Fatwa No. ( 14384 ) Q: A matter has been troubling me for five years. I am a man of thirty-six years of age, and Allah has afflicted me with an intense sexual desire that I cannot restrain. I have fasted as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded us, for fasting came to me, but I swear to you by Allah that it increased with fasting. I presented myself to medical doctors and they gave me sedative pills, but unfortunately they did not help. I am a person afflicted with this affliction and I am unable to marry due to the lowness of my salary, as I work as a prescription writer at King Khalid Military Hospital in Tabuk . What I wish to do is undergo a castration operation to cut off the sexual desire , the accursed one, in order to preserve my honor and protect my religion. What I hope for is: informing me whether this act is forbidden or permissible? Since I asked some scholars and they forbade it, and due to my inability to bear this trial and test, I earnestly hope you will inform me of the result in writing at my address, as I do not listen to the radio. May Allah guide you and protect you in the service of our pure religion, and may you remain safe. A: It is not permissible for you to proceed with an operation to remove the testicles; due to the prohibition of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) of Uthman ibn Maz'un from castration. But you must fear Allah, stay away from places of fitnah, and persist in watching over yourself and chastity; in accordance with the saying of Allah the Exalted: وَلْيَسْتَعْفِفِ الَّذِينَ لاَ يَجِدُونَ نِكَاحًا حَتَّى يُغْنِيَهُمُ اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ But let them who find not [the means for] marriage abstain [from sexual relations] until Allah enriches them from His bounty. [An-Nur 24:33] And you must increase in supplication and seek the times of response; perhaps Allah will grant you a righteous wife. Allah the Exalted said: وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me [Al-Baqarah 2:186] , and Allah the Exalted said: وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ And your Lord says, "Call upon Me; I will respond to you." Indeed, those who disdain My worship will enter Hell [rendered] contemptible. [Ghafir 40:60] , and Allah the Exalted said: أَمْ مَنْ يُجِيبُ الْمُضْطَرَّ إِذَا دَعَاهُ وَيَكْشِفُ السُّوءَ Is He [not best] who responds to the desperate one when he calls upon Him and removes evil [An-Naml 27:62] . And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say: اللهم إني أسألك الهدى والتقى والعفاف والغنى Allahumma inni as'alukal-huda wat-tuqa wal-'afaf wal-ghina (O Allah, I ask You for guidance, piety, chastity and affluence). Sunan Ibn Majah 3832 . And it is established that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: يستجاب لأحدكم ما لم يعجل، يقول: قد دعوت ربي فلم يستجب لي The supplication of every one of you will be granted if he does not get impatient and say (for example): 'I supplicated my Rubb but my prayer has not been granted' Riyad as-Salihin 1499 . And in (Sunan al-Tirmidhi ) and others, it is narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ما على الأرض مسلم يدعو الله تعالى بدعوة إلا آتاه الله إياها أو صرف عنه من السوء مثلها ما لم يدع بإثم أو قطيعة رحم فقال رجل: إذًا نكثر، قال: الله أكثر Whenever a Muslim supplicates Allah, He accepts his supplication or averts any similar kind of trouble from him until he prays for something sinful or something that may break the ties of kinship." Upon this someone of the Companions said: "Then we shall supplicate plenty." The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah is more plentiful (in responding)." Riyad as-Salihin 1501 . And al-Tirmidhi said: This is a good, authentic hadith. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.

Ruling on Castration

The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta

Machine translationRead the Arabic original

Fatwa No. ( 14384 )
Q: A matter has been troubling me for five years. I am a man of thirty-six years of age, and Allah has afflicted me with an intense sexual desire that I cannot restrain. I have fasted as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded us, for fasting came to me, but I swear to you by Allah that it increased with fasting. I presented myself to medical doctors and they gave me sedative pills, but unfortunately they did not help. I am a person afflicted with this affliction and I am unable to marry due to the lowness of my salary, as I work as a prescription writer at King Khalid Military Hospital in Tabuk . What I wish to do is undergo a castration operation to cut off the sexual desire , the accursed one, in order to preserve my honor and protect my religion. What I hope for is: informing me whether this act is forbidden or permissible? Since I asked some scholars and they forbade it, and due to my inability to bear this trial and test, I earnestly hope you will inform me of the result in writing at my address, as I do not listen to the radio. May Allah guide you and protect you in the service of our pure religion, and may you remain safe.
A: It is not permissible for you to proceed with an operation to remove the testicles; due to the prohibition of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) of Uthman ibn Maz'un from castration. But you must fear Allah, stay away from places of fitnah, and persist in watching over yourself and chastity; in accordance with the saying of Allah the Exalted:

But let them who find not [the means for] marriage abstain [from sexual relations] until Allah enriches them from His bounty.

وَلْيَسْتَعْفِفِ الَّذِينَ لاَ يَجِدُونَ نِكَاحًا حَتَّى يُغْنِيَهُمُ اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ

[An-Nur 24:33]

And you must increase in supplication and seek the times of response; perhaps Allah will grant you a righteous wife. Allah the Exalted said:

And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ

[Al-Baqarah 2:186]

, and Allah the Exalted said:

And your Lord says, "Call upon Me; I will respond to you." Indeed, those who disdain My worship will enter Hell [rendered] contemptible.

وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ

[Ghafir 40:60]

, and Allah the Exalted said:

Is He [not best] who responds to the desperate one when he calls upon Him and removes evil

أَمْ مَنْ يُجِيبُ الْمُضْطَرَّ إِذَا دَعَاهُ وَيَكْشِفُ السُّوءَ

[An-Naml 27:62]

. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say:

Allahumma inni as'alukal-huda wat-tuqa wal-'afaf wal-ghina (O Allah, I ask You for guidance, piety, chastity and affluence).

اللهم إني أسألك الهدى والتقى والعفاف والغنى

Sunan Ibn Majah 3832Sahih (Darussalam)

. And it is established that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

The supplication of every one of you will be granted if he does not get impatient and say (for example): 'I supplicated my Rubb but my prayer has not been granted'

يستجاب لأحدكم ما لم يعجل، يقول: قد دعوت ربي فلم يستجب لي

Riyad as-Salihin 1499

. And in (Sunan al-Tirmidhi ) and others, it is narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

Whenever a Muslim supplicates Allah, He accepts his supplication or averts any similar kind of trouble from him until he prays for something sinful or something that may break the ties of kinship." Upon this someone of the Companions said: "Then we shall supplicate plenty." The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah is more plentiful (in responding)."

ما على الأرض مسلم يدعو الله تعالى بدعوة إلا آتاه الله إياها أو صرف عنه من السوء مثلها ما لم يدع بإثم أو قطيعة رحم فقال رجل: إذًا نكثر، قال: الله أكثر

Riyad as-Salihin 1501

. And al-Tirmidhi said: This is a good, authentic hadith. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.

Source www.alifta.gov.sa

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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