12-1-00
Salaams, Ramadan Mubarak. Welcome to the Muslimsworldwide newsletter.
For all of you who join me today, the article entitled Islam and
Homosexuals was written by Dr Arafat K. El-Ashi, from the site
(http://www.almuslim.org/articles/l_main.htm). The two articles that
are posted today are retrieved from that very site. It offers many
thoughts on Islam and provides supported information by citing the
Qur'an at times, citing the Bible or both for that more. If
interested, browse through the many articles.
Allah Hafiz
May Allah be with you every step of the way...
M. Editor
Islam and Homosexuals
An increasing number of people in Canada, as elsewhere, are becoming
homosexuals (either gays or lesbians)- The former refers to the
perverted sexual relationship between man and man while the latter is
the title for women practicing sex with women. This is, however, not
a new phenomenon; what is new is the attempt of those people who have
been considered all the time as outcasts and perverts, to assert
their identity and force the rest of the people to recognize and
accept them and their relationships as natural ones. Statistics say
that Metro Toronto alone has a community of homosexuals who are three
hundred thousand strong which means that more than one m every ten
residents of Toronto is a homosexual. Two years ago, the city of
Vancouver in British Columbia witnessed the third round of the
international Olympic games for gays and lesbians where
representatives from more than 250 cities from all over the world
participated.
As this is becoming an increasingly dangerous issue, and as some
mercenary pens in Toronto claimed recently that there are hidden
homosexuals among Muslims in Canada, adding that these people are
proud of both being homosexuals and Muslims! Hence it is indeed
important to clarify the attitude of Islam towards homosexuality.
In both the Quran and the Bible, we are told that the first people
who started this habit on a national scale were the people of Lot in
the old city of Sodom which used to occupy the area where the Dead
Sea now exists. (See Genesis 19). Let us concentrate on what the Holy
Quran says about these people:
In Chapter 26 Verses 160 to 173 we read; "The people of Lot rejected
the messengers. Their brother Lot said to them: 'Will you not fear
God? I am to you a messenger worthy of all trust. so fear God and
obey me. No reward do I ask of you for it. My reward is only from the
Lord the of worlds. Of all the creatures of the world will you
approach males, and leave those whom God has created for you as
mates? Nay. You are people transgressing all limits.' They said: 'If
you desist not O Lot, you will surely be cast out!'. He said: 'I do
detest your doings. O my Lord! Deliver me and my family from such
things as they do.' So we delivered him and his family, all except an
old woman who lingered behind. The rest we destroyed utterly. We
rained down on them a shower; and evil was the shower on those who
were admonished."
In chapter 27 verses 54 to 56 we read: "And Lot who said to his
people: 'Do you do what is indecent though you see its iniquity?
Would you really approach men in your lusts rather than women? You
are a people grossly ignorant.' His people gave no answer but
this: 'Drive out the followers of Lot from our city. They are indeed
men who want to be clean and pure.' But we saved him and his family
except his wife: We destined her to be of those who lagged behind.
And We raked down on them a shower: and evil was the shower on those
who were admonished".
Then in Chapter 11 Verses 77 to 83 we read: "When our messengers came
to Lot, he was grieved on their account and felt himself powerless to
protect them. He said" 'This is a distressful day.' His people came
rushing towards him and they had been long in the habit of practicing
abominations. He said: '0 my people! Here are my daughters: they are
purer for you (if you marry). Now fear God and cover me not with
disgrace about my guests! Is there not among you a single tight-
minded man?' They, however said: 'You know very well we have no need
of your daughters. Indeed you know quite well what we want'. He
said: 'Would that I had power to suppress you or that I could betake
myself to some powerful support'. (The angels) said: '0 Lot! We are
messengers from your Lord! By no means shall they reach you. Now
travel with your family while yet a part of the night remains, and
let not any of you look back; but your wife, to her will happen what
will befall them. Morning is their appointed time. Is not the morning
near'. When Our decree issued we turned the cities upside down, and
rained down on them brimstones hard as baked clay, spread layer on
layer, marked from your Lord. Nor are they ever far from those who do
wrong".
Let us see now how the Bible depicts this incident. In Genesis 18,
Abraham intercedes for Sodom and the Lord accepts his intercession.
Then God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah as in Genesis 19. From these
texts we notice that both scriptures (the Quran and the Bible)
mention that Lot, the Prophet and Messenger of God, advised his
people to stop this habit and to return to the natural relationship
with their wives. Instead they threatened to expel him and those who
followed his advice. (See the Quran chapter 26 Verses 160-173).
According to the Quran, Prophet lot never despaired nor gave up. He
continued to warn his people against this crime of theirs. He faced a
lot of hardships. They began to comment sarcastically that he tries
and his followers to be pure. Even his wife was inclined towards
them. When these people turned deaf ears to Prophet lot's call, both
sides were put to the test. God sent down a group of angels in the
from of attractive young men. These angels were first the guests of
Lot.
As soon as his wife saw them, she immediately told her people about
them. They rushed to practice their abominations against the guests
(Quran 11, 77 83). Lot reminded his people once again to refrain from
this and not make a scandal for him and his guests. As a matter of
fact, until this point of time Lot took the guests for ordinary human
beings. To his surprise and relief they told him that they were the
Messengers of God and that no harm will be caused to him (Quran 11,
77-83). He even defended his guests physically; but when every
attempt to stop them completely failed, God Almighty sent His
punishment from Heaven. The city was turned upside down and brimstone
rain was sent against them so that they all perished along with Lot's
wife, their collaborator. The Holy Quran makes the following comment
after this tragedy took place. rt says: 'Such a punishment is not far
from the unjust ones' (11-83), which means that the same fate will
happen to those who commit this injustice.
We are also told in the Quran that Lot's people used to practice this
same sex relationship in public (27-54). They saw no harm in looking
at each other while doing this. They claimed that it is beyond the
capacity or human beings to be pure or clean in this area.
Part of the Quranic perspective of the universe is that God Almighty
controls everything in this world. Being the Creator of life and
death, He is also the Sovereign and the legislator. Me sends
messengers to different peoples from among themselves who are role
models as well as conveyers of His message to them. If they listen
and obey, this is for their own good in this world and the next.
Whatever God permits is everything that is good, pure and healthy;
and whatever be forbids us to do, it is also for our own sake. This
is how the Holy Quran looks at this issue of homosexuality. It is
against human nature; it is harmful to man and it betrays one basic
goal of sex, namely: procreation within the limits of marriage only.
That is why it is prohibited to practice homosexuality.
It is really sad to remark here that while the Bible condemns
homosexuality, it ascribes to lot, the Prophet of God and His
Messenger, that be was given wine by his two daughters and that he
committed incest with each of them in the cave to which they
resorted. This, the Bible says, took place on two consecutive nights!
(See Genesis 19). How can this be said about Prophets of God and
their daughters? This is not, however, strange for those I who are
familiar with the present version or rather versions of the Bible.
David, the well-known Prophet of God and King of Israel, is accused
of committing adultery with the wife of Uriah, a military commander
of his. Several other crimes are also attributed to sons and
daughters of prophets of God.
In the Quran, however, we find the image of all prophets of God to be
the best images of obedient slaves of the Almighty. In Chapter 21
verse 73 and after, we have the following description of lot as well
as other prophets of God: "And We made them leaders, guiding (men) by
Our command; We inspired them to do good deeds, establish regular
prayers, and to give alms. They constantly worshipped Us".
Not only this but the Quran specifically describes Lot as
follows: "And to Lot, too, We gave wisdom and knowledge; We saved him
from the town which practiced abominations. Truly they were a people
given to evil, a rebellious people. And We admitted him to Our mercy;
for he was one of the righteous". (Chapter 21, Verses 74-75).
Two more points deserve our attention before we conclude this article
about Islam and homosexuality. One is that Islam does not consider
sex as a sinful deed. It does not look down on this human instinct.
On the contrary, it considers it to be rewarding by God provided that
it is practiced within the limits of marriage. For the Prophet of
Islam says: "He who gets married has acquired one half of his faith,
so let him fear God in the other half".
The second point I would like to make is that the present Bible
reports a number of sexual crimes attributed. falsely to Prophets,
Messengers of God and their children. Not only this but crimes of
incest are said to be committed by prophets with their own daughters
as we mentioned earlier. On the other hand, there are passages of
pornography in the Bible that escaped the. attention of religious
censors. Take the song of songs by Solomon. You cannot imagine these
passages to be pan of a Divine scripture.
It is time that the Bible itself be purified from all these
falsehoods before purifying the actual lives of the people.
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sites of recognition
http://www.islamunity.homestead.com
www.musedserv.com
www.ekuhtba.com
www.islamnet.net
www.aicp.org
www.ummah.net
http://www.al-muslim.org/articles/l_main.htm
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