Islamic Ruling on Masturbation

The Islamic Ruling on Masturbation and Ways to Overcome It

What is the Ruling on Masturbation? And How Can a Person Involved in It Get Rid of It?

Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah):

According to the evidence from the Quran and Sunnah, masturbation and self-gratification, meaning the expulsion of semen from the private parts using one’s hand, is haram (forbidden).

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The Ruling and Its Evidence

1. Evidence from the Holy Quran

Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) says:

Imam Shafi’i and the scholars who agree with him have declared the act of expelling semen by hand as haram based on this verse, Allah the Almighty says:

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَافِظُونَ (5) إِلَّا عَلَى أَزْوَاجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُمْ

“And those who guard their private parts [5] Except from their wives or those their right hands possess (female slaves).”

[Al-Mu’minun: 5, 6]

Imam Shafi’i writes in Kitab al-Nikah: “When the characteristic of believers has been stated that they do not use their private parts except with their wives and female slaves, using the private parts anywhere else becomes haram… Then Allah the Almighty further emphasized this by saying:

فَمَنِ ابْتَغَى وَرَاءَ ذَلِكَ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْعَادُونَ

“So, whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the transgressors.”

[Al-Mu’minun: 7]

Therefore, the male private organ can only be used with a wife or a female slave, so masturbation is not halal (permissible), and Allah knows best.” (Excerpt from Imam Shafi’i’s “Kitab al-Umm”)

Hafiz Abdul Salam Bhutvi Sahib writes in its commentary:

(فَمَنِ ابۡتَغٰى وَرَآءَ ذٰ لِكَ فَاُولٰٓٮِٕكَ هُمُ الۡعٰدُوۡنَ‌) : Meaning, those who fulfill their desires through any means other than their wife or female slave are the transgressors. From this verse, intercourse with any woman other than one’s wedded wives and one’s female slaves is determined to be a transgression.

Thus, He said:

(وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا الزِّنٰٓى اِنَّهٗ كَانَ فَاحِشَةً ۭ وَسَاۗءَ سَبِيْلًا)

“And do not go near adultery, for it is indeed a great indecency and an evil way.”

[Bani Isra’il: 32]

Similarly, the act of the people of Lot (sodomy), bestiality, and this act (masturbation) by hand or any other means is also a transgression. Although there are differences in the levels of transgression, it is not permissible for a believer to transgress Allah’s limits in any way.

Some scholars have also declared self-gratification haram from this statement of Allah the Almighty:

وَلْيَسْتَعْفِفِ الَّذِينَ لَا يَجِدُونَ نِكَاحًا حَتَّى يُغْنِيَهُمُ اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ

“And let those who find not the means for marriage keep themselves chaste, until Allah enriches them from His bounty.”

[An-Nur: 33]

Therefore, keeping chaste means to be patient and refrain from all forms of sexual gratification other than marriage.

2. Evidence from the Prophetic Hadiths

Scholars have used the narration of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) as evidence, in which he says:

“We young men were with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and we had nothing. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (O young people! Whoever among you can afford marriage [marriage expenses and has the physical ability for intercourse] should get married; for it helps in lowering the gaze and protecting the private parts. And whoever cannot afford it, he must fast, as it is a shield for him [i.e., it will be a barrier against falling into haram])”

(Sahih Bukhari: Hadith No. 5066)

So, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) advised fasting in the case of not being able to afford marriage, even though fasting is difficult. But he did not permit self-gratification, even though self-gratification is a possibly easier and more immediate solution than fasting in such a situation, yet he still did not permit it.

Note on Unauthenticated Narrations

Although expelling semen by hand is a vile act, against chivalry (muruwwah), and a transgression, none of the narrations reported from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding its warning (wa’eed) are proven to be authentic (sahih).

For example, the narration:

( نَاکِحُ الْیَدِ مَلْعُوْنٌ )

“The one who ‘marries his hand’ (masturbates) is cursed.”

And the narration that there are seven people whom Allah will not look at on the Day of Resurrection… the first among them being “نَاکِحُ الْYَدِ” (the one who marries his hand). And another narration that on the Day of Resurrection, the hands of those who masturbate will be pregnant, etc.

All these narrations are unauthenticated.

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Practical Steps to Avoid This Sickness

As for the issue of a person involved in this sin, there are multiple pieces of advice and practical steps to avoid this sickness:

1. Sincere Intention: The motivation to avoid this sin should be that “I must obey Allah’s command and avoid His displeasure.”
2. Marriage: To eradicate this sickness from its root, act upon the advice of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and get married.
3. Avoid Whispers (Waswasah): Stay away from thoughts and whispers that lead to masturbation. Keep your mind and thoughts occupied with beneficial religious and worldly activities.
4. Guard Your Gaze: Looking at provocative pictures or videos arouses desire (shahwah). Allah the Almighty commands:قُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ”Tell the believing men to lower their gaze.”[An-Nur: 30]Similarly, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (Do not follow one glance with another.) [Tirmidhi: 2777].
5. Remain Busy: Remain busy in various forms of worship and leave no leisure time for sin.
6. Reflect on the Harms: Keep in mind the medical harms (weakening of eyesight, nerves, etc.) and psychological harms (mental stress, guilty conscience) described by experts. The greatest harm is that prayers (salah) will be missed due to the need for repeated ghusl (ritual bath), or the fast (sawm) will be ruined.
7. Avoid False Consolations: Do not think that self-gratification is permissible to protect oneself from adultery (zina) or sodomy (liwat), as it is a sin in itself.
8. Have Willpower: Have willpower and firm resolve at all times, and do not surrender yourself to Satan. Avoid loneliness; for example, do not sleep alone at night.
9. Fast Regularly: Adopt the effective remedy prescribed by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), i.e., keep fasts, because fasting dulls sexual desire and moderates sexual urges.
10. Do Not Use Harmful Methods: Do not take an oath or make a vow (nadhr), as breaking it will cause a decrease in faith. Similarly, do not use medicines that cool down desire, as they can cause physical harm and are forbidden.
11. Adhere to Sleeping Etiquette: Adhere to the remembrances (adhkar) for sleeping. Sleep on your right side and do not lie prone (on your stomach), as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade it.
12. Practice Chastity: Never let go of abstaining from sins. When the self (nafs) becomes accustomed to chastity and purity, it becomes second nature.
13. Repent Immediately: Even if a person gets involved in this sin, he should immediately repent (tawbah) and seek forgiveness (istighfar), do good deeds, and not fall into despair.
14. Seek Good Company: If you have friendships with people who engage in sensual talk, abandon them and increase friendship with good and religious people. The same applies to friendships on the internet.
15. Manage Your Environment: Keep your computer, etc., in a place where others can see it. Avoid movies, TV, and mixed gatherings as much as possible to minimize triggers.
16. Appreciate Other Beauty: Fulfill your aesthetic sense with other beautiful things like natural scenery, etc., instead of with women.
17. Connect with Allah: Above all, establish a connection of repentance with Allah. If possible, wake up early, pray Tahajjud (late-night prayer), and weep and supplicate before Allah. This supplication (du’a) is the most effective cure.
18. A Note for Parents: Parents should pay special attention to this matter: when their children reach puberty, they should get them married as soon as possible according to the Sunnah method, so that the children can be saved from this vile evil.

May Allah Pak (the Pure) have mercy on everyone and grant salvation from such sicknesses, Ameen.

And Allah the Almighty knows best what is correct.

Reference: https://alfurqan.info/problems/653