Quran and Homosexuality: 10 Verses to Uncover the Myth!

With the normalization of homosexuality and the rise of LGBT beliefs, many truth seekers ask about the relationship between the Quran and homosexuality. Fortunately, the Quran and its teachings remain unchanged over time, a testament to its divine origin. For those sincerely seeking to understand Allah’s (God’s) rulings on homosexuality, this serves as a guide. Conversely, those seeking to reinterpret divine guidance to suit personal desires may find this challenging.

Let us commence in the Name of Allah (God), Al-Rahman (The Most Compassionate), Al-Rahim (The Most Merciful).

What does the Quran say about homosexuality?

According to the Quranic texts, homosexuality is considered a major sin that should be avoided and a crime that a certain punishment should be received accordingly.

Homosexuality is mentioned many times in the Quran. In all such mentions, it has been condemned. It was referred to as corruption, deviance, or immorality. Also, the grave punishment for whoever had committed it in the past was shown in the Quran.

Anyone who reads the Quran without bias can be gifted with clear knowledge and direct messages.

Read Also:

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On Gay & LGBTQ Discrimination

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Are Animals Gay? – Should we live like animals?

Homosexuality In Islam – Full Guide

Quran verses on homosexuality

In the Qur’an, we can find condemnation of homosexuality within the story of the people of Lot mentioned ten times in different places and chapters of the Qur’an.

Verse 1: Those committing homosexuality are ignorant

Allah Almighty tells us how his Prophet Lot (PBUH) condemns his people for committing homosexuality describing them as ignorant:

بَلْ أَنتُمْ قَوْمٌۭ تَجْهَلُونَ

“Do you commit immorality while you are seeing (while fully aware)? Do you approach men with lust instead of women? Rather you are an ignorant people.”

(Quran, 27:54-55)

Verse 2: Seriousness of homosexuality

The following verse emphasizes the severity of homosexuality by highlighting it as a major sin. It provides insight into the gravity of the act, underscoring the importance of understanding its prohibitive nature. prophet Lot said to his people:

بَلْ أَنتُمْ قَوْمٌ عَادُونَ

“Why do you lust after fellow men, (165) leaving the wives that your Lord has created for you? In fact, you are a transgressing people.”(166)”

(Quran, 26: 165-166)

Verse 3-4: Homosexuality is degeneracy first committed by People of Lot

In both chapters (29:28) and (7:80), Prophet Lot describes homosexuality as a degeneracy:

ٱلْفَـٰحِشَةَ مَا سَبَقَكُم بِهَا مِنْ أَحَدٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ

“And ˹remember˺ when Lot scolded his people: “Do you commit a degeneracy that no creature has ever done before? …. ”

 Quran Al-Aaraf & Quran Al-Ankabut

Thus, the description of homosexuality as a shameful act is mentioned twice–one as a question and the other as a statement–both denying and forbidding such deed. 

Verse 5: Homosexuality degrades moral judgments

Moreover, Allah illustrates that engaging in homosexuality leads to degradation and distorted judgments, akin to the impaired reasoning of a blind drunk. Here, people of Lot said that seeking purity and rectifying one’s actions is regarded as a transgression deserving expulsion!

أَخْرِجُوٓا۟ ءَالَ لُوطٍۢ مِّن قَرْيَتِكُمْ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ أُنَاسٌۭ يَتَطَهَّرُونَ

“Expel Lot’s followers from your land! They are a people who clean up!”

(Quran, 27:56)

Verse 6: Homosexuality blinds senses

Engaging in homosexuality blinds the senses, obstructing the clarity of judgment and distorting one’s perception. This impairment not only affects individual understanding but also skews the lens through which one views moral decisions and ethical considerations. Allah Almighty says:

إِنَّهُمْ لَفِى سَكْرَتِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ

“They [people of Lot] certainly wandered blindly, intoxicated ˹by lust˺.” 

(Quran, 15:72) 

They were totally ignorant drowning in their own Lust that they couldn’t even see that such grave punishment was already on their doorsteps!

Verse 7: Divine punishment for homosexuality and normalizing it

The divine punishment for homosexuality and the efforts to normalize it carry significant implications. By challenging established moral and religious principles, the act of normalizing homosexuality raises questions about societal values and ethical norms. The divine consequences attached to this behavior underscore the importance of considering the broader impact on individual spirituality and communal well-being. Allah Almighty says about the punishment of the people of Lot:

جَعَلْنَا عَـٰلِيَهَا سَافِلَهَا وَأَمْطَرْنَا عَلَيْهَا حِجَارَةًۭ مِّن سِجِّيلٍۢ مَّنضُودٍۢ 

“ When Our command came, We turned the cities upside down and rained down on them clustered stones of baked clay,”

(Quran, 11:82)

Verse 8: Significance of Al-Mu’tafikat description

Also, Allah gives those committing homosexuality and punished accordingly, a very unique name that both describes the nature of their sin as well as the nature of their punishment!

وَٱلْمُؤْتَفِكَةَ أَهْوَىٰ 

“And He is the one who doomed (Al-Mu’tafika)”

(Quran, 53:53)

The Quranic word (Al-Mu’tafika) has multiple meanings. It literally means (The flipped)!
Also, the word is a Term usually used to describe someone who lies so much so that to him, the truth becomes a lie and lie becomes the truth.
Here it is brilliantly used to describe those people committing homosexuality on so many levels:

They flipped the nature of God with their acts, so God flipped the earth with them as punishment. 

Verse 10: Wife of Lot as example for mere acceptance of homosexuality

The fate of the wife of Lot is mentioned multiple times, to highlight the fact that even if someone doesn’t even do the acts but merely accepts them would be treated the same by Allah.
We see the wife of a great messenger of God being punished for it.

فَأَنجَيْنَـٰهُ وَأَهْلَهُۥٓ إِلَّا ٱمْرَأَتَهُۥ كَانَتْ مِنَ ٱلْغَـٰبِرِينَ

So We saved him and his family except his wife, who was one of the doomed.

(Quran, 7:83)

The Pertinence of the Story of Lot in Addressing Modern Arguments on Homosexuality

To sum up, the frequent recounting of the story of the people of Lot serves as a robust response to contemporary justifications for homosexuality. Engaging in wrongdoing does not legitimize the action, nor does it grant individuals impunity for their actions. Instead, the narrative underscores that those engaging in objectionable behavior are deemed blameworthy and warrant severe consequences in accordance with the gravity of their actions, as divinely judged by Allah, the Almighty.

The divine wisdom is shown in how a Modern-day narrative, is dismantled in a scripture that was revealed to people who thought such practices were unimaginable, over 1400 years ago!

The Three Sources to Know Divine Law (Shariah)

Not only in the Quran but also in the rest of the sources of Shariah divine Law, homosexuality and sexual deviance are condemned as major sins. 

1. Quran (The literal words spoken by God)
2. Hadith (The prophetic tradition spoken by the prophet)
3. Ijmaa’ (Consensus of Muslims at any point of time)

The multiple sources for the divine rulings are there to preserve the message of Islam from any manipulation in any shape or form: guaranteeing the purity of the divine Islamic message.

The Quran word of God, its prophetic “interpretation” together with the (consensus) of the Muslims understanding, builds a huge impenetrable fortress around the message of God; this ensures it is pure, clear and accessible to any truth seeker looking for it. 

Homosexuality in Hadith (Sunnah)

The prophetic tradition condemns sexual deviance and declares homosexuality as a crime that should be punished by the state.

Prophet Muhammad, the last Messenger of Allah, said:

“Whoever you find doing the action of the people of Lot, kill the one who does it, and the one to whom it is done.” 

[Good-Hassan hadith]

Also, in another hadith:

The Prophet (ﷺ) cursed effeminate men (those men who are in the similitude (assume the manners of women) and those women who assume the manners of men, and he said, “Turn them out of your houses .” The Prophet (ﷺ) turned out such-and-such man, and `Umar turned out such-and-such woman.

Bukhari

Even though homosexuality is addressed and clearly condemned in the prophetic tradition, we don’t find it.

In other words, homosexuality is always named (The actions of people of Lot), which shows that it was none nonexistent in that pure society at the time and was only addressed to clarify its ruling!

There are even quotes in the Islamic early history that state: (I would have never imagined that a man would go after a man. Only because it mentioned in the Quran I believe it.)

Ijmaa’ (consensus) on rejecting homosexuality

Condemnation of homosexuality as a major sin and repulsive sexual deviance has always been the consensus of Muslims since the beginning of Islam. 

Throughout Islamic history, homosexuality was counted among sins like adultery, Incest, theft, murder, defaming (false accusation of adultery or homosexuality), and many other Major sins.

Not only among Muslims, but there exists a historical consensus across religious communities, including Muslims, Jews, and Christians, in condemning homosexuality as a major sin. Furthermore, this condemnation extends to the endorsement of capital punishment.

Moreover, the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) had a consensus that homosexuality should be punishable by capital punishment, they only disagreed on (how) to apply the punishment.

Jews and Christians may have no problem changing their religious views with time to fit the desires and opinions of the public, but Muslims have a major problem with that. 

Homosexuality and transgenderism in the Quran

Homosexuality, transgenderism, and all sorts of sexual deviances are clearly condemned in the Quran. 

The Quran declares that any sort of sexual activity of any kind is immoral, and then makes the exception of only the marital relationship between the husband and wife, or the female Milk-Alyamin. 

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَـٰفِظُونَ

“Those who guard their genitalia (chastity) (5) except with their wives or their (Mulk-Alyamin) ˹bondwomen˺ in their position, for then they are free from blame,(6) then whoever seeks beyond that, indeed they are the transgressors(7)”

Quran Al-Mu’menun

The explicit verse clarifies that the Islamic stance on sexual activity is not akin to the perspective held by the LGBT community, which deems activities as acceptable until proven otherwise. Instead, Islam defines such actions as transgressions unless expressly stated otherwise. The permissible context is strictly confined to the relationship between a man and a woman, whether within the bounds of marriage or the specific case of Milk-Alyamin.

The command to (Preseve of Genitalia) is a profound command that shuts the door against any and all forms of sexual deviance as if it just came down today to address all these modern questions with divine ruling! 

Such great wisdom here and in countless other cases is one of the proofs that the Quran is indeed the words of the All-Knowing and All-Wise.

Islam is the Complete Way of God

Islam has been clear and complete since its beginning, and changing it in any way means human corruption of the divinely pure message, which is a bigger sin than homosexuality! 

Today I have perfected your religion (way of life) for you, completed My favor upon you, and pleased with Islam as your religion (way of life).

 Quran Surat Al-Ma’idah

Muslims firmly believe that the ever-changing opinions of people on moral issues should be judged and corrected based on divine guidance, only then can one truly know the Pure Truth from Allah (Only True One God). 

Muslim belief is against corrupting the divine guidance and making it swing with the ever-changing public opinion, which is a sign of grave insincerity and human fabrication (What is currently being done with the LGBT religion)

Allah says: (Those who hide the clear proofs and guidance that We have revealed—after We made it clear for humanity in the Book—will be cursed by Allah and ˹all˺ those who curse.(159) Except for those who repent, mend their ways, and let the truth be known, they are the ones to whom I will turn ˹in forgiveness˺, for I am Al-Tawab Al-Rahim [the Accepter of Repentance, The Most Merciful].(160) )

 Quran Surat Al-Baqara

Finally: How to read Quranic Text

Muslims believe that the Quran is the literal word of God, and thus reading it requires a prequest of (Adab): (Decency manners)

1. Read the Quran to know what God says, not to tell God what to say
2. Accept the divine commands and contemplate on them
3. Never seek to change what you may not like or doesn’t agree with your previous opinions

Simply, there are two ways to read the Quran: Let the Quran change you Or attempt to change it.

The first way of humbleness is the way to Truth, the second way not only will fail its goal, but also cause the person to be thrown away of Allah’s Mercy!