Punishment of Homosexuality in Islam
Q: Non Ahmadi Muslims believe that the punishment for Homosexuality is death. They provide examples such as: https://sunnah.com/abudawud/40/112:
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ النُّفَيْلِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ أَبِي عَمْرٍو، عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " مَنْ وَجَدْتُمُوهُ يَعْمَلُ عَمَلَ قَوْمِ لُوطٍ فَاقْتُلُوا الْفَاعِلَ وَالْمَفْعُولَ بِهِ " . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ رَوَاهُ سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ بِلاَلٍ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ أَبِي عَمْرٍو مِثْلَهُ وَرَوَاهُ عَبَّادُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَفَعَهُ وَرَوَاهُ ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ دَاوُدَ بْنِ الْحُصَيْنِ عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَفَعَهُ .
Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If you find anyone doing as Lot's people did, kill the one who does it, and the one to whom it is done.
Abu Dawud said: A similar tradition has also been transmitted by Sulaiman b. Bilal from 'Amr b. Abi 'Umar. And 'Abbad b. Mansur transmitted it from 'Ikrimah on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas who transmitted it from the Prophet (ﷺ). It has also been transmitted by Ibn Juraij from Ibrahim from Dawud b. Al-Husain from 'Ikrimah on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas who transmitted it from the Prophet (ﷺ).
Grade: Hasan Sahih (al-Albani) Sunan Abi Dawud 4462
Ahmadi Muslims do not believe this. What is the proof for our belief?
A:The Zahiri scholar Imam Ibn Hazm (rh), of Andalusia, d. 456 AH, took all of the narrations about killing homosexuals in his al-Muhalla bi-l-athar one by one and showed their weaknesses. Just type in "Ibn Hazm homosexuality" and a whole bunch of articles will show up in Google. Also it should be noted that Imam Ibn Hazm(rh) of Andalusia wasn't some sort of Sufi, rather he was a great scholar in eyes of Muslims and he is regarded highly by Hanbalis and Salafis, ironic considering they are the same people who were advocating the view that Imam Ibn Hazm(rh) debunked.
As for the punishment for homosexual acts. The Quran has made it clear that the punishment is house arrest:
[4:16]
وَ الّٰتِیۡ یَاۡتِیۡنَ الۡفَاحِشَۃَ مِنۡ نِّسَآئِکُمۡ فَاسۡتَشۡہِدُوۡا عَلَیۡہِنَّ اَرۡبَعَۃً مِّنۡکُمۡ ۚ فَاِنۡ شَہِدُوۡا فَاَمۡسِکُوۡ ہُنَّ فِی الۡبُیُوۡتِ حَتّٰی یَتَوَفّٰہُنَّ الۡمَوۡتُ اَوۡ یَجۡعَلَ اللّٰہُ لَہُنَّ سَبِیۡلًا ﴿۱۶﴾
ENGLISH
And those of your women who are guilty of lewdness — call to witness four of you against them; and if they bear witness, then confine them to the houses until death overtake them or Allah open for them a way.
The Short Commentary on this states:
576. Fahishah as used in the Qur’an (7:29; 33:31; 65:2) does not necessarily mean fornication or adultery for which punishment is prescribed in 24:3. The word refers to any glaringly improper conduct which may disturb social relations and may lead to breaches of the peace. The women referred to in this verse, as the men in the next in which similar offence with an undefined punishment is mentioned, are those guilty of foul or immoral conduct short of fornication or adultery. This is the view also of Abu Muslim and Mujahid. Such women should be prevented from mixing with other women until they reform themselves or get married, marriage being the way opened for them by Allah. As the offence mentioned is a serious one, four witnesses are considered necessary lest injustice be done to women reported against.
