Is masturbation haram

Question:
Assalam o Alykum, dear shaykh, please shed some light on these Questions:
Is masturbation haram, and if it is, then why is masturbating haram?

Answer:
All praise to Almighty Allah, and peace be upon His Messenger:

There has been a rising question in our youth over the past few years what is the ruling of
Masturbation ‫ االستمناء باليد‬in Islam?
Before answering this question, we must know that Islam came with maqasid and purposes to
fulfill its, not just a law or black-and-white rules.
One of the most significant purposes of Islam is to prevent obscenity and protect the purity of
people, which Imam al-Ghazali presented as ‫( حفظ النفس‬protection of oneself) and ‫حفظ العرض‬
(protection of reputation).
So whatever can harm these two purposes, Islam won't permit it.
Ruilin on Masturbation in Islam
Alla Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala said in Quran:

ْ‫اج ِه ْم َأ ْو َما َملَ َكت‬ ِ ‫ون ِإاَّل َعلَ ٰى َأ ْز َو‬ َ ُ‫وج ِه ْم َحافِظ‬
ِ ‫ين ُه ْم لِفُ ُر‬ َ ‫َوالَّ ِذ‬
‫ين فَ َم ِن ا ْبتَ َغ ٰى َو َرا َء ٰ َذلِ َك فَُأو ٰلَِئ َك ُه ُم‬
َ ‫َأ ْي َمانُ ُه ْم فَِإنَّ ُه ْم َغ ْي ُر َملُو ِم‬
َ ‫ا ْل َعا ُد‬
‫ون‬
And those who protect their chastity, except for their wives or dependents, are not blamed, but
whoever seeks anything beyond that, then they are transgressors.
(Al-Mu'minoon: 5-7)
Based on this verse, the majority of scholars derived the ruling that masturbation is not allowed
in Islam because this verse limits sexual pleasure only to two types of categories:
1) Spouse
2) Dependent (‫االمة‬/‫)الجارية‬
other than that one who tries to seek pleasure, he is blameworthy.

One of the giants of Islam Imam al-Shafi said:

‫ وبيّن أن‬.‫ تحري ُم ما سوى األزواج وما ملكت األيمان‬،‫فكان بيّنا ً في ذكر حفظهم لفروجهم إال على أزواجهم أو ما ملكت أيمانهم‬
ُّ‫ فال يَ ِحل‬.}‫ {فمن ابتغى وراء ذلك فأولئك هم العادون‬:‫ ثم أ ّكدها فقال ع ّز وجل‬.‫ دون البهائم‬،‫األزواج وملك اليمين من اآلدميات‬
‫ وال يَ ِحلُّ االستمناء‬،‫ْال َع َم ُل بِال َّذ َك ِر إال في الزوجة أو في ِم ْلك اليمين‬
This verse protects chastity except for the spouses and dependents and prohibits anything other
than these two. And both wives and dependents are from Human rather than cattle. Then Allah
emphasized by saying: They are transgressors who seek anything beyond that. So it is not
permitted to use private parts except for wife and dependent, and masturbation is not allowed.
[94/5 :‫]االم‬
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:
‫ وكذلك يُ َع ّز ُر من فَعله‬.‫ وهُو أص ّح القولين في مذهب أحمد‬.‫أما االستمناء باليد فهو حرا ٌم عند جمهور العلماء‬
As far as masturbation is considered, it is not allowed in the opinion of the majority of scholars,
and it is the correct opinion in the school of Ahmed. Also, whoever does it would be punished.
[229|35 :‫]مجموع الفتاوي‬
Ibn Umar Radhiallahu was asked about masturbation, and he replied:
It is intercourse with oneself.
[‫ واسنادہ جید‬13587 :‫]مصنف عبدالرزاق‬

Imam Ibn Hazm said:

‫أننا نكرهه ألنه ليس من مكارم األخالق وال من الفضائل‬
We dislike it because it's neither from good characteristics nor virtues.
[11/392 ‫]المحلی باآلثار‬

Is Masturbation Haram?
Based on the evidence and scholars' opinions, masturbation is now allowed, and it's a sin.

Why Masturbation is Haram?

As we discussed, Islam emphasizes protecting chastity and reputation and preventing obscenity
and vulgarity on both individual and social levels. And masturbation leads to obscenity, and it
also damages mental health, which is also against one of the purposes of Islam ‫حفظ العقل‬
(protection of intellect).

Disadvantage of Masturbating
Masturbation is not a healthy practice. Instead, it destroys the person on both individual and
social levels. It affects marital life so much that most of those addicted to masturbation don't feel
satisfied with their partner on the bed because of the imagination and pornographic visuals they
keep in their mind.

Downsides of Masturbation
Many people who have an addiction to masturbation expressed feeling depressed, guilty, and
empty after finishing this process. Which gradually eats the mental peace of the person.
Moreover, a believer would feel more depressed because somewhere, he knows that this practice
is disliked and is from the dark side of his personality.

Narrations about Masturbation

There are some narrations against those who masturbate, but all are weak, and no one has a good
enough chain we can accept.
Some of those narrations are:
The curse of Allah, angels, and all of the people upon how intercourses with his hand.
Ata said:
Some people will have pregnant hands, and I think they are those (who masturbate).
All of these narrations and any narration which prohibits masturbation are weak.

Is Masturbation permissible
Some scholars believe its permissibility based on the argument that it is better than fornication; if
one feels the sexual urge and fears getting involved in fornication, one can masturbate.
But this opinion is like allowing someone to eat pork when one fears death out of hunger, and it's
not general permission.

How to leave Masturbation?

As we know, masturbation is not a good habit, and one must leave it. Most people adopt this
practice because they delay marriages and have the least amount of patience.
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says:
ْ ِ‫َو ْليَ ْستَ ْعف‬
‫ف الَّ ِذينَ ال يَ ِج ُدونَ نِ َكاحا ً َحتَّى يُ ْغنِيَهُ ْم هَّللا ُ ِم ْن فَضْ لِ ِه‬
those who can't fine the spouse, must protect the chastity, untill Allah provides them
indpenedence from his Grace.
[Al-Noor: 33]

How to avoid Masturbation?

One can avoid these vulgar practices by acquiring themselves with taqwa and good deeds like
fasting:

Narrated `Abdullah ibn Mas'ood Radhiallahu Anhu:

We were with the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬while we were young and had no wealth. So Allah's Messenger (
‫ )ﷺ‬said, "O young people! Whoever among you can marry, should marry, because it helps him
lower his gaze and guard his modesty (i.e. his private parts from committing illegal sexual
intercourse etc.), and whoever is not able to marry, should fast, as fasting diminishes his sexual
power."
[Sahi Bukhari: 5066]

In the end, we ask Allah to protect us from all evil and vulgar practices and provide us with the
strength to safeguard our chastity.