Anal sex (or sodomy) in Islam refers to anal intercourse between individuals of the same sex or the opposite.
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The basic text of Islam is the Quran, believed by Muslims to represent the direct revelation of God to his prophet Muhammad. In terms of a direct reference in the Qur'an, anal intercourse is identified with liwat, the "sin of Lot's people."[1] While the Quran clearly disapproves of the sexual practices of the "people of Lot," ("What, of all creatures do ye come unto the males, and leave the wives your Lord created for you?"),[2] only one passage, sura 4:16, can be interpreted as taking a particular legal position towards such activities, and even then the punishment is restricted to members of the Islamic community: "As for the two of you who are guilty thereof, punish them both; and if they repent and improve, then let them be. Lo, Allah is relenting, merciful."[3] Although the Quran expresses clear disapproval of lutis (described as male homosexuals rather than as sodomites), it does not contain a specific punishment or guidance for a luti. Many hadiths, the reported sayings of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, prescribe harsh punishments for homosexuality, and this is reflected in the majority of shariah, the Islamic legal codes. In practice, only a few Muslim countries actually carry out such punishments, and cultural norms in different Muslim countries vary from acceptance to condemnation.
The hadith are reports of Muhammad's sayings and deeds from those close to him in his lifetime. Hadiths on the subject of anal intercourse between individuals clearly state that it is strictly forbidden. The majority in Islam, the four Sunni schools unanimously disapprove anal intercourse [4][5] as several hadith state:
Since Islam does not approve homosexual relationships, anal intercourse is strictly forbidden on all grounds and under all circumstances. The same ruling applies for heterosexual relationship (i.e. married couple) when performed as 'an alternative' while the wife is menstruating and when performed in order to keep virginity intact before marriage. According to internet hoaxes, the latter is 'allegedly' found in many culture(s) while Islam forbids all sorts of premarital sexual activities. When married, it is rightful and obligatory for the husband and the wife to mutually fulfill their needs but only by upholding the guidance of Hadith and the Qur'an.[8] The Quran says:
Anal intercourse is forbidden even if husband and wife mutually agree on it because mutual agreement does not allow something that has been made forbidden.[9][10][11]
Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a contemporary Sunni Muslim scholar, states that anal intercourse is prohibited and a wife must abstain from it should her husband demand it, and may seek divorce over it if her husband persists or tries to force her,[12][13] as the act is forbidden. However, it doesn't nullify the marriage, and the wife must seek divorce in order to separate from the husband. [14]
In this regard, a commonly misinterpreted and decontextualized verse from the Qur'an is most often cited as a ground to validate anal intercourse between husband and wife[15]:
This verse is indicative of the manners (positions) a married couple may adopt as to how they may have intercourse. And this is permitted as long as intercourse takes place in the vagina, whether from the front or back. Also, the very word 'cultivate' has been interpreted by most Islamic jurists as impregnating the wife or nurturing wife as though a peasant nurtures (cultivates) a piece of land, but not as a means of performing forbidden practices.[16]
Islamic law, or shariah, developed during the 8th and 9th centuries in several different "schools" based on varying interpretations of the Quran and the hadith.[17]
Shariah distinguishes between liwat (penetrative male-male sexual activity, the "sin of Lot's people") and non-penetrative male same-sex activity, considered only a minor sin; however, even the minor sin is regarded as a temptation to penetrative liwat, and therefore requiring chastisement.[18] Generally speaking, since sexual relations under shariah are only permissible within heterosexual marriage, it follows that sex outside such marriage is adultery and/or fornication, both of which attract punishments.[19] Homosexual sodomy, defined as adultery or fornication or both, thus attracts the same penalties as those crimes (flogging or death), although the exact punishment varies with schools and scholars.[20] In practice, few modern Muslim countries have legal systems based fully on shariah, and an increasing number of Muslims do not look to shariah but to the Quran itself for moral guidance.[21]
The Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the highest Shiite cleric in Iraq, has stated that heterosexual anal intercourse, although undesirable, is permissible.[22] The majority of Shiite interpreters hold that (1) anal intercourse, while strongly disliked, is not haram (forbidden) provided the wife agrees, and (2), if the wife does not agree, then it is preferable to refrain: "Woman is a means of your pleasure, therefore do not harm her."[23]