First published on: Can One Be Muslim and Gay?

 By Omar Abdulmonem

With the rise of LGBT, the question of ‘ can one be Muslim and gay’ gained a lot of popularity while reflecting a very deep lack of knowledge about Islam. By knowing the very basic concepts of Islam the answer to the question becomes very clear. So in this article, I will clarify those basic concepts while answering what has been on the minds of a lot of people lately.


•    On Being a Muslim 


A Muslim is the one who declares the two testimonies of faith (AKA: Shahadah): There is no God except Allah. Muhammed peace be upon him is the Messenger of Allah. Those two statements are the core of Islam.


What makes one a Muslim is: acknowledging, accepting and following what they mean, with certainty and sincerity. This naturally entails acknowledging Allah the Almighty as the objective authority for determining right and wrong. Therefore, a Muslim accepts all Allah’s commands as truthful even if conflicted with any personal subjective opinion; no matter what it is. This is the most basic concept of all Islamic concepts. In fact, it is what the word “Islam” itself means.


•    Sins in Islam


We are all human, and we are all subject to doing bad deeds even if we know they are wrong or sinful. The One who knows this the most about us, is of course our own Creator Himself. This is addressed clearly in His guidance that He sent down to us.


Committing a sin or a wrong act doesn’t make a person non-Muslim. It simply makes him someone who did a sin; deserving of punishment for his sin, just as he would be deserving of reward for his Islam or other good deeds. 


Humans are neither angels nor demons (i.e.: 100% good or 100% bad). Humans are humans, a mix of good and bad.  How much of either? that depends on each individual and his will and resolve. One can be very good, doing all kinds of all good deeds: fulfilling the rights of His Creator on him, fulfilling the rights of the people, having mercy over all living things. Yet, he can also fall in a sin of any kind. The sin wouldn’t undermine or nullify the value of all his good deeds, nor will the good deeds nullify the gravity of the sin.


But can Allah forgive the sins? Of course, He can. After all, one of His names is “Al-Ghafour” (The Most Forgiving). Allah says: 


Say, “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful. And return [in repentance] to your Lord and submit to Him before the punishment comes upon you; then you will not be helped.”  [Qur’an 39:53-54] (1)

And He also says:


Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. And he who associates others with Allah has certainly fabricated a tremendous sin.” [Qur’an 4:48] (2)


•    What Contradicts Being a Muslim?


The answer is simple. Defying Allah or not adhering to the core of Islam makes the person non-Muslim. While committing sins due to human weakness doesn’t. The whole difference is that the one committing the sin, still recognizes Allah and His authority and therefore acknowledges that what he is doing is wrong. He doesn’t defy Allah or make what He declared wrong as right or right as wrong. The difference between the two can be found in the comparison between (Adam and Iblis) sins. (3)

So while Adam was fully acknowledging the authority of Allah and his commands, he fell in sin because of his own fragility and as he repented to Allah he was instantly forgiven. Iblis on the other hand was arrogant defying Allah, and not obeying His commands because he says he shouldn’t!


He was putting his ego and arrogance above Allah and His command. That is the worst type of all sins deserving the highest punishment. And that is what contradicts and nullifies being a Muslim. Any Muslim who follows the example of Iblis, the epitome of ingratitude, is no longer a Muslim. While those who fall into sin but still remain true to their testimony for Allah, are Muslims.


•    The Islamic Definition of Gayness


It is very important to clarify definitions before talking about rules and Judgments. In the eyes of Islam: Gayess is an action, not an identity. This is the definition of Gayness in Islam and this is the definition I am speaking of. Which difference does it make if Gayness is the action? First, actions are completely chosen. And Second, actions are subject to moral judgments. 


Islam simply differentiates between what is naturally differentiable:  The action itself, and just wanting to do it. Those are two things, not one. In other words: They are not gays those who don’t DO gay acts.

The whole LGBT propaganda revolves around making those two interchangeable. So they are able to sell the idea of “gay identity,” trying to mix actions with orientations and make them interchangeable to hide that exact fact. Then they will be able to equate (gay) with “Identities,” which are exactly the opposite.


Identities like: Being black, white, Asian, Arab, man or woman, etc. All of those are not actions, not choices and not something subject to moral judgments; while all of that apply to doing gay acts. And as all of this is unfounded propaganda. It is not backed by any kind of evidence whatsoever, just load voices. Therefore, I and any reasonable person should disregard it as just that; Noise.


Gayness Is Not an Identity, It’s an Action.


The one who just wants to do gay actions or feel inclined to do them is NOT gay. By correcting the definition and putting it in its correct category; with actions and deeds. You can see clearly what is (gayness) and what can it be compared to, and what it cannot. And from that exact category, you can also see clearly the difference between the action itself and just wanting to do it.


Murder is completely different from wanting to murder. Stealing is completely different from wanting to steal. Assault is completely different from wanting to assault, etc. So, being gay is completely different from wanting to be gay.


Islamic Judgment on Doing Gay Acts


In Islam, gay is one of the greatest sins, which is completely forbidden by Allah. And to apply what I just said above means that doing gay action is wrong. While wanting to do anything wrong, but not going through with it isn’t even a sin. In fact, there is actually a hadith counting that as a good deed (stopping yourself from doing wrong even if you want to.) A lot of people find it hard to say this, and a lot find it easy. It is all just a matter of priorities.


Is the Creator of heavens and earth greater in your eyes than people, or is it the other way around? That is what makes saying this very easy or very hard. I took the decision long ago. In my eyes, The Creator is far greater than the creation. When human claims are weighted against Allah’s judgments -it’s a no-brainer that Allah’s objective judgment is far more truthful than those subjective waiving opinions and claims of humans.


Just because your friend or someone you know is gay, doesn’t make it right in any way. It simply means they are wrong. If you are afraid of telling people they are wrong, then just work on your courage and don’t let someone bully you.  And always remember those who think it’s easier to say Allah is wrong, than saying people are wrong, or that they themselves are wrong, are just following the footsteps of the epitome of ingratitude (Iblis).

•    Can One Be Muslim and Gay? (Summary) 


The following are general rules for all deeds and actions, including gayness:


1- One can be a Muslim if he says the Shahadah accepting and following them with certainty and sincerity.


2- Islam differentiates between the action and the simple liking or inclination to do the action.


3- It is not a sin to have a specific link to something even if the action itself is wrong.


4- The Shahadah is not nullified by falling into a sin or a wrong deed.


5- Instead, what nullifies the Shahadah is challenging, changing, or defying Allah’s rules just because you don’t like them, or people don’t like them!


Conclusion


So, to apply those basic concepts just mentioned:


Doing gayness is wrong and is a great sin because the Creator of the heavens and the Earth declared it as such.


If one simply has inclinations or thoughts he isn’t even gay, so it isn’t even a sin. It is his choice after that it makes him fall in sin or do a good deed.


If he does the action, then it is his choice and it is a major sin but doesn’t contradict his Islam if he is a Muslim.

What contradicts being a Muslim and nullifies it is if a Muslim (with gay thoughts, actions or none at all) changes or defies the rules of his Creator for the sake of personal subjective opinions (like the example of Iblis).


Yet, no matter what a person might have done, His Merciful Creator’s door is open until the Day of Judgment. If he repented, all is forgiven (like the example of Adam).


The last rule is the most important, as it applies to nearly everyone.


Remember, what makes one a Muslim is submitting to His Creator and acknowledging Him, Putting Him above everything else.


Now, what is your decision regarding this issue? You can ask our team if you have any questions related to this topic or to Islam in general. 


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References:


(1)  Verse (39: 53-54) of Qur’an (English Interpretation of Meaning).


(2) Verse (4:48) of Qur’an (English Interpretation of Meaning).


(3) For more information check the article (Forgive Me Allah… I Have Sinned!).


https://explore-islam.com/can-one-be-muslim-and-gay/