Is the Sinful Habit of Masturbation Distancing Me from Allah?
Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch
Question
I’m a 16-year-old Muslim boy who has the habit of masturbating. I want to know whether masturbating keeps one away from Allah and leaves his dua unanswered because some recent calamity has hit me. I always make dua to Allah to help me, but my duas are always unanswered. Whenever I have plans to do something, it always backfires. These days all my luck is also wrong, and recently iv heard that masturbating. Other Haram works keep us distant from Allah. Please, I want to know whether Allah will forgive me if I give up all my sins and let me return to my everyday life.
Please tell me how I repent and ask forgiveness from Allah Most High because I was addicted to masturbating, and I want to repent. Please tell me how.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
Repentance
Firstly, remember that no matter how bad one sins, if they are sincere, the door of repentance is always open for them as long as they are alive.
For your repentance to be heartfelt, it must fulfill the following conditions:
- Sincere remorse
- Desisting from the sin, immediately
- Having resolved never to repeat the sin
Determination
Secondly, from the depth of your heart, you want to leave this sin.
Remind yourself of this sin’s gravity and physical, emotional, and spiritual harm.
Thirdly, apply the following practical advice:
- Consider taking the appropriate steps toward marriage
- Reflect on those things which stir up your desire and lead to this sin.
- Avoid these things as best as possible.
- Try not to be alone unnecessarily.
- Take quick showers and lessen one’s time in the washroom
- Guard your gaze and reduce your intake of food, especially meats.
Seeking Help from Allah Most High
Lastly, pray to Allah Most High to save you from this sin.
Allah Most High says, “Call upon me, I will respond to you…” [Quran, 40:60]
Wake Up Call
The difficulties and tribulations that you are facing may be due to your sins. You should see this as a wake-up call from Allah Most High. This wake-up call is a mercy from Allah Most High.
Allah Most High says, “So We will make them taste the lesser punishment other than, the greater punishment, so that they may return (i.e., back to Allah).” [Quran, 32:21]
Check out this reader on pornography:
A Reader on Pornography and Masturbation
Be sincere and strive to please Allah Most High. Hold a reasonable opinion of Allah, and you will find your relief.
Hope this helps
Allah Most High knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and a number of texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.
