Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

salaam

i recieve your newsletter regualry, and the most recent one speaks of sexaul limitations. you once mentioned that some scholars believe that oral sex is haraam but that this is mentioned no where in the Quran or in Sunnah so can you be a little more specific and explain if it is ok or harram. thankyou

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Oral sex haraam or not

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Dear and Beloved brother in Islam, it is the exclusive Right of Allah and His Messenger (saws) that they make known to mankind what amongst creation is ‘halaal’ (permissible) for the believers, and what is ‘haraam’ (forbidden). None other than Allah and His Messenger (saws) have a right to declare the ‘haraam’ and the ‘halaal’.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah Nahl verses 116-117:

116 But say not for any false thing that your tongues may put forth "This is lawful (halaal) and this is forbidden (haraam)" so as to ascribe false things to Allah. For those who ascribe false things to Allah will never prosper.

117 (In such falsehood) is but a paltry profit; but they will have a most grievous Penalty.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 7 Surah Aaraaf verse 157:

157 "Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet (Mohamed (saws)), whom they find mentioned in their own (Scriptures); in the Law, and the Gospel; for he commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil: he allows them as lawful (halaal) what is good (and pure), and prohibits (haraam) them from what is bad (and impure); he releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. So it is those who believe in him, honor him, help him, and follow the light which is sent down with him, it is they who will prosper."

If something is not described and specifically declared haraam in the Quran or the Sunnah, the absolute most the believers, who sincerely fear Allah and the Last Day, can say is that in light of the guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah, this particular thing is closer to the haraam than to the halaal.

Your Question: so can you be a little more specific and explain if it is ok or harram.

Dear and Beloved Brother in Islam, it is obvious that the act of ‘oral sex’, whereby one spouse derives pleasure by touching the private parts of the other with their mouth is obviously unnatural, unhealthy, unhygienic, unclean, impure and this act is not practiced in any of the lower animate creations.

But since the permissibility/impermissibility of this specific act of what is known today as ‘oral sex’ is not mentioned by name or act anywhere in the Quran and the Sunnah, the God-fearing and the pious amongst the scholars in Islam have abstained from declaring it ‘haraam’; the most they have said is that the act is from the ‘khabaaith’ (impure) and thus closer to the haraam than to the halaal, and the believers should fear Allah and abstain from it.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 3.267 Narrated by An Numan bin Bashir

The Prophet (saws) said "Both the halaal (lawful) and the haraam (unlawful) things are (made) obvious, and in between them are (suspicious) doubtful matters. So whoever forsakes those doubtful things lest he may commit a sin, will definitely avoid what is clearly unlawful; and whoever indulges in these (suspicious) doubtful things bravely, is likely to commit what is clearly illegal. Sins are Allah's Hima (i.e. private pasture) and whoever pastures (his sheep) near it, is likely to get in it at any moment."

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan