What is the ruling for a woman who has a relationship of sexual nature with another woman?
ما حكم معاشرة المرأة للمرأة؟
Islam establishes clear boundaries to protect modesty, moral purity, and the natural structure of the family, strictly prohibiting intimacy outside of a lawful marriage between a man and a woman.
يضع الإسلام حدودا واضحة لحماية الحياء والطهارة الأخلاقية والبناء الطبيعي للأسرة، ويحرم منعا باتا العلاقات الحميمة خارج إطار الزواج الشرعي بين الرجل والمرأة.
The Prohibition and its Grounds | التحريم وأدلته
1. Unanimous Consensus on Prohibition
The scholars have unanimously concurred that same gender relationships are forbidden, and it is considered one of the major sins. It encompasses that the private parts are revealed to the other person and exposed without need. That also includes touching the private parts lustfully, and that is forbidden by the consensus of Muslims.
1. الإجماع على التحريم
وقد أجمعت الأمة على حرمته، بل إن هذا الفعل قد اشتمل على جملة من كبائر الذنوب، فهو يتضمن كشف العورات والنظر إليها بغير ضرورة ولا حاجة. وأيضًا لمس العورة بشهوة، وهذا كله حرام بإجماع المسلمين.
2. The Historical Example
Abi Hamza said: I said to Mohamad bin Ali: Allah has tortured the women of Lut’s people by what their men did? He said: Allah is Just, their men dispensed of women by men, and their women dispensed of men by women.
2. سابقة الأمم الماضية
جاء عن حذيفة بن اليمان رضي الله عنه أنه قال: "إنما حق القول على قوم لوط عليه السلام حين استغنى النساء بالنساء والرجال بالرجال". وعن أبي حمزة قال: قلت لمحمد بن علي: عذب الله تعالى نساء قوم لوط بعمل رجالهم؟ فقال: "الله تعالى أعدل من ذلك، استغنى الرجال بالرجال، والنساء بالنساء".
3. The Prophetic Command on Awrah
Abu Sa'id reported that the Messenger of Allah pbuh said: "A man must not look at another man's Awrah, nor must a woman look at another woman's Awrah; neither should two men lie undressed and touch under one cover, nor should two women lie undressed and touch under one cover."
3. التوجيه النبوي بستر العورة
وقد روى مسلم في صحيحه أن رسول الله ﷺ قال: "لا ينظر الرجل إلى عورة الرجل، ولا المرأة إلى عورة المرأة، ولا يفضي الرجل إلى الرجل في ثوب واحد، ولا تفضي المرأة إلى المرأة في الثوب الواحد".
4. The Quranic Warning
(As for those of your women who commit illegal intercourse call four witnesses from among yourselves. If they testify, confine the offenders to their homes until they die or Allah ordains a different way for them.) An Nisa 4:15.
4. التحذير القرآني
(وَاللَّاتِي يَأْتِينَ الْفَاحِشَةَ مِن نِّسَائِكُمْ فَاسْتَشْهِدُوا عَلَيْهِنَّ أَرْبَعَةً مِّنكُمْ ۖ فَإِن شَهِدُوا فَأَمْسِكُوهُنَّ فِي الْبُيُوتِ حَتَّىٰ يَتَوَفَّاهُنَّ الْمَوْتُ أَوْ يَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ لَهُنَّ سَبِيلًا) النساء 4: 15.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Is the prohibition of same gender relationships limited to men in Islam?
No. The historical texts and the unanimous consensus of Islamic scholars confirm that such relationships are equally forbidden for both men and women, as it involves major sins and contradicts the natural human order.
Are women allowed to see each other's private parts (Awrah)?
It is strictly forbidden for a woman to look at the Awrah (the area from the navel to the knee) of another woman, just as it is for men. The only exception is for a valid medical necessity.
What did Imam An Nawawi say about touching or looking at the Awrah?
Imam An Nawawi stated that there is absolute scholarly consensus that a person looking at or touching the Awrah of someone of the same gender is Harām (forbidden), and warned against any actions that could lead to immorality.