Another Message from a Homosexual Muslim Young Man

Published in Arabic in August, 17 , 18 , 19 , 2016

Translated by: Ahmed Fathy

 PART I: The Message and the Diagnosis:

Introduction:

1- Several months ago, we have published an article titled "A Message from a Homosexual Devout Muslim Young Man!", which as we write these words has been read 187247 times, with 37 comments in Arabic underneath it, until now. More importantly, we have received afterwards an avalanche of email messages from homosexual youths, some want to repent, some to seek advice, and some to chat about it in a confession-like manner. We did not write a reply to any of them, as the above-mentioned article seemed to be an enough response. Yet, we replied to one message, unpublished here, from a homosexual married man in his forties. Eventually, we have decided to publish this message we have received recently from a homosexual Muslim young man, along with our lengthy reply, hoping that this would be our last word on that subject, and we refer the readers to the similar previous fatwas on the subject and the previous article (in English) on our website:

http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=14158

2- The message: (… Peace be upon you, Dr. Mansour. I know you do not have much time to read long messages, especially weird stories like mine, but I must be allowed to talk to the only person who would understand me. No sheikh or clergyman I have corresponded with unless he would tell me to repent and let go of homoerotic feelings or otherwise go to Hell. I desperately seek your advice about what to do. I am a 26-year-old youth from an Arab country. I suffer schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder, but I never received treatment until I reached the age of 25. For years, I felt that all people hate me and conspire against me, and my life was a series of nightmares consisting of illusions and obsessions. I attempted suicide once. I suffer now chronically depression.  I have lost my appetite and stopped seeing anyone, not caring at all about my state of health, and I usually keep to my room, engrossed in a depressed mood. I remember vaguely that I was sexually harassed once at primary school. As an adolescent, school friends taught me how to masturbate. I usually masturbate 3 or 4 times a day, a type of obsession that for years had been my only source of pleasure and escape from my despair and empty life. I am sorry if I have shocked you with my frankness, but I cannot possibly stop masturbating; as I have begun masturbation even shortly before adolescence. Reaching the age of 20, I was introduced to cyberspace and pornographic material. On a daily basis, once I get back home, I'd spent the rest of the day watching gay porn movies and masturbating. I fantasize about being a 'passive' gay man who is eager to please the macho man and about being a submissive girl in role-playing and BDSM. I developed feelings of masochism, and I enjoy masturbating while watching gay porn movies of sadomasochism, scat movies, movies of gay men urinating on each other, and movies of zoophiles with horses, etc. Later on, I began to use my webcam to make gay men admire my naked, soft, hairless body and I got thrilled by this; I felt happy that those men loved my body. I sometimes wear girls' clothes alone inside my room, feeling in contact with my inner self! Yet, by the end of the masturbatory sessions, I would return to my normal state and wear my ordinary clothes, thinking how I did this to myself! Once, I got involved in a one-night-stand with a friend and allowed him to enter me! Instead of feeling overjoyed, I felt so sorry and regretted the act. I began to read the Quran daily to get some comfort; I never read Quranic verses before unless at school classes of religious education. Later on, I contacted one sheikh to tell him about my problem as a 'passive' homosexual. He told me that a demon is haunting me and driving me to seek sexual gratification with men. He urged me to be nearer to God, to drink Zamzam-well water daily, and to read holy religious words and incantations every night and day. I felt relieved for few days from homoerotic feelings, but I relapsed again. The sheikh told me to read Quranic verses over water and drink it, and to pray the five daily prayers regularly, while listening to the Quranic Chapter Two daily in my room to drive away the demon. I stopped watching porn. Yet, every night, I fantasize about men and masturbate before I sleep! The sheikh rebuked me for lack of patience and ordered me to fast; by the way, this sheikh is not a charlatan, but a well-known scholar in the Gulf countries, and he never took money from me, as he treats people using the Quran only. I began reading the Quranic Chapter Two four times daily to drive away the incubus! I began to read hadiths about such things and other topics of religious nature, especially how to repent. I avoided my PC and stopped listening to music, but in many times I would yield and listen to music and watch porn every now and then. Every Ramadan, I would tell myself to fast the whole month, but I would stop fasting by the 20^th day of it in order to masturbate day and night and to watch porn. Reaching the age of 26, I began to lose erections easily and suffer premature ejaculation. I feel I cannot get married at all, and I do not know what to do. I never feel sexually aroused by females, only by macho men. But once my masturbatory sessions are over, I never think about men. I made some medical analyses and found out that my masculinity hormones ranges are OK and I enjoy an excellent health. I receive treatment by a psychiatrist now for my depression, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. I never told my psychiatrist about my homoerotic feelings. I never know why I am suffering such ordeals! I discovered your Quranism website by chance, and read most of your articles and books, believing every word you have written. I felt that you are an enlightened person, away from Wahabi Salafism. I myself do not know if I am a Salafist or a secular Quranist, or if I am a man or a woman. I never understand why I desire men sexually. Is being addicted to masturbation prohibited in Islam? What about my wearing women's clothes? I grew weary and depressed. Am I miserable for just being sexually harassed in my childhood, or for being addicted to porn? I no longer understand myself. Why am I suffering homosexuality, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, and schizophrenia?! Why is this happening to me. A sheikh called Daayiee Abdullah appeared in cyberspace to say that homosexuality is allowed in Islam! What do you think?! I am sorry if my message is longer than it should be; I never talked about my problem to anyone before, and I trust you, Dr. Mansour, because you are an objective, enlightened man, and I seek your advice and view about my problem. Thanks in advance for your time  …)

Here's our reply:

Firstly:

 It is clear from your words that you are still far from being a Quranist; yet, we hope you will soon be a Quranist one day, but first, you have to embark into the journey of treatment that we will explain below. Let us give you some points about the differences between you and Quranists:

1- Quranists reject all of the so-called hadiths altogether and believe only in one discourse in Islam: the Quran. The Quran is God's Word, and God has commanded us in it not to believe in any other discourse but the Quran: "…Which discourse, besides this, will they believe in?" (7:185), "Woe on that Day to the rejecters.In what discourse, beyond this, will they believe?" (77:49-50), and "These are God's Verses which We recite to you in truth. In which discourse, after God and His revelations, will they believe? " (45:6).

2- Quranists never prohibit arts, including music, singing, photography, paintings, etc. Prohibitions must be stated clearly in the Quranic text. But note that Quranists prohibit religious singing and the singing the Quranic verses; please refer to our articles on that subject and to the constitution of Quranists.

3- Quranists regard homosexuality as a major, big sin, like fornication, and they know from the Quran that God punished the people of Prophet Lot because of his grave sin. Yet, in Islamic (i.e., Quranic) sharia laws, there is no punishment to be applied by a human being to another for homosexual practices, unlike adultery and fornication punished by flogging as per the Quran, along with certain conditions that stop such punishment to be exacted. Thus, lack of corporeal punishment in this transient world for the sin of homosexuality does not mean to imply that it is a small sin. There are grave sins that has no punishment in the Quran in this life, but their deferred judgment and punishment is Eternal Hell in the Hereafter for those who die without acceptable repentance: just as the case with the sins of polytheism and disbelief in the Quran and in God. Hence, human beings have absolute religious freedom; most Muhammadans, who consider themselves as Muslims, fall into the trap of polytheism in terms of faith by believing in the so-called hadiths (invented by human devils in our view) ascribed falsely to Prophet Muhammad a century after his death and by deifying and sanctifying mortals and making pilgrimage to their tombs. As for the punishment, in this life by people, for homosexual acts committed by sinners, it is merely verbal rebuke and the urgent call for quick repentance: "If two men among you commit it, rebuke them both severely. But if they repent and reform, leave them alone. God is Redeemer, Full of Mercy. Repentance is available from God for those who commit evil out of ignorance, and then repent soon after. These-God will relent towards them. God is Knowing and Wise. But repentance is not available for those who commit evils, until when death approaches one of them, he says, "Now I repent," nor for those who die as disbelievers. These-We have prepared for them a painful torment." (4:16-18).      

4- Quranists reject the Salafist readings of the Quran as a singing recitation (practiced or listened to) or as text read in a shallow, superficial manner without understanding and contemplating Quranic verses, as Salafists do on religious occasions like Ramadan. Unlike Salafists, Quranists read the Quran calmly, slowing, reverently, piously, seeking guidance and understanding.  

5- Quranists reject the notion of faultlessness of any mortals, including prophets, as prophets never err only in conveying the divine, celestial message; otherwise, they are ordinary human beings that can commit mistakes sometimes, despite their being the chosen ones among human beings. We read these verses in the Quran about Muhammad: "Whatever good happens to you is from God, and whatever bad happens to you is from your own self…" (4:79) and "Say, "If I err, I err only to my own loss; but if I am guided, it is by what my Lord inspires me…" (34:50). The reason why we are writing this is the fact that such topic is linked to our main argument here: all people do err and commit mistakes sometimes, but the best of them is the one who readily and hastily repents and begins self-reform. God's mercy includes God's forgiveness of small sins committed by those who avoid grave, big sins in order to allow them into Paradise: "If you avoid the worst of what you are forbidden, We will remit your sins, and admit you by a Gate of Honor." (4:31). Hence, masturbation is among small sins or small faults into which all people fall sometimes; sexual instinct cannot be restrained, suppressed, or overlooked, as it is the basis of human reproduction. No human being is free from thinking about sex, by talking or touching; or as in the 20^th and 21^st centuries by watching movies of any type that contain sexually explicit material. This nearness to these things that might lead to fornication is prohibited in the Quran in the following verse: "And do not come near adultery. It is immoral, and an evil way." (17:32). The same applies to coming nearer to things that might lead to illicit same-sex relations, as it is a major, grave sins as per the Quran: "Those who avoid gross sins and indecencies-except for minor lapses-your Lord is of Vast Forgiveness... "(53:32). Thus, despite the fact that certain small faults or small sins are prohibited in the Quran, but they may be forgiven by God if one does not commit major, grave sins like adultery, fornication, and homosexual practices. As for those who commit such grave sins, they must readily repent sincerely so that God would wipe out their sins and replace them with good deeds and rewards: "And those who do not implore besides God any other god, and do not kill the soul which God has made sacred-except in the pursuit of justice-and do not commit adultery. Whoever does that will face penalties.The punishment will be doubled for him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will dwell therein in humiliation forever. Except for those who repent, and believe, and do good deeds. These-God will replace their bad deeds with good deeds. God is ever Forgiving and Merciful." (25:68-70).

6- Quranists reject superstitions in general, especially the ones related to demons possessing human bodies that need to be exorcised by charlatans, as per the popular myths of the ignorant masses in the Arab world. As per Quranic facts, we, Quranists, believe in the following.

6/1: A human being consists of two components created by God: body and soul. The soul is the component coming from the location called Barsakh in the Quran (Barsakh: where all souls are found before births of people and each returns there after one's death). Thus, the soul is the entity of Barsakh controlling the body of any human being. Through the second component, the body, one's soul feels pleasure and pain. This ''feeling'' or ''suggestion'' touching one's soul influences it of course. The soul is the component that believes or disbelieves in God and metaphysical aspects like the Hereafter, the Last Day, etc. Thus, one's soul decides to either obey or to disobey God; for instance, it is the component that could lead the body either to the house of worship or to the brothel, to make the body engage into good deeds or bad ones/sins. Hence, the soul is the part or component that is guided or misguided; Quranic guidance reaches through the soul if it deliberately chooses to be guided, whereas devilish whispers/suggestions/impulses touch the soul if it deliberately chooses misguidance and disobedience. We are to remember that devils in general belong to the same ethereal level of human souls; hence, contacting souls by devils occurs. This contact is not within notions of charlatans and quack-doctors; rather, simply speaking, it means merely that devils relentlessly try to misguide souls and to urge them to commit errors and sins. In sum, devils' suggestions to souls must mean to be ''continuous misguidance'' of such souls.     

6/2: Devilish whispers or suggestions into souls are a common thing that occurs to all human beings, even prophets and messengers of God; devils never despair in their relentless endeavors to misguide believers. Real pious believers seek refuge in God in such cases to deliver themselves from devils' influencing their souls to drive them to commit sins. In the Quran, God commands Muhammad to do so: "And when a suggestion from a devil assails you, take refuge in God. He is Hearing and Knowing." (7:200). Thus, pious people are to do so when they feel the urge to do something sinful or say anything unkind: "Those who are righteous - when an impulse from devils strikes them, they remind themselves and immediately see clearly." (7:201). As for victims of devils who succumb to evil ways and sins, devils control and dominate their souls; they are brethren of devils as they allow devils to lead them to the path of Hell until its very end and until they die: "But their brethren lead them relentlessly into error, and they never stop short." (7:202).  

6/3: The same idea is repeated in the following verses addressed to Muhammad: "When you read the Quran, seek refuge in God from Satan the outcast. He has no authority over those who believe and trust in their Lord. His authority is only over those who follow him, and those who associate him as a deity alongside with God." (16:98-100). What is regarded as a further step here is to seek refuge in God BEFORE reading the Quran, in a sincere faithful devout manner, and while reading the Quranic Chapter One in prayers as well, and it is a sad fact that most Muhammadans utter such a thing routinely and without passion and devoutness, and that is why they mostly attain no piety in prayers and they do not understand the Quran.

6/4: We are commanded to seek refuge in God before reading the Quran, in a sincere faithful devout manner, so that our hearts and souls are allowed to be touched by the Quranic guidance, to allow it to sink deep inside us. Of course, the Quranic terms ''heart(s)'' and "soul(s)" are exact synonyms in the Quranic text. We mean to say that this is the way that enables the Quranic guidance to reach the inner core of one's soul without barriers of devils' whispers. This is the meaning of the following verses about how the Quran touches the hearts and souls of those who purified their hearts and souls from dominance of the devils by seeking sincerely refuge in God before reading the Quran : "It is a Noble Quran in a well-protected Book, which none can grasp it except the purified." (56:77-79).

6/5: In contrast, those whose eyes are blind to the Quranic guidance of Almighty God the Dominant allow devil to be always near them to misguide them more by making the Truth seems as false and making falsehoods appear as true. Such misguiding devils cannot be seen in this transient world; they will be seen and cursed by sinners in the Last Day: "Whoever shuns the remembrance of the Dominant, We assign for him a devil, to be his companion. They hinder them from the path of righteousness, though they think they are guided.  Until, when man comes to Us, he will say to this devil, "If only there were between me and you the distance of the two Easts." What an evil companion!" (43:36-38). Of course, in our opinion, the path of righteousness here means the Quran itself.

6/6: When such devils dominate the souls and hearts of such sinners, those sinners would consider their sins as religious duties; e.g., terrorists of ISIS and the MB group in their so-called sex jihad; this is fornication of course). That is what we read in the following verses: "…We have made the devils friends of those who do not believe. And when they commit an indecency, they say, "We found our parents doing this, and God has commanded us to do it." Say, "God does not command indecencies. Are you attributing to God what you do not know?"" (7:27-28). Another example is when terrorists of ISIS and the MB group use the term jihad to justify their crimes of massacring the innocent people. Thus, it is no use trying to guide such terrorists into peace and the Quranic Truth, as devils deceive them by making the Truth seems as false and making falsehoods appear as true. "What of him whose evil deed was made attractive to him, and so he regards it as good? God leads astray whomever He wills, and He guides whomever He wills. Therefore, do not waste yourself sorrowing over them. God knows exactly what they do." (35:8).

6/7: Thus, such terrorists whose souls and hearts are dominated by devils are the worst people in terms of misguidance and insanity, as they commit their atrocities (massacres, rape, vandalism, explosions, suicide bombings etc.) while shouting "Allahu Akbar!" (God is the Greatest!), and other slogans of religious nature and pray in groups afterwards calmly as if they have done nothing bad at all! Such criminals are fully controlled by devils, more than usurers who commit usury in money dedicated for charity: "Those who swallow usury will not rise, except as someone driven by devils touching their souls…" (2:275). The fluctuations and vacillations of such mad terrorists dominated by devils made them appear in headlines in international news. Some of the so-called companions of Prophet Muhammad were like this, as they had shunned and spurned the Quranic message: "If you turn away, you are likely to make mischief on earth, and sever your family ties.Those are they whom God has cursed. He made them deaf, and blinded their sight." (47:22-23). Hence, God has called them to grasp and Quran and to read it with acute awareness, devotion, and piety, while using their reasoning  minds to set themselves free from fetters of devils: "Will they not ponder the Quran? Or are there locks upon their hearts?" (47:24). And God has made this case a general one that applies to many people in all eras and locations: "Those who reverted after the guidance became clear to them - devils have enticed them and given them latitude." (47:25). We see that 47:25 applies to our miserable age in the Arab world, where religious terrorists wreak havoc everywhere. 

Secondly:

 The previous PART I was the diagnosis of a case that erred because of misguidance, whose signs manifested in bodily and physical symptoms. If such words of ours seem strange, further explanation is presented in PART II

PART II: Before Treatment:

Firstly: faith and belief and psychological relief:

1- The Quran is described as a healing for people's souls in case they believe in it; this healing remedy is available for all people: "O people! There has come to you advice from your Lord, and healing for what is in the hearts, and guidance and mercy for the believers." (10:57). Quranic Guidance and such psychological remedy for believers in the Quran are linked in another verse: "…For those who believe, it is guidance and healing…" (41:44).

2- The Quran is described as remembrance of God and reading it is an act of worship to mention and to remember Almighty God: "Surely We revealed this remembrance, and We will surely preserve it." (15:9). "…We swear by the Quranic remembrance" (38:1). The ways to remember God vary: 1) in prayers: "…practice the prayer for My remembrance." (20:14), 2) in practical stance to seek refuge in God against devils: "Those who are righteous - when an impulse from devils strikes them, they remind themselves and immediately see clearly." (7:201), and 3) in repentance and imploring God for forgiveness and pardon: "And those who, when they commit an indecency or wrong themselves, remember God and ask forgiveness for their sins…" (3:135). In all circumstances, remembrance of God heals and soothes the souls and hearts: "Those who believe, and whose hearts find comfort in the remembrance of God. Surely, it is in the remembrance of God that hearts find comfort."" (13:28). This comfort is psychological well-being, i.e., happiness and joy, felt only by those who believe faithfully in God and in the Last Day.  

3- Those who believe faithfully and sincerely in God and in the Last Day accept life tests in patience while feeling gratitude to the Almighty, and not feel sorrowful, as they believe in the fact that no one can evade the inevitable fate preordained by God to each person, before one is born: (i.e., birth, death, ordeals, and earnings): "No calamity occurs on earth, or in your souls, but it is in a Book, even before We make it happen. That is easy for God. That you may not sorrow over what eludes you, nor exult over what He has given you. God does not love the proud ones." (57:22). Hence, outside the above-mentioned four items of fates for which a person is not responsible, one is free to choose to live in righteousness, piety, and goodness, while remembering God in all situations and stances, staunchly and firmly believe in the fact that no one could cause one's death before or after the date and timing set for one beforehand. Likewise, one cannot stop earnings of someone who give them to one who is not preordained to have. As long as believers fear no one but God, one will fear nothing in the Hereafter, especially peaceful reformers for the sake of God risking their lives and who are sure to win victory by God Who defends them: "…God supports whoever supports Him. God is Strong and Mighty." (22:40). "God defends those who believe…" (22:38). Therefore, real believers enjoy psychological well-being even when dangers besiege them.

4- We must not forget that psychological well-being (happiness) is the main reason behind excellent state of physical health; the influence of the soul on the body is never overstated.

Secondly: misguidance and life hardships:

1- After God has told us about the story of Adam, we read in the Quran the warning to all people in all locations and eras; those who follow the divine, celestial guidance will enjoy life free from misguidance and hardships, while those who shun and spurn God's remembrance (i.e., the Quran), will suffer a confined life of hardships: "He said, "Go down from it, altogether; some of you enemies of some others. But whenever guidance comes to you from Me, whoever follows My guidance, will not go astray, nor suffer. But whoever turns away from My Remembrance, for him is a confined life filled with hardships. And We will raise him on the Day of Resurrection blind."" (20:123-124)

2- Hence, this ''confined life of hardships'' refers chiefly to psychological pain consisting of fear, despair, frustration, suffering, worries, stress, and hatred. Such life destroys psychological well-being and the human body together that will suffer physical ailments of many types as a result. This ''confined life of hardships'' is akin to the status of a person who is on the verge of death by suffocation or drowning. Yet, suffocated and drowned ones suffer for minutes before death, while those who live in the ''confined life of hardships'' suffer all day long and all night long, while forcing themselves to wear smiles to avoid people gloating at their misfortune. Such lifelong of suffering will go on, as affirmed in 20:124, as long as such a person insists on discarding and rejecting God's remembrance: the Quran.  

3- We not in 20:124 that this ''confined life of hardships'' is never linked to the person's being poor or rich, in low-rank or high-rank positions, male or female, etc.; rather, it is linked solely to that person's being misguided and disobedient in terms of faith and belief, as such a person neglects the Quran, the only source of God's guidance.

4- This person living this ''confined life of hardships'' is a victim of the companionship of the devil. Devils are the arch-enemies of the human beings, as we know from the Quranic warnings: "Satan is an enemy to you, so treat him as an enemy…" (35:6). Thus, believers make devils as their enemies and seek refuge in God against the evil whispers of the devils, whereas companions of devils worship devils and blindly obey their devilish biddings. Such warnings are repeated in 18:50, 36:60, and 43:62. It is noteworthy that God repeats the Quranic command of avoiding the footsteps of the devils: "…do not follow the footsteps of Satan. He is to you a veritable enemy." (2:168). This is repeated also in 2:208 and 6:142.    

Thirdly: steps of devils to cause their followers to live in confined life of hardships:

 Those who shun God's remembrance (the Quran) suffer the steady company of devils that misguide them and cause their suffering to increase. Such devils are ethereal beings that cannot be seen; they are linked to the sinners' souls, as souls are ethereal as well. Such devils who dominate sinners' souls know such souls more than these persons themselves – with huge experience in misguidance and leading the sinners astray. This is why one cannot get rid of such devils unless by seeking refuge in Almighty God. Such companion-devils have numerous methods of misguiding and harming persons, and these methods are called steps of the devil or footsteps of the devil.

1- In many cases, some people are religious and wish to enter Paradise as they believe in the Hereafter, but they overlook God's remembrance (the Quran) or tend to forget all about it. Such persons are misguided by devils by false wishes; God says the following about Satan: "God has cursed him. And he said, "I will take to myself my due share of Your servants, and I will mislead them, and I will entice them with false wishes…" (4:118-119). In our opinion, these false wishes include the Sunnite/Sufi notion of the so-called intercession of Prophet Muhammad on behalf of sinners to get them out of Hell. This false notion contradicts the Quran, and it drives one to feel permitted to commit as many small or big sins as possible as long as such intercession is there. Such is the notion leading the Muhammadans, who are followers of earthly, man-made creeds, to commit atrocities and crimes of all sorts while leading a life of hardships, thinking they do good deeds, and then they are not aware that they deserve Hell in case of non-repentance!    

2- Those struggling against many others for power and authority might make their ambition consume their lifetime and lead them to lose their lives for the devils' sake, especially those raising religious banners and mottoes to deceive the masses. In other cases, such sinners might reach power and authority and might rule with tyranny while monopolizing safety and security while terrorizing nations or peoples. The companion-devils lead such rulers to terrorize citizens in order to make sure they would be enthroned in safety as long as they live. Yet, such rulers feel a unique sort of confined life of hardships: constant fear and distrust. Since such tyrants, theocrats, and despots never fear God, they fear all people around them, as we discern from this general Quranic rule: "That is only Satan frightening his partisans; so do not fear them, but fear Me, if you are believers." (3:175). Thus, if one disobeys God and rejects Him, devils will make one dear everything and everyone. In contrast, when believers fear God alone, without feeling any human beings or anything, they feel safe and secure.  Hence, disbelief and polytheism are linked to fear and fright: "We will throw terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve, because they attribute to God partners for whom He revealed no proof. Their lodging is Hell-Fire. Miserable is the lodging of the evildoers." (3:151). This fright and terror is a mental illness regarded as a confined life filled with hardships that never change for the better by money of the world. Hence, despots and tyrants who monopolize wealth and power never feel happy and live in confined palaces guarded heavily, and their motion is restricted as they live in constant fear; they are haunted by nightmares and spirits of their victims, expecting treason and treachery of all those who are near them as they cast doubt everyone. Thus, such despots and tyrants are in condition worse than his victims incarcerated in prison cells; such cells might protect them, while palaces filled with intrigues and conspiracies are bigger prisons of frightened tyrants, driving them to commit more injustices to terrorize their foes and to alleviate their fears, in vain. The more tyrants commit injustices, the more they grow afraid. This is an example of confined life of hardships: tyrants live in constant fright after monopoly of power, wealth, and authority, and they terrorize people and commit injustices against them, until those tyrants die eventually. Yet, in their lifetime of hardships, they have to smile before others and for cameras and stifle their worst fears.     

3- Another type of sinners suffering confined lifetime of hardships are those who worship their progeny, money, and possessions, as they struggle and compete with others in such fields for the devils' sake, and such competitions make their life miserable and filled with hardships, as their scramble for wealth makes them forget about the Quran and God until they die eventually after a life filled with misery. Hence, such sinners' progeny, wealth, and possessions cause torment in this life, and in the Hereafter, and this tangible fact is self-evident: "Let neither their possessions nor their children impress you. God intends to torment them through them in this worldly life, and that their souls depart their bodies while they are disbelievers." (9:55). "Do not let their possessions and their children impress you. God desires to torment them through them in this world, and their souls expire while they are disbelievers." (9:85).     

4- Such greedy once who worship money are usually preoccupied by their progeny's future materialistically; they care to provide them with wealth and affluence, not with time and care needed by children from their parents. As such people keep busy in the struggle against foes for the sake of Mammon they try to compensate their being too busy to care for their offspring by giving them lots of money. Such affluent progeny have much spare time and the means to indulge in sins and idle dissipation, as parental guidance is zero. They might fall into the trap of drug addiction and sexual sinfulness, entering the vicious circle of pain and insatiable pleasure urged by the companion-devils.

5- The human body is the material, tangible field of the soul; the component that feels pain and pleasure and transmits them to the soul. Pain always follows pleasure and vice versa; i.e., after periods of pain, a human being feels immensely relieved and such relief is akin to pleasure, and after periods of pleasures, a human being feels tired and fatigued, feelings akin to pain. The human soul has a certain threshold of feeling pain or pleasure; when pain levels pass that threshold, the soul feels nothing, as if the soul is in a state of stupor or loss of consciousness. When carnal, physical pleasure levels pass that threshold, the soul no more feels pleasure, as if the soul is numbed and de-sensitized. Sure enough, excessive carnal pleasures destroy the human body, and psychologically, such excess drives one to seek more and higher levels pleasure feelings of which are impossible to reach after passing a certain threshold. For instance, those who over-eat the best of food items will no longer feel its taste, and in many cases they fall ill and have to keep away room food to feel hunger for longer periods in order to heal the results of overeating. Hence, the most dangerous thing here is when excess of carnal pleasures is turned into mental anguish and physical pain. It is noteworthy here to mention that most profligate sultans, rulers, and caliphs of the past died in the prime of their youth because of excessive sex and eating beyond their bodies' capacities, as we read in history.        

6- God describes fornication/adultery in the Quran as follows: "…It is immoral, and an evil way." (17:32). This means that if the pleasure of fornication lasts for minutes, and by repeating and getting used to such sin, a sinner can no longer feel pleasure. Let us remember that STDs are a great many in number and are very dangerous and painful, as they spread in promiscuous people in societies where sexual freedom is available. Thus, such countless sexual encounters make one loses the pleasure of it, and the companion-devils of the souls of sinners whisper to their victims higher levels of extreme 'pleasures' like drugs addiction, sadomasochism, homosexual practices, zoophilia, necrophilia, and rape the worst crime of all, especially when the victim is killed in search of the lost sense of physical and mental pleasure. This vicious circle continues as novelty wears off, and as new item of pleasure become boring and tedious, driving a sinner crazy in search for new crimes/sins. During all such sinful practices, physical and psychological pains and sense of guilt dominate sinners along with self-contempt and disgust. Some of such sinners commit suicide after trying and practicing everything and getting the sense of ''been there, done that''. Yet, we are to remember that the body energy is limited and the soul threshold of feeling pleasure is at a certain degree and beyond it is numbness. Thus, should such sinners escape dying of STDs, they might die of psychological troubles or commit suicide after leading a troubled lifetime of hardships.         

Fourthly:

 The young man who wrote us the message is currently lives a troubled confined life of hardships, and in the next part, we tackle the treatment of such case as per what he wrote in his message.

PART III: Treatment of this Young Man:

Firstly: let us analyze facts related to this young man:

1- This young man is in the prime of his youth and he never committed fornication but once indulged in a homosexual encounter that he never repeated, and then, he has been for years addicted to pornography and masturbation. Yet, he is ready to repent; as he feels remorse and want to be treated and to stop sinning. Repentance in such cases as this young man is possible and available, unlike the cases of elderly persons who spent their lifetimes in committing sins and injustices in a state of misguidance and disbelief. Such old sinners might hardly think of repentance; their souls/hearts are blackened by the frequency, enormity, and quantity of sins, as they are addicted to sins: "…Their hearts have become corroded by what they used to earn." (83:14). Such corrosion blackens hearts in a figurative sense of course, and sinners in their old age might repent quickly, if they ever think of sincere repentance, as they have no much time left for making amends with their victims and to confess their sins to God by making lots and lots of good deeds to replace their sins and efface bad deeds, in order to whiten their hearts, in the figurative sense of course. Thus, this young man is lucky enough to have a conscience against sinning in his youth to begin seeking guidance and repentance early.          

2- This young man is evidently rich, or maybe belongs to the upper strata of the middle classes in his society; he has his own room alone and his parents know nothing about him. he has money, health, and lots of spare time. Indeed, health and spare time are blessings that are often misused. If such a youth were poor and live in a tiny room shared with many siblings, he would have spent time earning his bread, leaving no room to feel depressed. Depression never occurs to those who strive to make ends meet and to keep themselves alive. Depression occurs to the affluent ones who never strove to obtain necessities of life. People of upper middle-classes are usually busy getting new material things and get depressed when they could not get them. The affluent ones get bored of everything and lose hope in aspiring to anything, as they have so many luxurious items that the lose taste of them all, and they consequently get depressed and feel hopeless in aimless life, and even some of such affluent ones commit suicide.        

3- This young man is affluent and did not commit fornication, but committed the small sin of masturbation to ejaculate the stored semen inside his body to relieve his depression, until he was addicted to such bad habit; especially that he has lost his appetite for both food and life. 

4- In general, as we have mentioned in many previous articles, evils approach human being within their weak points and/or whims; for instance, if certain persons love Prophet Muhammad too much, devils make them deify and sanctify him. If certain persons love performing prayers too much, devils make them see prayers as an end in themselves and not a means to attain piety and avoid sins, thus leading such person into committing grave sins as long as they pray regularly and too much. If certain persons love their money and riches too much, devils make them exceed in such love until they fall into disbelief in God; see the parable of the owner of rich gardens in 18:32-43. In the case of this young man, devils has led to be addicted to masturbation under the pretext of instant relief or gratification, especially that he has spare time and physical health without parental supervision or guidance. Hence, this young man spent years in such dreadful state of continuous sinning. Masturbation relies on imagination and daydreaming; after imagining himself as having sex with a woman, later on boredom had led to imagine playing a woman's role as having sex with a man, and pornographic material led him to imagine other weird sexual practices and fantasies to feed and provide his masturbatory sessions with the needed new thrill. Thus, he insulted himself and procured upon himself psychological pathologies as his imagination dominated his soul. Yet, this young man has retained some signs of longing for purification and innocence, as his mental struggle and anguish has led him to seek help at Salafists at first, and then he encountered our website. We write to him below the Quranic treatment.  

Secondly: the Quranic treatment:

1- Being honest with oneself is of vital importance: "And man will be seeing his faults, even as he presents his excuses" (75:14-15). One must be frank in facing oneself, and every one must be able to face oneself with its faults and merits. People usually cannot deceive themselves as they might deceive and lie to others. Self-reform entails facing oneself honestly and courageously. One must face oneself in a mirror and talk to one's inner soul, not necessarily to talk to a real mirror made of glass. Inner recesses of one's mind must be searched deeply seeking treatment/reform and self-correction. 

2- Determination is the second important item: facing oneself entails determination and a will of iron to apply self-reform or treatment until cure is achieved and maintained after convalescence.

3- Conscience is the third important item: determination means that one is elevated above one's desires by cultivating the super-ego or an active conscience not muddled as it used to be to prevent your relapse and return to the evil route, and to cause pangs of remorse if one ever relapsed. This active conscience will enable two things as follows.   

3/1: The ability to do without things: as long as one can breathe and eat, everything else is disposable and can be done without. Hence, one can avoid/quit smoking, having illicit sex, bad habits, bad people, etc. to feel oneself as really free from shackles and fetters of all sorts of addiction as well as the bad habits related to gratifying others instead of retaining one's sense of liberation. This ability to do without things or items makes one the strongest of people, with no weaknesses to be manipulated or used by consumerist products of the West or by Middle-Eastern tyrants. One in that case is above and stronger than all of them.   

3/2: Self-respect: one must discern that there are certain acts that are beneath one and no longer fit to be done by one. This is not done out of arrogance or aloofness, but of motives of self-respect ad moralistic attitude to raise oneself above others in terms of ethics and morals. If others mistreat you, you never respond by the same mistreatment as justice entail, but charity and forgiveness make you deal better with them by your noble nature to pardon them.    

4- The human will is the fourth important item: the human will involves individual self-reform and general reform on all levels within one's society.

4/1: Divine will vary in its types; there is one related to the Creator in His creatures, especially human beings: "In whatever shape He willed, He assembled you." (82:8). "It is He who forms you in the wombs as He wills. There is no God except He, the Almighty, the Wise." (3:6). The divine will create things in the universe: "…God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, 'Be,' and it is."" (3:47).

4/2: There is also the human will outside the domain or range of the above-mentioned pre-ordained fates (i.e., birth, death, ordeals, and earnings). For instance, one does not choose one's race, skin color, birthplace, height, etc., but one chooses to enter Paradise by doing lots of good deeds and good, intact beliefs and faith, as God promises us. Let us imagine a dark-skinned man wishing if he were blonde in this transient world. This is impossible to occur; yet, in the Hereafter, if he worked hard and enough for entering Paradise, his face will brighten as white for eternity in Paradise; see 3:106-107.  

4/3: Hence, the human will is the one controlling belief and disbelief as well as obedience and disobedience, and the divine will comes next to it to assert and reinforce what one has chosen for oneself: "…So whoever wills, let him take a way back to his Lord." (78:39). "This is a reminder. So whoever wills, let him take a path to his Lord." (73:19). "…The truth is from your Lord. Whoever wills-let him believe. And whoever wills-let him disbelieve…" (18:29)."This is a reminder; so whoever wills let him take a path to his Lord. Yet you cannot will, unless God wills. God is Knowing and Wise." (76:29-30). "It is only a Reminder to all humankind. To whoever of you wills to go straight. But you cannot will, unless God wills-The Lord of the Worlds." (81:27-29). This means that when one wills to seek guidance, God's will follow suit to grant one this guidance: "…He guides whom He wills to a straight path." (2:142). Those who desire misguidance will granted their wish by God as well: "What of him whose evil deed was made attractive to him, and so he regards it as good? God leads astray whomever He wills, and He guides whomever He wills. Therefore, do not waste yourself sorrowing over them. God knows exactly what they do." (35:8). "Say, "Whoever is in error, the Most Merciful will lead him on." Until, when they see what they were promised-either the punishment, or the Hour. Then they will know who was in worse position and weaker in forces. God increases in guidance those who accept guidance..." (19:75-76).  

5- Within this human will, one controls and restrains oneself, as God created inside us both elements of piety and sinning to choose from: "And the soul and He who proportioned it and inspired it with its wickedness and its righteousness, successful is he who purifies it, and dialing is he who corrupts it." (91:7-10). The successful person in the Hereafter is the one to have a strong will of self-reform and suppress any whims for the sake of Paradise: "But as for him who feared the Standing of his Lord, and restrained the self from desires then Paradise is the shelter." (79:40-41).

6- With such strong human will, one's pangs conscience drive one to confess his sins even before a group of people, as the aristocratic Egyptian woman did (aka Potiphar's wife) when she confessed before the king and his retinue that she was the one who sexually tempted Joseph and that he was honest, honorable, and chaste; see 12:51-53. 

Lastly:

 What is required from this young man while he is still in the prime of his youth is that he would treat himself alone with an iron-will based on true faith and real, sincere repentance. This young man should help himself with two things as well: patience and prayers. "And seek help through patience and prayer. But it is difficult, except for the devout." (2:45). "O you who believe! Seek help through patience and prayers. God is with the steadfast." (2:153).