Religion 101: Who talks about Sex in Islam?

A delicate flower for a delicate subject. Courtesy of Flickr

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There is a famous quote that is attributed to Prophet Muhammad, Peace Be Upon Him, which relates:

"Islamic faith consists of more than sixty branches. And Haya is a part of Faith." -narrated by Abu Huraira

The term "Haya" covers a wide variety of concepts which are to be understood together; amongst them are self respect, modesty, bashfulness, and prudence.

In an effort to exhibit haya in their daily practice, many Muslims do not speak of sex or sexual topics candidly. As one can imagine, sometimes this affects the children of these Muslims because they grow up never learning about sex; well at least not from their parents.

Most parents every where cringe when they think of the infamous 'Birds and The Bees' talk that they will need to have with their children. Oftentimes it is an embarrassing and awkward conversation to have, but! -- it still needs to happen and the best would be for it to come from educated and concerned parents. With or without their parents, kids usually find out what this sex thing is all about.

Here are some resources for my reader to look into to either help them gain knowledge in Islamically healthy ways or for individuals to learn about this topic in a non-lewd, non-jarring manner.

-Wedad Lootah, an Emirati social worker, has taken it upon herself to be an educator of sexual issues in Muslim communities. Lootah has written a book, which was published this year, that delves into the topics of the female orgasm, homosexuality, and sexual happiness in general. The book, which was reviewed and approved by the mufti of Dubai, is entitled: Top Secret: Sexual Guidance for Married Couples.

-Quranclub.net is collaborative blog founded by Ikram Kurdi. A great post that talks about pornography and masturbation from an Islamic perspective is available for perusal and (anonymous) commenting is here. The Quranclub is quite a contemporary and open blog for discussion and knowledge about topics that are not usually brought into light.

-The Modern Religion website has a plethora of links that will take the reader to a variety of topics. I have quickly browsed their webpage entitled Sex is Good for You, "information Taken From: Natural Healing With the Medicine of The Prophet". Check it out and tell me what you think.

I know that this is a short list, and I plan to add to it in the future. It is important to be educated and knowledgeable about these things, simply so that we can be better Muslims. My hope is to increase the number of legitimate resources there are about this subject

Read Sakina's articles as a Detroit Muslim Examiner.