Is indulgence in, and practice of, homosexuality forbidden in Islam? Straight people satisfy their urges through marriage, and at times, through extra-marital affairs. But even in the latter case, there isn’t as much hue and cry compared to when a homosexual indulges in a partner of choice? It is a condition by birth, I believe, so the trial is unequal. What does the Quran have to say on the issue? What rewards will such persons get on restraining their desires?
Answer
Extra-marital sex is haram in Islam. Anyone who has sex with a person other than his/her spouse, he/she is committing one of the three biggest crimes in the eyes of Allah Almighty. A lawful marriage can only take place between a man and a woman. Therefore, if a man has sex with a man or a woman has sex with a woman, such acts would come under the category of extra-marital sex. There is no legitimate way of getting people belonging to the same gender, married to each other.
If a man (or a woman) feels inclined towards members of his/her own gender, he/she will have to live with it as a trial in this temporary abode. Inclination in a person to do something doesn’t make that act legitimate for that person. If a married man feels inclined towards other women, that inclination alone is not enough for him to go about satisfying his need with them. He should realize that his inner inclination cannot be responded to positively unless there is a legitimate relationship. That is how the trial of this life is. We do feel inclined to do certain things, but we also know that some of those things are not morally acceptable. We are, therefore, expected to exert brakes on them.
When the Almighty mentions patience (Sabr) as one of the most significant virtues of a believer and informs us that it is through patience that people will become eligible to enter the Paradise, He is informing us essentially of this very aspect of the trial of this life.