Why is masturbation forbidden in Islam?

i am a muslim. and i just can't understand why it's haram. you're not having sex with anyone. you're alone. and if it's the only way you can get rid of your sexual tension then why is it haram? i researched a lot trying to find the answer. i am arab so i searched for arab articles too but all they ever say is it's haram and they mention the hadeeth but they don't say the reason.. i don't do it. because i know it's haram. but i want to know why that's all. zina is haram because you're sleeping with someone else and that can cause many bad thing in the society. if she gets pregnant for example, diseases and other things. but if someone is alone why is it haram. i am religious and love to learn about islam every day. but i don't understand this one thing. only serious answers please :]
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Most Helpful Guys

  • Islam values male hedonism above all things, but feels threatened by female pleasure. Which is why ISIS will go so far as to claim that men can have sex with goats to alleviate their urges, but virtually anything for women is haram.

    Both men and women are created in the image of God. Eve was deceived, Adam simply wanted to defy the purpose of his office, though he knew what the Serpent said about becoming a god was BS. His rebellion was irrational, but needed to be possible due to Volition Dilemma. That is why Timothy in the Bible argues that it was through Adam that all creation is cursed.

    Muhammad rejected Timothy's explanation, because Arabic culture rejects the idea of men being responsible for how they react to troubling stimuli. So he argued it's the woman's fault.

    While masturbation itself is never explicitly addressed in the Bible, outside of a death curse on Onan for using the pull-out method to defy God's command that the Savior should come through Tamar's lines, there is talk about the dangers of lust - particularly, after another real human being.

    What they are in the image of is not shown respect when you overly objectify the individual. And as such, the individual themselves are not honored. So while the act of masturbation itself is not condemned, the fantasies you use to aid it along could put your soul in danger. In Christian tradition, this is true for both sexes, not just women.

    That is also why, in ancient Jewish tradition, a woman who maliciously destroyed a man's genitals carried the same death penalty as a man who had raped a woman carried. Lorena Bobbitt and Bill Cosby under Moses would have both been equally put to death.

    By zina, I'm assuming you mean fornication. Yes, it does cause a lot of bad things for society, and not just disease or unwanted pregnancy. However, most of western society has turned away from Christian tradition that acknowledges this, and embraced pagan hedonism which stubbornly turns a blind eye to the reality of these negatives - or else, tries to blame them on other things, like one's neighbor having more money - rather than acknowledge that the will toward fornication itself is creating the problem.

    Your stance on zina is, I'd say, about 70% consistent with what Paul and Timothy warned about, though enforcement of punishment for transgressors is very different.

    Without a larger vocabulary on Islam, I can only apply so many analogies.

    • When did ISIS say that men can have sex with goats?

  • Before I answer your question, I would like to address the issue wheather it's actually prohibited or not. Because you know? We have this wave of secular Muslims like @sweetbabe_ for example, who would like to reform the religion for their own likes, ignoring all the evidences that show otherwise.

    Is it really prohibited? Yes.

    Where does the Qur'an or the Hadith metion that?

    Actually there is no statement in the Quran or Hadith that says directly "masturbation is haram" or "oh you who believe, don't masturbate" .. There's no such verse. However, there's a very clear verses that say the only legal way of pleasuring oneself sexually is by having sex with your husband/wife (or in the case of Mulk Al-yameen, but that was limited at that time). That means that any other way (including masturbation) is totally prohibited.

    "And they who guard their private parts, Except from their wives or those their right hands possess, for indeed, they will not be blamed - But whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the transgressors" ( Qur'an 23:5-7).

    It's prohibited because it might affect your sex life when you get married. Like you get used to it to the point where you will prefer it over having actual sex with your husband. And because of its mental and physical effects.

    Muslims seek usually an answer of why something is prohibited or what is the wisdom behind prohibiting it. However, in this particular case, I personally don't need any explanation to why it's prohibited, because they reason is very clear for me. The way you feel (both mentally and physically) and the way your daily routine changes when you masturbate are enough for me to realize why it's prohibited.

    • روحي اعملي العادة السرية أسبوع وبعدين شوفي كيف رح تصير نفسيتك وشعورك وساعتها راح تعرفي ليش حرام

    • As for his saying that this is “what one's right hand possesses” this is also wrong, because a free Muslim woman cannot become a slave, rather the slave woman is a woman from a kaafir nation that is at war with the Muslims, if the Muslims capture her. Shaykh al-Shanqeeti (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The reason why a person may be owned as a slave is kufr and waging war against Allaah and His Messenger. If Allaah enables the Muslims who are fighting in jihad so that the word of Allaah will be supreme to prevail over the kuffaar, then that makes them their slaves.

    • @TheLuckyOne1 Well said as always bro :)

Most Helpful Girls

  • Zina isn't just having sex, but zina also mean satisfying your sex passion without a husband (outside the marriage). Some madzhab says that masturbation is haram, but another says that it can be halaal if you can't hold it because there are so much influences from people or things around you. But it's not mean that you can do it everyday, every time, very often. Why masturbation also forbidden, because Allah knows that it can make you unhealthy, your mental can drop especially if you do it too often, it's like the effects of watching porn. I've read some sites and they said that it can make you blind. I can't insert link here because I still in Xper: 1, so search it by yourself.

    May peace be upon you, 'Sister' :)

  • I honestly have no idea but I believe if you want to explore sexually you should, unless it is rape, and you should be able to be you regardless of your religion because God, Allah, Buda or whoever you might believe in will love and accept you for who you are. He made each and everyone of us different and completely unique to explore. He gave us the freedom to love whoever we want and live our lives how we wish. So don't give up anything sexual for a book that was written so long ago. These things were not understood then. It is a different world.

  • Some religions fear that any vice or habit not designed for worship can distract and even be worshipped greater than the religion. There's plenty of groups trying to solve additions to alcohol, sex, gambling, et al.

    Of course, logic says satisfy, scratch the itch that distracts one from being holy but others will say you are feeding the sharks/beast that will grow "his" appetite until you have no time for religion.

    Always be in control, be prudent, then select a religion to suit you and these needs.

  • Mastrubation is on the same level as zina or so I heard.
    Also it affects your mind in the way you will prefer your own hand because you know the right moves and pressure instead of your spouses genitals or hands and that would be probably a mood killer?
    I'm not sure about this but it might give health problems too like bad sight , heartproblems and well you know in koran everything that Allah has forbidden is it bad for us and has a reason deffinately.

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  • Good for you. You're starting to realize just how silly religion is. Not just Islam, but all of them. You can be better, do better and think better yourself than any holy book.

  • This is why I think religion is more to control people.

  • It is haram because Allah decided it was. And you're not supposed to even ask why, because that is a sign of distrusting Allah and the fact that he knows best:

    "O ye who believe! Ask not questions about things which if made plain to you, may cause you trouble. Some people before you did ask such questions, and on that account lost their faith." (Surah 5:101-102).

    It's kind of scary when a religion prohibits you, or even threatens you, from asking the most human of all questions: why?

    • Which is exactly why @asker should ignore it. Always question authority figures and make them justify their positions. "Religious devotion can lead people away from temptation and evil, but is the path as clear if the devotion is blind?" "When you blindly give up you free will to a higher authority, be sure you are not giving up control of your ultimate destiny." The two quotes are the Control Voice's opening and closing narration to The Outer Limits episode, "A New Life" which really should be seen... the ending is mind blowing...

    • @abc3643 of course. that is why i ended saying that is is scary when you are specifically taught to not question, and scarier when there is the possibility of real penalties for asking.

    • Don't ask questions. Just do as we (God/Allah/Yahweh/Jupiter/Odin? who-all) says. Also don't ask how we know he said it. "O ye who believe! Ask not questions about things which if made plain to you, may cause you trouble. Some people before you did ask such questions, and on that account lost their faith." (Surah 5:101-102).

  • Well my dear friend, make a lonely time by yourself halal and put the haram aside for once. God will love you no matter what. God is loving and forgiving, not judgmental and angry. Although ''touching myself'' is supposedly against the Bible, I'm still yanking off on a daily basis without feeling any sin.

    Go touch yourself, girl.

  • Because it's related to sex. Religious leaders are very concerned about people having sex with someone other than themselves.

  • its natural and part of your biology. our biology existed before Islam, so what are you gonna fucking do? and why would you listen to some shit that doesn't back itself up with legit reasonable facts or logic. all they say is, don't do it, it's a sin. fuck you, im horny af, ima fap all night. besides, scientifically speaking, there are health benefits to sexual relief. they try to teach you to go against your own nature itself, whats the fucking point? ask yourself, question everything.

    if your religion can't decide for you logically, then logically decide for yourself.

  • Firstly lets shut up my mind saying Its fine, Its fine, Its fine to this just like you are confused and lets start thinking in a deep spiritual manner.

    When thinking that way i'd come to the conclusion its Haram because you are focussing on pleasure rather then love. Desire is the root of all evil, therefore it is better not to know what there is to desire to safe you from the temptation.

    Something along those lines.

  • Your mind says its wrong but your body is suffering from repressed urges... Do you worship what a bunch of people say or what your body needs? Masturbation doesn't lead to more if you consciously make a choice to stick with just that for now. It just helps you to understand yourself sexually but it ain't make you a ho😛.

  • Same reason the Catholic Church condemns it. It's a sin.

  • Because everything is forbidden in Islam. I mean, what can you actually do?

  • So that your religious leaders can control you sexually as well as every other way. Religions are a tool for controlling people.

  • you sure? I didn t know it was forbidden...
    anw religion almost never makes sense...
    it is not based on logic, it is based on faith

    • Its not forbidden and a lot of religions are based on logic, people are supposed to study them to see this and be reflective to see what pros and cons come from complying with its rules

    • @Fortheholidays it s more of a philosophy... although philosophy is a science, it is pretty ambiguous and never has clear answers

    • Yes its there, its a balance of the two. philosophy is more of a social science. The one thing that sets islam apart from christianity and judasim is the use of factual science that uses hard evidence... no im not muslim by the way haha

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  • It's a sin (haram) but if it's done to avoid the greater sin of Zinna (fornication) it's considered a minor sin.

  • It's always funny to hear guys say they don't masturbate for any religious reasons. It's like umm, u realize dishonesty is a sin too right? Lol
    Or a clinically depressing sex drive. That's a sin too in my book.

    • lol :P

  • No, it's not forbidden unless you masturbate too often as harmful as your health. Otherwise, it's not forbidden. You have to have shower after masturbating. This is known as "ghusl" in Islam.

  • the fact that you are wondering why the god has forbidden us from doing that.. means that your mind is active and you have a pure spirt... those people who do only what they told to do wothout asking questions are just afraid of facing them selfs

    what make this problem is we were born muslims and didn't have enough time to think about it... but allah want you to think all the time...
    i myself was wondering why anal sex is forbidden. till i saw the structure of it at the college
    . only then i knew why...
    so just keep thinking and searching for answers... that is what makes you a real believer

  • Not hating anyone but Whenever I see someone talking something to religion this meme comes to my mind... lol.
    40.media.tumblr.com/...m7c7sism2f1r2rtobo1_500.jpg

  • well for one the Quran has a lot of errors that's a fact
    my advice switch to the bible king james verse would be best
    you got the wrong GOD hun

  • Well, i m a Muslim too and and according to my research it is Haram because there are a lot of after effects and serious issues related to it. But , according to some school of thought it is a little preferable only when the chances of you getting into Zina is greater , so one can release the tension this way if he/she can not overcome the urge but dont make it a habit and try to stay away

  • Because Islam faith is absurd. Religion itself is absurd. Believing in god is one thing, but to have these beliefs (rules) to live by... ones that were made up thousands of years ago... is a little ridiculous. Just because your parents are strict religious people, it doesn't mean you have to be. But by time you're an independent thinker, you are usually brainwashed already. Be a leader and think for yourself. Stop being a sheep and following what everyone else in your religion is saying that you should do. That being said, there are morals to live by. And I think it's pretty simple to sum it up and say to be fair, treat others how you would want to be treated. Easy as that.

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