Are Libido Lowering Drugs Permissible?
Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Question: Assalamu alaykum
Since last summer, my libido has been extremely high for some reason. So much so, that I feel this is very abnormal for a female. I have tried everything. I remain very busy in order to keep myself distracted from it. I have tried since last summer to find a marriage spouse which has been very difficult thus far as I am finding that less and less people are pious these days. I am now considering asking my family physician for a referral to a gynecologist so that I can explain my situation and request medication that lowers libido. Can I do that?
Answer: Wa ‘alaykum as-salam
I pray you are well.
Yes, it is permissible to use libido lowering drugs or other means to fulfil this purpose as long as the procedure reversible, and not permanent. Using something which will render the libido defunct permanently is impermissibile (al-Mawsu’a al-Kuwaitiyya).
Perspective
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said to ʿAbdullah b. ʿAbbas, ‘Know that whatever hits you was never meant to miss, and what misses you was never meant to hit’ (Tirmidhi). The word ‘aṣāba’, translated here as ‘hit’, is used in Arabic to describe an arrow hitting the exact target. What we can learn from this is that every test we face is just right for us, and ‘tailor-made’ for our situation.
What’s more is that Allah, out of His kindness, makes everything that happens to us the best possible thing for us, and the greatest of rewards are granted through the most difficult of trials. Ask Allah for help, take the means to deal with your problems and be happy about the great good which will come to you through this trial.
Optimism regarding Allah
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) told us that Allah has said, ‘I shall be to my servant as he thinks I will be’ (Bukhari). Have a good opinion of Allah. Be confident that He will take care of you in the best of ways, and that He will give you a righteous spouse. Express you needs to Allah through du’a and the prayer of need (salat al-Hāja).
May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.
Wassalam,
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 to study and sit at the feet of some of the most erudite scholars of our time.
Over the following eighteen months he studied a traditional curriculum, studying with scholars such as Shaykh Adnan Darwish, Shaykh Abdurrahman Arjan, Shaykh Hussain Darwish and Shaykh Muhammad Darwish.
In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years, in Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Theology, Hadith Methodology and Commentary, Shama’il, and Logic with teachers such as Dr Ashraf Muneeb, Dr Salah Abu’l-Hajj, Dr Hamza al-Bakri, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, Dr Mansur Abu Zina amongst others. He was also given two licences of mastery in the science of Qur’anic recital by Shakh Samir Jabr and Shaykh Yahya Qandil.
His true passion, however, arose in the presence of Shaykh Ali Hani, considered by many to be one of the foremost tafsir scholars of our time who provided him with the keys to the vast knowledge of the Quran. With Shaykh Ali, he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Qur’anic Sciences, Tafsir, Arabic Grammar, and Rhetoric.
When he finally left Jordan for the UK in 2014, Shaykh Ali gave him his distinct blessing and still recommends students in the UK to seek out Shaykh Abdul-Rahim for Quranic studies. Since his return he has trained as a therapist and has helped a number of people overcome emotional and psychosomatic issues. He is a keen promoter of emotional and mental health.
