لواط
Liwāṭ
Topic
Islamic tradition forbids same-sex acts, from the story of Lot’s people; scholars have differed about the penalty and Muslim societies about how to treat people.
What it means
The Quran tells of Lot’s people, who “approach men in lust instead of women” and were destroyed (7:80–84, 26:165–166, 27:54–55). The act is called an indecency (fāḥisha). The Quran sets no worldly penalty. Classical jurists differed, and the Hanafis did not prescribe the fixed punishment for it, while others held that it was the same as for adultery, or death. A report on killing both partners (Abu Dawud) is graded weak by many.
Often misunderstood as
That Islam teaches that people may be killed for their orientation.
What the sources say
The tradition draws a line between acts and inclinations, and the standard of proof (four witnesses, as for adultery) is so high that the penalty is almost never applicable. The Prophet forbade spying on people’s private lives (49:12). Muslim societies today differ widely: some criminalise, some tolerate quietly, and a minority of Muslim scholars and writers argue for a different reading. Violence and vigilantism against people have no basis in Islamic law.