Muharamat - Prohibitions That Are Taken Too Lightly. Islamic book

Sodomy (Homosexuality)

Sodomy, or intercourse between two males, was the crime of the people of Lut. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And (remember) Lut, when he said to his people: ‘You commit al-faahishah (sodomy - the worst sin) which none has preceded you in (committing) among the ‘aalameen (mankind and jinns). Verily, you commit sodomy with men, and rob the wayfarer, and practise al-munkar (disbelief, polytheism and every kind of evil deed) in your meetings.’ . . .” [al-’Ankaboot 29:29].

Because of the repulsive nature and enormity of this sin, Allaah inflicted four kinds of punishment which He had never before inflicted in combination upon any other people; they were: these people would be blinded, their city would be turned upside-down, stones of baked clay, piled up, would be rained down upon them, and an awful cry would be sent upon them.

In Islam, those guilty of this crime are to be killed by the sword, according to the soundest opinion. This punishment is to carried out on both the one who does this and the one to whom it is done, if it is done freely and by choice. Ibn ‘Abbaas reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whomever you find committing the sin of the people of Lut, kill them - both the one who does it and the one to whom it is done.” (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 1/300; see also Saheeh al-Jaami’, 6565). The modern-day spread of incurable diseases like the killer AIDS caused by this corruption, that were unknown to our predecessors, is an indication of the wisdom of the Sharee’ah in prescribing this severe punishment.