This excerpt is taken from the book "500 Questions and Answers for Women" based on the Fatwas of the Scholars of the Haramain, translated by Hafiz Abdullah Saleem.
Scholars have cited as evidence the following verse from Sūrah al-Mu’minūn, where Allah ﷻ says:
«فمن ابتغي ور اء ذلك فأولئك هم العادونه»
«فَمَنِ ابْتَغَىٰ وَرَاءَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْعَادُونَ» [23-المؤمنون: 7]
"Then whoever seeks beyond that (i.e., beyond one’s spouse or what the right hand possesses), it is they who are transgressors."
— [Al-Mu’minūn: 7]
That is, whoever seeks any means of sexual satisfaction other than with a wife or slave woman is among those who exceed the limits. Shaykh Muḥammad al-Amīn al-Shinqīṭī, in his tafsir Aḍwā’ al-Bayān, also derived the prohibition of masturbation from this very verse.
In some reports, the following words are attributed to Jubayr ibn Saʿīd, a Tābiʿī:
«إن قوما يأتون و أيديهم حبالي كانوا يعبثون بمذاكيرهم»
"A group will be presented (on the Day of Judgment) with fetters in their hands — the very hands with which they used to engage in masturbation."
— See: Tafsīr al-Baghawī, 1/410
However, some scholars have allowed it in exceptional cases—for instance, when a young person fears falling into the grave sin of fornication (zinā). They argue that this practice may help reduce intense sexual urges. Nevertheless, what is primarily obligatory upon such a person is to seek chastity through marriage. If he is unable to marry, then he should adopt fasting, as it helps to diminish sexual desire.
و الله أعلم
(And Allah knows best)
— ʿAbdullah bin ʿAbdur-Raḥmān al-Jabr
❀ Question:
What is the ruling regarding the practice of masturbation? Is there any evidence from the Qur’an and Sunnah that prohibits it?❀ Answer:
The practice of masturbation is prohibited (ḥarām), as it is harmful to health and entails numerous adverse consequences.Scholars have cited as evidence the following verse from Sūrah al-Mu’minūn, where Allah ﷻ says:
«فمن ابتغي ور اء ذلك فأولئك هم العادونه»
«فَمَنِ ابْتَغَىٰ وَرَاءَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْعَادُونَ» [23-المؤمنون: 7]
"Then whoever seeks beyond that (i.e., beyond one’s spouse or what the right hand possesses), it is they who are transgressors."
— [Al-Mu’minūn: 7]
That is, whoever seeks any means of sexual satisfaction other than with a wife or slave woman is among those who exceed the limits. Shaykh Muḥammad al-Amīn al-Shinqīṭī, in his tafsir Aḍwā’ al-Bayān, also derived the prohibition of masturbation from this very verse.
In some reports, the following words are attributed to Jubayr ibn Saʿīd, a Tābiʿī:
«إن قوما يأتون و أيديهم حبالي كانوا يعبثون بمذاكيرهم»
"A group will be presented (on the Day of Judgment) with fetters in their hands — the very hands with which they used to engage in masturbation."
— See: Tafsīr al-Baghawī, 1/410
However, some scholars have allowed it in exceptional cases—for instance, when a young person fears falling into the grave sin of fornication (zinā). They argue that this practice may help reduce intense sexual urges. Nevertheless, what is primarily obligatory upon such a person is to seek chastity through marriage. If he is unable to marry, then he should adopt fasting, as it helps to diminish sexual desire.
و الله أعلم
(And Allah knows best)
— ʿAbdullah bin ʿAbdur-Raḥmān al-Jabr
