who transitions* (Reposting here from r/Islam since it wouldn't let me comment at all for some reason so couldn't really take part in any discussion. Also please actually read through the entire thing and not the first 2 lines, since a lot people seem to do that about topics like this)
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Salam, I am very confused and conflicted on this topic and I want to see people's views and opinions on it and point me in the direction of more resources to educate myself.
If a person who is Muslim experiences gender dysphoria and is transgender HAS to transition as prescribed by a doctor into the opposite gender using hormones and surgery (ie. if a man transitions into a woman), and they have tried to suppress these feelings but failed, is it permissible or not?
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Gender dysphoria can be seen as a condition, and Islam urges Muslims to seek treatment for their conditions and illnesses. It can be seen as correcting an ailment such as a cleft lip or extra finger, and I do not feel that it would come under the quote which forbids the changing of Allah's creation (and that quote isn't very specific either, as some say it refers to not necessary plastic surgery or even changing Allah's words). It's also often more serious, hence the extremely high suicide rate.
Even if it is seen as a desire, it is a fact that it usually leads to major depression and anxiety, and this itself is a mental illness. For most trans people, transitioning helps alleviate this depression. I think the percentage of people who were happy with transitioning was like more than 97%, and the people who weren't were mostly because of major backlash and discrimination and had to detransition. A vast majority of trans people I have met are satisfied.
Many people also say that being trans is just choice that astray people make. But I don't understand why anyone would go through extreme hardship with hating their life so much, coming out to people who might not be supportive, facing costly medical procedures, and having to deal with constant hate by society for a simple trend or choice. I don't get why anyone would choose that, especially trans religious people who might be going against their religion and the uncertainty that comes with it. (There are also studies which show that being trans might have to do with hormonal imbalances in the womb development but there's not too many studies on it, it's still being worked on).
It's also often not possible for most people to suppress it as many believe, and it's a thing that consumes their lives on the daily. Conversion therapy often ends in more emotional distress and higher suicide chances, and has proven to be ineffective. Suppressing it just seems to make it worse, and of course most of them have tried suppressing it since most people wouldn't choose to have to go through all this. It doesn't seem to work.
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Furthermore, there seems to be an extreme unclarity on what Islam perceives about these people. There are quite a few hadith that say that this is not permitted. One mentions how the Prophet PBUH cursed men who imitate women and women who imitate men. However, this seems to be highly contested, like for example, Pakistan and Iran and other countries accept and recognize transgender people and allow them to live their lives, while other areas don't. There were fatwas issued too, in the past century, which did allow transgender people to go under sex-reassignment surgery if absolutely necessary, as in if the emotional distress was too unbearable.
I found this article about how a lot of the quotes used are most likely taken out of context. I don't exactly know how accurate it is, but it does seem to be convincing. It talks about points I mentioned above such as it can be seen as a medical treatment. It also elaborates on the fatwas mentioned above, and talks about how there were 'Mukhannathun' who were allowed in women's quarters as long as they didn't have any sexual desire for them. Some people say that the above cursing was because one of them who was the servant of the Prophet's wife started to describe her body in sexual manners, or something along those lines. The above hadith about how the Prophet cursed them can be argued upon too, as there were a accounts suggesting otherwise due to the amount of Mukhannathun in Arabia in that time, and whether trans people count as men merely choosing to imitate women and vice versa and what type of people exactly he was referring to. Was he referring to people like James Charles, or people with a condition such as Gender Dysphoria? The definitions are not the same from all the way back then till now, and it's unclear what Muhkannathun refers to.
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However, I have a secondary major question, and I apologize for going on a tangent above. If it is haram, and the person still has faith in Allah follows Islam in all other aspects such as Salah 5 times a day, fasting, and giving Zakat, would that person go to hell? There was an incident where a man applied henna on his hand was banished, but was not killed by the Prophet as he still prayed and was a Muslim. I also heard of a story where a prostitute was helping a stray animal well, and therefore Allah forgave her. At the same time, I wonder if it's one of those sins that people say send you straight to Hell. How forgiving is Allah about this, and would Allah hate the Muslims who have to go ahead with transition?
who transitions* (Reposting here from r/Islam since it wouldn't let me comment at all for some reason so couldn't really take part in any discussion. Also please actually read through the entire thing and not the first 2 lines, since a lot people seem to do that about topics like this).Salam, I am very confused and conflicted on this topic and I want to see people's views and opinions on it and point me in the direction of more resources to educate myself.If a person who is Muslim experiences gender dysphoria and is transgender HAS to transition as prescribed by a doctor into the opposite gender using hormones and surgery (ie. if a man transitions into a woman), and they have tried to suppress these feelings but failed, is it permissible or not?.Gender dysphoria can be seen as a condition, and Islam urges Muslims to seek treatment for their conditions and illnesses. It can be seen as correcting an ailment such as a cleft lip or extra finger, and I do not feel that it would come under the quote which forbids the changing of Allah's creation (and that quote isn't very specific either, as some say it refers to not necessary plastic surgery or even changing Allah's words). It's also often more serious, hence the extremely high suicide rate.Even if it is seen as a desire, it is a fact that it usually leads to major depression and anxiety, and this itself is a mental illness. For most trans people, transitioning helps alleviate this depression. I think the percentage of people who were happy with transitioning was like more than 97%, and the people who weren't were mostly because of major backlash and discrimination and had to detransition. A vast majority of trans people I have met are satisfied.Many people also say that being trans is just choice that astray people make. But I don't understand why anyone would go through extreme hardship with hating their life so much, coming out to people who might not be supportive, facing costly medical procedures, and having to deal with constant hate by society for a simple trend or choice. I don't get why anyone would choose that, especially trans religious people who might be going against their religion and the uncertainty that comes with it. (There are also studies which show that being trans might have to do with hormonal imbalances in the womb development but there's not too many studies on it, it's still being worked on).It's also often not possible for most people to suppress it as many believe, and it's a thing that consumes their lives on the daily. Conversion therapy often ends in more emotional distress and higher suicide chances, and has proven to be ineffective. Suppressing it just seems to make it worse, and of course most of them have tried suppressing it since most people wouldn't choose to have to go through all this. It doesn't seem to work..Furthermore, there seems to be an extreme unclarity on what Islam perceives about these people. There are quite a few hadith that say that this is not permitted. One mentions how the Prophet PBUH cursed men who imitate women and women who imitate men. However, this seems to be highly contested, like for example, Pakistan and Iran and other countries accept and recognize transgender people and allow them to live their lives, while other areas don't. There were fatwas issued too, in the past century, which did allow transgender people to go under sex-reassignment surgery if absolutely necessary, as in if the emotional distress was too unbearable.I found this article about how a lot of the quotes used are most likely taken out of context. I don't exactly know how accurate it is, but it does seem to be convincing. It talks about points I mentioned above such as it can be seen as a medical treatment. It also elaborates on the fatwas mentioned above, and talks about how there were 'Mukhannathun' who were allowed in women's quarters as long as they didn't have any sexual desire for them. Some people say that the above cursing was because one of them who was the servant of the Prophet's wife started to describe her body in sexual manners, or something along those lines. The above hadith about how the Prophet cursed them can be argued upon too, as there were a accounts suggesting otherwise due to the amount of Mukhannathun in Arabia in that time, and whether trans people count as men merely choosing to imitate women and vice versa and what type of people exactly he was referring to. Was he referring to people like James Charles, or people with a condition such as Gender Dysphoria? The definitions are not the same from all the way back then till now, and it's unclear what Muhkannathun refers to..However, I have a secondary major question, and I apologize for going on a tangent above. If it is haram, and the person still has faith in Allah follows Islam in all other aspects such as Salah 5 times a day, fasting, and giving Zakat, would that person go to hell? There was an incident where a man applied henna on his hand was banished, but was not killed by the Prophet as he still prayed and was a Muslim. I also heard of a story where a prostitute was helping a stray animal well, and therefore Allah forgave her. At the same time, I wonder if it's one of those sins that people say send you straight to Hell. How forgiving is Allah about this, and would Allah hate the Muslims who have to go ahead with transition? https://ift.tt/eA8V8J https://ift.tt/3q1Pkkg
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