Question:
If husband and wife engage in unnatural intercourse for two months out of ignorance, what is the ruling?
Answer:
After acquiring knowledge, unnatural intercourse is not permissible; if one was unaware, forgiveness is granted. However, this does not affect the validity of the marriage. One should adopt the method from where Allah has commanded intercourse.
❀ Allah Almighty’s noble command is:
فَإِذَا تَطَهَّرْنَ فَأْتُوهُنَّ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَمَرَكُمُ اللَّهُ
“When the women have purified themselves from menstruation, then come to them from where Allah has commanded you.”
❀ Explaining the meaning of this noble verse and describing the harms of this bad act, Allama Ibn Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him)
states:
This verse explains two prohibitions regarding intercourse with women. First, Allah Almighty has permitted intercourse in the woman’s field, and the field is the place for bearing children, not a place of filth. The command of Allah Almighty: ﴿ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَمَرَكُمُ الله ﴾
(from where Allah has commanded) refers to this field place. Also, He said: فَأْتُوا حَرْثَكُمْ أَنَّىٰ شِئْتُمْ
(“Your fields wherever you wish, come to them”), from this verse, the evidence also emerges that intercourse from the woman’s back to her front private part is permissible. Allah Almighty said, “wherever you wish, come,” meaning from the front or the back. Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas or Al-Jahm say that the field refers to the front private part. When Allah Almighty has temporarily prohibited intercourse in the front private part due to impurity (menstruation), then what about that opening which is permanently a place of filth? Moreover, intercourse there has other harms, one of which is the interruption of lineage, and another is that intercourse in women’s backs is a major cause of sodomy among children. Similarly, the woman also has rights over the man in intercourse, which are not fulfilled by intercourse from behind; the woman’s desire is not satisfied, and her purpose is not achieved. Also, the back is not created for this purpose; the vagina was created for it. Therefore, those who abandon it and go to the back are disobedient to Allah’s wisdom and Shariah. This is also harmful to the man; hence, wise doctors and philosophers forbid it because the vagina has the ability to absorb the flowing fluids and provide comfort to the man, whereas intercourse in the back does not help absorb fluids and due to its unnatural nature, the fluids are not fully expelled. It is harmful in another way because it requires unnatural movements that cause fatigue. Also, the back is a place of filth and impurity, and a person turns to it and uses it. Similarly, it is very harmful to the woman because it is against nature and repulsive. It also causes grief and hatred between the doer and the recipient. This act darkens the face, causes darkness in the chest, and extinguishes the light of the heart. It causes confusion on the face, becoming a clear sign that even a person with little insight can recognize. It necessarily causes hatred, severe enmity, and severance of ties between the doer and the recipient. It ruins their condition so badly that correction is impossible except through sincere repentance and Allah’s help. This act destroys the beauty of both parties and makes them ugly, as their mutual love turns into hatred and enmity. It is also a major cause of loss of blessings and the onset of calamities. It causes Allah’s curse, His displeasure, His turning away, and not looking upon them with mercy. After this, what good can such a person hope for, and from what evil can he be safe? The one upon whom Allah’s wrath and curse descend, He turns away from him and does not look upon him with mercy; what kind of life will he have? Similarly, this act completely destroys modesty, and modesty is the life of hearts. When the heart loses it, it begins to consider wrong as right and right as wrong, and corruption reaches its peak. This act turns natures upside down from the way Allah created them. When nature is reversed, the heart and behavior also reverse. Then he considers bad deeds and conditions good, and his condition, actions, and speech involuntarily become corrupt. This bad act produces shamelessness, impertinence, and boldness that do not arise from any other act. It also causes disgrace, humiliation, and contempt that do not arise from any other act. It clothes the servant with anger and envy, and people begin to consider him lowly and despicable. These are observations. May Allah send blessings and peace upon the Prophet, whose following leads to success in this world and the Hereafter, and whose disobedience leads to ruin in this world and the Hereafter.
❀ Allah Almighty’s command is:
نِسَاؤُكُمْ حَرْثٌ لَّكُمْ فَأْتُوا حَرْثَكُمْ أَنَّىٰ شِئْتُمْ
“Your wives are your fields; approach your fields however you wish.”
❀ Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates:
قالت اليهود : إنما يكون الحول إذا أتى الرجل امرأته من خلفها فأنزل الله : نساؤكم حرث لكم فأتوا حرثكم أنى شئتم من قدامها ومن خلفها ولا يأتيها إلا فى المأتى
“The Jews believed that intercourse from the wife’s back causes a child to be born with a humpback. Upon this, Allah Almighty revealed this verse: ﴿ نِسَاؤُكُمْ حَرْثٌ لَّكُمْ فَأْتُوا حَرْثَكُمْ أَنَّىٰ شِئْتُمْ ﴾
A man can have intercourse with a woman from both the front and back, but intercourse will only be valid in the front private part.”
❀ Ikrimah (may Allah have mercy on him), explaining this verse, says:
إنما هو الفرج
“It refers only to the front private part.”
❀ He also says:
يأتيها كيف شاء، قائم وقاعد وعلى كل حال، يأتيها ما لم يكن فى دبرها .
“A man can have intercourse with his wife standing, sitting, or in any position, but not in the back private part.”
❀ Hasan Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
The Jews never missed an opportunity to trouble the Muslims, saying: O companions of Muhammad! By Allah, only one form of intercourse with women is permissible for you.
Upon this, Allah Almighty revealed this verse:
نِسَاؤُكُمْ حَرْثٌ لَّكُمْ فَأْتُوا حَرْثَكُمْ أَنَّىٰ شِئْتُمْ
“Allah has set a barrier between the believers and their needs.”
The Jews said that if a man uses his wife’s back to access her front part, the child would be born with a humpback. They used to taunt the Companions according to their theory, so Allah Almighty revealed this verse rejecting the Jews, saying: “Approach your wives however you wish, but use the part from which children are born.”
This is the interpretation of this verse given by Marah bin Sharhabil Hamdani (may Allah have mercy on him).
