Friday Nasiha

Al-Nisa (Women)
Chapter 4: Verse 29

Trading by Mutual Consent
"Believers! Do not devour one another's possessions wrongfully; rather than that, let there be trading by mutual consent."

The Expression 'wrongfully' embraces all transactions which are:

1. opposed to righteousness, and
2. either legally or morally reprehensible.

By contrast, 'trade' signifies the mutual transfer of benefits between the parties concerned, such as that underlying those transactions in which one person provides whatever satisfies the needs of another person and is paid in return.

'Mutual consent' means that the exchange should be free of:

1. undue pressure,
2. fraud, and
3. deception.

Wrongful Transactions:

• Although bribery and interest apparently represent transactions based on mutual consent, closer examination reveals that such consent takes place by constraint and under pressure.
• In games of chance, too, the participants seem to consent freely to the outcome. This kind of consent, however, is due to the expectation entertained by the participants that they will win. No one takes part anticipating loss.
• Fraudulent transactions also seem to be based on the mutual consent of the parties concerned. That kind of consent, however, is based on the false assumption that no fraud is involved in the transaction. Nobody who knew that he would be subjected to fraud would consent to be a party to that transaction.

Source:
"Towards Understanding the Quran" - Syed Abul Ala Mawdudi, vol 2, p. 32

Islam Forbids Homosexuality

Islam forbids homosexual practices (sexual relations between two men or between two women), regarding them as a great sin. In a society under Islamic law, such practices would be severely punished.

Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "If you find anyone doing as Lot's people did (i.e. homosexual sodomy), kill the one who does it, and the one to whom it is done." (Abu Dawud, An-Nasai, Ibn Majah, Al-Tirmidhi)

The family is crucially important in Islam, and the rules governing interaction between the sexes are there to prevent harmful acts such as fornication and adultery. Outside of the immediate family, men and women must dress modestly, according to Islamic guidelines. Free mixing is strongly discouraged. This all helps to prevent forbidden relationships.

Homosexuality presents a problem. It is not suggested that men will not mix with each other, nor that women will not mix with each other; they can do so within the limits set by the Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. Those who seek to fulfil homosexual desires damage the very fabric of society which is why Islam condemns such practices.

It is worth commenting on the terms 'homophobia' and 'heterosexism'. Homophobia generally means a fear of homosexuals or homosexuality. The Islamic viewpoint is not homophobic; disapproval is different from fear. Heterosexism has been defined as heterosexuals believing they are superior which justifies imposing values. In Islam it is not a question of superiority or inferiority, but one of right or wrong, in the same way that Islam says that theft is wrong or that murder is wrong.

Whilst Islam forbids homosexual practices, and deals with this crime severly in Islamic societies, it does not seek out those with homosexual desires with a view to persecute them. If people have such desires, they should keep it to themselves, and should control their desires to avoid forbidden practices. The advice would be the same as, say, to someone who had sexual desires for minors or for close family: that having the desires does not legitimise realising them. Islam aims at closing all avenues that might encourage evil practices which could corrupt the whole society.

Source:
"What Does Islam Say?" - Ibrahim Hewitt, pp. 29, 30