Homosexuality & Gender Non-Conformity
This page details primary Quranic verses, canonical Hadith traditions, and classical jurisprudential rulings concerning same-sex sexual acts (liwat and sahaq), gender non-conformity (mukhannathun), and prescribed legal penalties. Each text is presented with its original Arabic, English translation, source links, and an objective academic context.
Quranic Passages & Story of Lot
The Quran addresses same-sex sexual activity primarily through the narrative of the People of Lot (Qawm Lut) and early Medinan verses legislating against sexual immorality (fahishah).
Quran 7:80–81 — Story of Lot and Condemnation of Male Same-Sex Desire
"And ˹remember˺ Lot, when he said to his people, 'Do you commit a shamefulness that no one in the world has ever committed before you? You lust after men instead of women! You are truly a transgressing people.'"
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear QuranSurah Al-A'raf verses 80–81 establish the Quranic narrative regarding the people of Sodom. The passage framing male same-sex desire as an unprecedented "shamefulness" (fahishah) and transgression forms the primary scriptural foundation for Islamic prohibitions against male homosexuality.
Quran 4:15 — Confinement Penalty for Immoral Women
"Those who commit immorality among your women, you must have four witnesses against them, from among you. If they do bear witness, then you shall keep such women in their homes until they die, or until Allah creates an exit for them."
— Saheeh InternationalSurah An-Nisa verse 15 legislates an early Medinan penalty for women who commit sexual immorality (fahishah). Classical commentators (such as al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir) note that this verse originally prescribed lifelong house arrest for women guilty of illicit sexual acts (interpreted by some jurists as including female-female sexual conduct / sahaq) before being supplemented or abrogated by the corporal punishment of 100 lashes in Quran 24:2.
Quran 4:16 — Punishment for Men Who Commit Unlawful Sexual Acts
"And the two among you who commit it [i.e., unlawful sexual relation]—punish them both. But if they repent and reform, leave them alone. Indeed, Allah is ever Accepting of Repentance and Merciful."
— Saheeh InternationalFollowing verse 15, Quran 4:16 addresses male pairs ("the two among you") who engage in sexual immorality, commanding verbal or physical punishment (adhā). Classical exegetes interpret this verse as referring either to unmarried male-female adultery or specifically to male same-sex acts prior to the codification of specific Hadith penalties.
Capital Punishment Mandates in Hadith
While the Quran condemns the actions of Lot's people, canonical Hadith collections record explicit legal rulings from Muhammad prescribing capital punishment for individuals who engage in same-sex sexual acts.
Sunan Abi Dawud 4462 — Execution Mandate for Homosexual Acts
Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "If you find anyone doing as Lot’s people did, kill the one who does it, and the one to whom it is done."
— Sunan Abi Dawud, Book 40, Hadith 112This Hadith is the primary prophetic tradition mandating capital punishment for male homosexual acts. It commands the execution of both active and passive partners ("the doer and the receiver"). Classical Sunni schools of law (Hambali, Shafi'i, and Maliki) cite this narration as foundational proof for imposing the death penalty on individuals participating in sodomy (liwat).
Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1456 — Prophetic Command to Kill Doer and Receiver of Same-Sex Acts
Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Whoever you find doing the action of the people of Lut, kill the one who does it, and the one to whom it is done."
— Jami` at-Tirmidhi, Book 17, Hadith 40Recorded in Jami` at-Tirmidhi, this Hadith reinforces the mandate execution for same-sex sexual relations. Medieval Hadith scholars evaluated its chain of transmission (isnad), and major juristic compilations used it to categorize sodomy under severe hudud offences.
Gender Non-Conformity & Expulsion
Islamic canonical Hadiths address gender expression, specifically cursing individuals who assume the appearance or manners of the opposite biological sex and ordering their banishment from society.
Sahih al-Bukhari 5885 — Cursing and Banishment of Effeminate Men and Masculine Women
Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: "The Prophet (ﷺ) cursed effeminate men (those men who assume the manners of women) and those women who assume the manners of men, and he said, 'Turn them out of your houses.' The Prophet turned out such-and-such man, and 'Umar turned out such-and-such woman."
— Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 77, Hadith 101This narration from Sahih al-Bukhari records a religious curse (la'nah) pronounced by Muhammad upon effeminate men (mukhannathun) and masculine women (mutarajjilat). It details an explicit directive to banish gender-nonconforming individuals from homes and public spaces, noting that both Muhammad and the second Caliph Umar executed such banishments.
Classical Jurisprudence & Juristic Opinions
Early jurists and legal compendiums established legal consensus (*ijma'*) regarding the prohibition of sodomy, while debating the specific method of execution (stoning, burning, throwing from heights, or beheading).
Muwatta Malik 41.11 — Stoning Penalty for Sodomy
Malik related to me that he asked Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri about someone who committed sodomy. Ibn Shihab said: "He is to be stoned, whether or not he is married (muhsan)."
— Muwatta Malik, Book 41, Hadith 11Recorded in the Muwatta of Imam Malik (one of the earliest collections of Islamic legal rulings), the prominent early scholar Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri asserts that anyone who engages in sodomy must be stoned to death (*rajm*), regardless of whether they are married (*muhsan*) or unmarried. This ruling distinguishes sodomy from general adultery (*zina*), applying maximum capital punishment unconditionally.