adminTalking Spiritually Rev Paul Bayethe Damasane
THE moon is getting down as the Muslims are seeing the middle of the month of Ramadan and look forward to the end of the fast. I was up early the other day and saw it stoically standing in the face of the dark clouds drifting in the cold winds of July. Someone asked me what Islam teaches about homosexuality in the light of last week’s article. The answer is not so much about what they teach about homosexuality as it is about what the Noble Qur’an teaches about sex intelligence or you would rather call it sexuality!
Before I get there I would like to repeat the wise words on the subject that came from the Head of State. “Even satan wasn’t gay, he chose to approach naked Eve instead of naked Adam.” The devil’s sexual intelligence was, and I still think is, better than some among us.
Is this not the same portrayal of bad music that was used by some sage from my village when the music was labelled as “. . . so bad even the whores could not dance to it. (Imbi okwehlula labomangumba bakithi ukuyigida!). This is the case of the fallen and reprobate still having some sense of order and sanity. So true! I do not take it as a statement of hate but rather as a descriptor of note! It is amazing that we get lost in such an open and clear path. Such does not need a deep theological lesson.
Wisdom is justified of her children! The saying goes that there is no room for shame in learning about the faith.
Two things guide the faith and lifestyle of the Muslim, it is the teaching of the Noble Qur’an and the implications on life by the Hadith. The latter refers to the teachings of the men who lived and walked with the Prophet (may Allah be pleased with him) or closer generations.
Sexual desire is aroused in human beings at the age of puberty. In Islamic legal definition puberty (bulugh) is determined by either age which is considered as 15 lunar years for boys and nine lunar years for girls or the internal change (in boys only) as observed in nocturnal emission (wet dreams) or ihtlam in Arabic and lastly by physical change observed by the growth of coarse hair on lower part of abdomen.
Since the sexual urge begins at puberty and as Islam says that sexual urge should be fulfilled only through marriage, it has allowed marriage as soon as the boy and the girl reach the age of puberty. In the case of girls, it not only allows them to be married as soon as they become mature, but also recommends such marriage.
It is based on such teachings that Islam discourages girls from postponing their marriage because of education; instead, it says that girls should get married and then continue their education if they wish to do so.
Physical maturity by itself, however, is not enough for a person to handle the marriage responsibilities; rushd (maturity of mind) is equally important. On the other hand, our present way of life has become so much complicated that a considerable gap has appeared between puberty and maturity both in financial and social affairs. This is where neither the Noble Qur’an nor the Hadith makes a clear dissection of preferred behaviour.
Pre-marital sex is absolutely forbidden in Islam, no matter whether it is with a girlfriend or a prostitute. Pre-marital sex is fornication (zina). It is considered an irresponsible sexual behaviour. The most vulnerable person in such relationships is the woman. Statistics can overwhelmingly prove that man has often cheated innocent women in pre-marital sex. The Qur’an reads, “Do not go near adultery, surely it is an indecency, and an evil way (of fulfilling sexual urge).” (Sura 17:32)
In Islam, pre-marital and extra-marital sex are considered immoral acts against the rights of Allah and one’s own sexual organs. If an unmarried man and an unmarried woman are found guilty of fornication in an Islamic court, their punishment will be as follows:
The woman and the man who fornicate scourge each of them a hundred whips; and in the matter of God s religion, let no tenderness for them seize you if you believe in God and the Last Day; and let a party of the believers witness their punishment. (Sura 24:2)
As for adultery, its punishment is even more severe because married persons have no excuse, whatsoever, to commit adultery. The shari’ah law says that married persons guilty of adultery should be stoned to death.
All revealed religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam form a united front against such sexual behaviour. It has been clearly condemned in the Bible and the Qur’an. The Qur’an describes the people of Lut (Lot) as follows:
When We sent Lut, he said to his people, “What! Do you commit the indecency which none in all the nations had committed before you? Look at you! You approach the men lustfully instead of approaching your women! No, you are a people who have exceeded the limits.” The only answer of his people was that they said, ‘Expel them from your city, surely they are a people who seek to keep themselves clean!” So we delivered him and his followers, except his wife; she was one of those who tarried behind. We sent upon them a rain. So behold how was the end of the guilty people. (Sura 7:80-84)
The Qur’an also describes how Prophet Lut tried to reason with his people when they approached his three guests (who were actually angels in human form):
When the people of Lut saw the handsome young men, they came to him, running towards him. Lut had anticipated this because they had been doing evil deeds from before.
When the people reached close to his house, Lut said pointing towards his daughters that, “O my people! These are my daughters, they are purer for you. Fear Allah and do not disgrace me in regard to my guests. Isn’t there among you a man of right mind?”
You know better that we have no desire for your daughters; and you surely know what we desire.”(Sura 11 :78-79)
In explaining the details of the punishment, Allah says:
So when Our punishment came upon the people of Lut, We turned the city upside down and showered them with stones of baked clay, one after another. (Sura 11:82)
So we see that as far as the Qur’an is concerned, homosexuality is an “indecency,” and that Allah had destroyed a whole nation because of this indecent sexual behaviour.
In the Islamic legal system, homosexuality is a punishable crime against the laws of God. In the case of homosexuality between two males, the active partner is to be lashed a hundred times if he is unmarried and killed if he is married; whereas the passive partner is to be killed regardless of his marital status.
Why is Islam so severe in matters of fornication, homosexuality and lesbianism? One has to consider the manner in which they allow for the good sexual behaviour.
In conclusion one will find that decency and mutual responsibility is central to the responsibility of individuals when it comes to sexuality. We as Christians are not alone in this. Certainly even the devil is sexually intelligent in line with divine normalcy who are you and I to be worse than him when we are not in perfect competition. There is a better choice for sure! Till next week, Shalom!
Online Reporter