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Islam
and Homosexuals
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.