Prohibition of Masturbation is Emphasized in Ramadan

تتأكد حرمة العادة السرية وتشتد في رمضان

The Prohibition of Masturbation is Emphasized and Intensified in Ramadan

Translation : Reza Ervani bin Asmanu

The article “The Prohibition of Masturbation is Emphasized and Intensified in Ramadan” is included in the Category Islamic Question and Answer

السؤال:

Question:

ما حكم من عمل العادة السرية في نهار رمضان ظناً منه أنها غير مفطرة؟

What is the ruling on someone who masturbates during the day in Ramadan, thinking that it does not break the fast?

الإجابــة:

Answer :

الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله، وعلى آله وصحبه، أما بعد: فالعادة السرية محرمة شرعاً، وقد سبق بيان حكمها في الفتوى الأخرى هنا.

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, and his companions. To proceed: Masturbation (al-adah as-sirriyah) is prohibited by Sharia, and the explanation of its ruling has been previously presented in another fatwa here:

• Masturbation: Its Ruling, Psychological and Physical Impacts

وإن الطباع السليمة تنفر منها، والفطر المستقيمة تأبى الإقبال عليها، ويكفي في بيان قبحها أن فاعلها لا يرضى الجهر بها أمام الناس، والمرء إذا أبى أن يظهر شيئاً كان ذلك دليلاً على قبحه، ولذلك سميت سرية هذا فضلاً عن ضررها بالبدن والنفس، فإذا كانت هذه العادة محرمة على الدوام، فحرمتها تتأكد وتشتد في شهر رمضان، حيث إن فاعلها يخرق حرمة الشهر، ويسعى لإفساد الصوم، وهذا من المبارزة لله تعالى بمخالفة شرعه، والتخلي عن أمره.

Indeed, healthy natures are repulsed by it, and upright dispositions refuse to engage in it. It is sufficient to show its ugliness that the one who does it is not pleased to do it openly before people. When a person refuses to reveal something, it is evidence of its ugliness; for this reason, it is called “secret” (sirriyah). This is aside from its harm to the body and soul. If this habit is prohibited at all times, its prohibition is emphasized and intensified in the month of Ramadan, as the one who does it violates the sanctity of the month and seeks to invalidate the fast. This is a form of defying Allah the Almighty by contradicting His Sharia and abandoning His command.

والظاهر من حال السائل أنه فعل العادة السرية جهلاً منه بأنها مفطرة، مع علمه بأصل حرمتها، والعلم بحرمتها يوجب على فاعلها الإثم والقضاء، وإن كان جاهلاً بما يترتب عليها، هذا إذا كان فاعلها قريب عهد بالإسلام، أو نشأ ببادية بعيدة، بحيث يخفى على مثله هذا الحكم، أما إذا كان في مجتمع مسلم، ومرت عليه مدة يستطيع فيها التعلم، فلا فرق في وجوب القضاء ولحوق الإثم بين علمه أو عدم علمه، لأنه مقصر في تعلم ما يجب عليه وما يحرم.

It appears from the state of the questioner that he masturbated out of ignorance that it breaks the fast, even though he knew of its basic prohibition. Knowledge of its prohibition necessitates that the doer bears the sin and must make up the fast (qadha), even if he was ignorant of the consequences resulting from it. This applies if the doer is a new convert to Islam or grew up in a remote wilderness where such a ruling might be hidden from someone like him. However, if he is in a Muslim society and a period has passed during which he could have learned, then there is no difference in the obligation of qadha and the incurrence of sin whether he knew (that it breaks the fast) or not, because he was negligent in learning what is obligatory and what is prohibited for him.

فالواجب إذن على السائل أن يتوب إلى الله تعالى مما فعل لحرمته، كما يجب عليه قضاء الأيام التي مارس فيها العادة السرية، لأن الاستمناء من المفطرات المتفق عليها بين الفقهاء. والله أعلم.

Therefore, it is obligatory for the questioner to repent to Allah the Almighty for what he did because of its prohibition. He must also make up the days on which he practiced masturbation, as ejaculation (istimna) is among the things that break the fast by consensus among the jurists (fuqaha). And Allah knows best.

Source : IslamWeb