. For this reason, one must perform the five daily salats without fail. It is stated in a hadith-i sharif:
(There is a remedy for all diseases and trouble. The remedy for the heart is dhikr, remembering Allahu ta’ala.) [Daylami]
The leading method of remembering Allahu ta’ala is salat. The Qur’an al-karim says (what means):
(Salat keeps one away from all evil acts because surely remembrance of Allah [performing salat] is the greatest [the greatest act of worship]. [Al-Ankabut 45]
(The remembrance of Allah is salat. Salat is greater than other acts of worship.) (Baydawi)
(They remember Allah while standing, sitting, and lying on their sides.) [Al-i Imran 191] (One who can perform salat standing performs it standing. One who cannot perform it standing performs it sitting. One who cannot perform it sitting can perform it lying by signs.) (Bahr-ur-raiq)
If one’s salat does not keep one away from evil acts, it means one does not perform it correctly. A hadith-i sharif says:
(If one’s salat cannot restrain one from evil acts, one has increased in remoteness from Allah [as one has not performed salat correctly meeting its conditions].) [Tabarani]
Then one should try to perform salat correctly. In order to perform salat correctly, one’s faith should be correct first. Then the other conditions follow. Whoever applies these will certainly give up any evil act.
Question: Atheists say, “As sexual intercourse [adultery] is considered a sin in Muslim countries, sexual desires are suppressed and perversion such as homosexuality is seen.” If adultery were not a sin, would it not be so common?
ANSWER
On the contrary, it would be very very widespread. As even those who do not fear Allah feel ashamed of the society, they avoid illegitimate relations willingly or unwillingly. In western countries, there is a complete sexual freedom without any pressure. Even same-sex marriage is recognized by law in some countries. In spite of this, Europe, especially England, is full of perverts. The aim of atheists is not their irritation at perverts, but their enmity against Islam.
Question: A homosexual says, “If Allah has created me as a homosexual, what is my fault? So homosexuality is not a sin.” Is it not wrong?
ANSWER
It is very ugly to blame Allahu ta’ala for the sin he commits. Allahu ta’ala is not pleased with sins. Then all sinners may hold Allahu ta’ala responsible for their sins. For example, a drug addict may say, “Allah has created me genetically predisposed to drugs. It is not my fault.” A man who commits adultery may say, “It is Allahu ta’ala who has created the desire in me, so it is not my fault.” Another person who gambles may say, “It is Allahu ta’ala who has given me the urge to gamble, so it is not my fault.” Any sinner may say something like this. Though Allahu ta’ala has created humans likely to commit sins, He does not force them to commit sins. The Qur’an al-karim says (what means):
(Whosoever wills, let him believe. Whosoever wills, let him disbelieve. We have prepared the Hell for disbelievers.) [Al-Kahf 29]
Then it is within the power of humans to believe or disbelieve. Allahu ta’ala has said that He will punish those who commit sins and reward those who do good deeds. The Qur’an al-karim says (what mean):
(Whoever does an atom’s weight of good or evil will see the requital for it.) [Az-Zilzal 7,8]
Allahu ta’ala prohibited not only alcohol, gambling, and theft but also adultery and homosexuality. Two hadith-i sharifs about homosexuality are as follows:
(In the time before Doomsday, there will be three types of homosexuals: Some of them will be satisfied with talking and looking. Some of them will be satisfied with shaking hands and hugging each other. Some of them will perform it in deed. May Allah curse them. Allahu ta’ala accepts the repentance of him who repents.) [Daylami]
(Doomsday will not occur before sodomy is considered permissible and before stones rain down from the sky.) [Daylamî]
