Societal acceptance of the LGBTQ community has always been a controversial topic. Almost all religions have a conservative opinion about the sexual orientation of the LGBTQ community, but in recent times, the world has changed its opinion quite a bit.
Has Islam also changed its perspective about being gay? Is being gay haram or halal?
Yes, being gay is haram in Islam. Although no verse in the Quran says that homosexuality should be punishable by death, there are stories about the negative impact of such sexual orientation. Also, the Prophet Mohammad shared contempt towards gay or homosexuals.
We’ll dive deep into the topic and learn what the holy text has to say about being gay in Islam.
Is Being Gay Haram?
As I said, there are no specific mentions in the Quran about the death penalty for being gay or homosexual. However, there are multiple stories that talk about the warning against gay sex.
You must have read the stories of how the wrath of God destroyed the people of Lot because the men engaged in lustful acts among themselves.
Even though no verses in Quran that say homosexuality is punishable by death, it’s still considered haram. Both the Quran and the Hadiths are strongly against homosexual relationships because they consider that such relationships stem from the weakness of men.
Allah had sent Lot or Lut, a Prophet of God, to warn the people of Sodom and Gomorrah and teach them about the sinfulness of homosexuality. However, the people ignored Lot’s (Lut) message and ultimately had to face the wrath of Allah.
The story is quite similar to the story of disobedience narrated in the Bible, where Adam and Eve negated God’s order and tasted the fruit from the tree of knowledge.
Even in current times, most Islamic countries are against being gay or being homosexual. In countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, and Turkey, homosexuality is considered an offense, and their law punishes such people with imprisonment, corporal punishment, and even the death penalty.
Here are some of the verses from the Quran that talk about homosexuality-
“If two men among you are guilty of lewdness, punish them both. If they repent and amend, leave them alone”.
وَٱلَّذَانِ يَأْتِيَٰنِهَا مِنكُمْ فَـَٔاذُوهُمَا ۖ فَإِن تَابَا وَأَصْلَحَا فَأَعْرِضُوا۟ عَنْهُمَآ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ تَوَّابًا رَّحِيمًا
“Do ye commit lewdness such as no people in creation (ever) committed before you? For ye practice your lusts on men in preference to women: ye are indeed a people transgressing beyond bounds.
وَلُوطًا إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِۦٓ أَتَأْتُونَ ٱلْفَٰحِشَةَ مَا سَبَقَكُم بِهَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ مِّنَ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ
إِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ ٱلرِّجَالَ شَهْوَةً مِّن دُونِ ٱلنِّسَآءِ ۚ بَلْ أَنتُمْ قَوْمٌ مُّسْرِفُونَ
“Of all the creatures in the world, will ye approach males, And leave those whom Allah has created for you to be mates? Nay, ye are a people transgressing (all limits).”
أَتَأْتُونَ ٱلذُّكْرَانَ مِنَ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ
وَتَذَرُونَ مَا خَلَقَ لَكُمْ رَبُّكُم مِّنْ أَزْوَٰجِكُم ۚ بَلْ أَنتُمْ قَوْمٌ عَادُونَ
“Do you do what is shameful though ye see (it inquiry)? Would you really approach men in your lusts rather than women? Nay, ye are a people (grossly) ignorant.”
أَتَأْتُونَ الذُّكْرَانَ مِنَ الْعَـلَمِينَ – وَتَذَرُونَ مَا خَلَقَ لَكُمْ رَبُّكُمْ مِّنْ أَزْوَجِكُمْ بَلْ أَنتُمْ قَوْمٌ عَادُونَ
فَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوْمِهِ إِلاَّ أَن قَالُواْ أَخْرِجُواْ ءَالَ لُوطٍ مِّن قَرْيَتِكُمْ إِنَّهمْ أُنَاسٌ يَتَطَهَّرُونَ
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are several references to Allah condemning any romantic or lustful relationship between men. Therefore, it’s safe to say that being gay is haram in Islam, and even in the present day, there is a strong intolerance in Islamic society about same sex relationships. In other words, we can say that homophobia still exists in Islam.
