The Ruling on Masturbation and the Verdict of Shaikh Al-Qaradhawi on its Permissibility

Question :

The question of masturbation: Shaikh Al-Qaradhawi says: "It has been narrated from Imam Ahmad bin says:

Hanbal that he considered semen to be a waste product of the body and so its emission is permitted, like venesection."

And Ibn Hazm held and supported this view. Is it true that Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal permitted masturbation in all circumstances? And (if so,) what is his evidence? There is in this a trial regarding which we complain to Allah, which is that the young men have been afflicted by this deed and have forgotten fasting, which was ordered in these circumstances (i.e., being unmarried) and that some of them have informed. us that they make a shape from material and cotton, like the shape of the front and back of a woman or a young girl and with this shape, the young man affects intercourse by inserting his penis into it... etc.

Answer:

A Masturbation is forbidden, according to the most correct opinion of the scholars and it is the saying of the majority of them, based upon the Words of Allah, Most High:
"And those who guard their chastity (i.e. private parts, from illegal sexual acts). Except from their wives or (the slaves) that their right hands possess, for then, they are free from blame; But whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the transgres- sors:

So Allah, Most Glorified praises the one who guards his private parts and does not consummate his desires except with his wife or his slave girl, and He ordained that whoever fulfilled his desires in any other way whatever it was is a transgressor and has exceeded what Allah has permitted for him.

Masturbation is included in the generality of this, as pointed out by Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir and others. This is because there is much harm in doing it and unhealthy consequences, such as loss of strength and weakness of the nerves. And the Islamic Law prohibits that which is harmful to man in his religion, his body, his wealth and his honor.

Al-Muwaffaq Ibn Qudamah, may Allah have mercy upon him, said, in his book, Al-Mughni: "If he practices masturbation with his hand, he has committed a forbidden act, but it does not invalidate his fasting, unless he ejaculates; if he ejaculates, then he invalidates his fasting, because it falls into the category of kissing." (What he means by "it falls into the category of kissing," is that he ejaculates because of it; as for kissing without ejaculation, it does not invalidate fasting).

Shaikh Al-Islam, Ibn Taimiyyah, may Allah have mercy upon him, said, in Majmu Al-Fatawa: "As for masturbation, it is forbidden, according to the majority of scholars and it is the more correct of two sayings in the Mathhab of Imam Ahmad, which is why he censures the one who does it. According to the other saying, it is detested (Makruh) and not forbidden, but most of them do not allow it, even if it is out of fear of it leading to fornication or anything else."

The great scholar Muhammad Al-Amin Ash-Shanqiti, may Allah have mercy upon him said, in his Tafsir, Adhwa Al-Bayan: "The Third Issue: You should know that there is no doubt that the Verse of:
Successful indeed are the Believers"
"But whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the transgres- sors.

- proves by its generality, the prohibition of masturbation, which is commonly known as Jald 'Umairah and it is also called Al-Khadhkhadhah, because whoever gratifies himself by his hand, until he ejaculates semen thereby, has sought beyond what. Allah has permitted. So he is one of the transgressors, according to the wording of the aforementioned Noble Verse and in Surah Al-Ma'arij. And Ibn Kathir said that Ash-Shafi'i and those who followed him cited this Verse as evidence for the prohibition of masturbation."

Al-Qurtubi said: "Muhammad bin 'Abdul-Hakam said: "I heard Ibn 'Abdul-'Aziz saying: "I asked Malik about a man who practices masturbation and he recited this Verse:
"And those who guard their chastity" (ie, private parts from illegal sexual acts) up to His Words:
"the transgressors."

Al-Qurtubi, may Allah pardon him and forgive him. said: "It appears to me that the citing of Malik, Ash-Shafi'i and others of this Verse as evidence for the prohibition of Jald 'Umairah, which is masturbation, is a correct inference from the Book of Allah, which is proved by the clear meaning of the Qur'an; and nothing in the Book (of Allah) or the Sunnah contradicts it. And the narration from Imam Ahmad, the scholar, the revered and pious, in which he declared masturbation to be permissible, was based upon analogy, for he said: 'It is the discharge of waste products from the body, which necessity dictates must be removed, so it is permissible, as weighed by analogy with venesection and cupping (Hijamah), as one of the poets said: If you arrive at a place where there is no loved one.

Then masturbate, for there is neither shame nor sin in it' This contradicts the correct view, even though the one who said it (i.e., Imam Ahmad) occupies a position of high standing , because it is an analogy which contradicts the clear, general meaning of the Qur'an, and analogy in such cases is invalidated by what is known as Fasad Al-'Itibar, as we have explained in this blessed book many times, and wherein we mentioned the words of the writer of Maragi As-Su'ud:

Contradicting the text (of the Qur'an and Sunnah), Or the consensus (of the scholars).

Is (clearly) Fasid Al-'Itibar to every perceptive person.

So Allah, All-Powerful, Most High says:
"And those who guard their chastity (i.e., private parts from illegal sexual acts)."

And He did not exempt from this, except the two types mentioned in His Words:
"Except from their wives or (the slaves) which their right hands possess."

And He declared blame on those who do not reserve their private parts for their wives and slaves only. Then He used a wording which is general and all-inclusive for other than the aforementioned two types and which proves that it is forbidden and that is the Words of Allah:
"But sors whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the transgres-sors".

And there is no doubt that this generality clearly encompasses the one who masturbates, and it is not permissible to refrain from the generality of the Qur'an without an evidence from the Book (of Allah) or a Sunnah which necessitates recourse to it. As for analogy which contradicts it, it is Fasid Al-'Itibar, as we have explained and the knowledge is with Allah, Most High."

Abul Fadhl 'Abdullah bin Muhammad bin As-Siddiq Al-Hasani Al-Idrisi said, in his book, "Al-Istiqsa Li Adillah Tahrim Al- Istimna Aw Al-'Adah As-Sirriyyah Min An-Nahiyatain Ad- Diniyyah Was-Sihhiyyah: "The First Chapter. Regarding the Forbiddance of Masturbation and the Explanation of its Evidence: The Malikis, the Shafi'is, the Hanafis and the majority of the scholars held that masturbation is forbidden and this is the correct teaching, other than which it is not permissible to say, and there are proofs for it, as will be explained by Allah's Power:

The First Proof:

The Words of Allah, Most High:
"And those who guard their chastity (ie., private parts, from illegal sexual acts). Except from their wives or (the slaves) that their right hands possess, for then, they are free from blame; But whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the transgres- sors:

The aspect of proof in these Noble Verses is apparent, because Allah, Most High praises the believers for guarding their private parts from that which He has forbidden, and He informs us that there is no sin or blame on them in approaching their wives and slave girls which is excepted from the generality of guarding the private parts, for which He praises them. Then He continues with His Words:
"But whoever Ibtagha"

That is, seeks beyond that"

That is, other than that which was mentioned slave girls.

"then they are the transgressors"

That is, the wrongdoers, who exceed the permissible and transgress the forbidden, because the transgressor is one who exceeds the limits and one who exceeds the limits set by Allah is a wrongdoer, according to the evidence of Allah's Words:
"And whoever transgresses the limits ordained by Allah, then such are the Zalimün (wrongdoers).

This Verse is general in its prohibition of anything besides the two categories of wives and slave girls; and there is no doubt that masturbation is not one of these. So it is forbidden, and then one who seeks it is a wrongdoer according to the Words of the Qur'an." Then he spoke at great length on the evidences, until he said:
"The Sixth Proof: It has been confirmed by medical science that masturbation causes many illnesses, such as weakness of the eyesight, and it drastically reduces its normal sharpness; it also weakens the organs of reproduction and causes partial or complete impotence, so that the one who does it becomes like a woman, due to his loss of the most important characteristic of manhood with which Allah has preferred a man over a woman.

Then he cannot marry, and even if he did marry, he would not the wives and be able to perform his conjugal duties as required. So the woman. would have to look for another, because he is unable to have sex with her and in this there are obvious causes of evil. Also, it causes general weakness in the nerves, as a result of the strain resulting from this practice. It also causes disorder in the digestive tract and weakens its action and disturbs its regularity. It also halts the development of the organs, especially the penis and the testicles, so that they do not reach their normal limits of development. Also, it causes seminal vesicle inflammation in the testicles, which leads to premature ejaculation on the part of the one who practices it, so that he ejaculates even by touching something with the slightest touch of his penis. Also, it causes pain in the spinal column, which is the Sulb, (loins) from which sperm is emitted. And the result of this pain is curvature and crookedness of the spine. It also makes the semen of the one who practices it more diluted, so that having been viscous and. thick, as is normally the case with a man's semen, it now becomes thin and devoid of spermatazoa, or there might remain some small, feeble spermatazoa, from which it is difficult to achieve pregnancy (and even if it occurs,) the fetus will be weak, which is why we find the child of the one who masturbates - if any are born to him to be weak, manifesting illnesses, unlike other children, who were born of normal semen. It also causes trembling in the limbs, such as the legs. And it causes weakness in the cerebral cells, so that the powers of perception of the one who practices it are reduced and his understanding is diminished, having been formerly intelligent, and the weakness of the cerebral cells might be so much, that he becomes mentally defective."

By this, it should be clear to the questioner that masturbation is forbidden, without a doubt, due to the aforementioned evidences and harmful effects. And ejaculation through the use of (female) private parts fashioned from cotton and the like is subject to the same ruling. And Allah knows best.