Cure for masturbation?

Question

I am a 20 year old man and. Sometimes I used to get excited and in the excitement I used to force my private part against the bed or surface with my belly or thigh while lying on my abdomen. As I did this, I would feel some sensation or feeling in my front private part. Generally, I can control it and stop it from discharging but sometimes I can’t. Is this also a form of masturbation (if I don’t discharge)? Am I masturbating and will I have to perform ghusl before praying salah if I don’t discharge?

I realise what I am doing is wrong and its’ getting tougher day by day. Please assist me and give me advice on how to stop committing this evil sin. Please make dua to Allah that he forgives me.

Please also consider this case: if I get excited and could control myself from discharging and continue my daily work, however, after about an hour and a half, I find wetness in my pants. Will merely cleaning the soiled part suffice or will I have to perform ghusl?

(Question posted as received)

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

You are 20 years old and in the prime of your life. These years are the ones that one should value and spend correctly because they generally define how one will spend the rest of his life. If one is able to control his desires and not give in to his passions, he will attain the sweetness of Iman and attain a high ranking in the hereafter. Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam has said:

“There are seven people to whom Allah will grant shade on the day that there is no shade besides his shade. A just ruler, a youth brought up in the worship of Allah, a man whose heart is always in the masjid…”[1]

Stopping a bad habit like masturbation is not hard. You have already done the hardest step which is admitting and accepting that it is a mistake and declaring that you want to stop it. It’s all a downhill struggle from here. The main thing is controlling ones’ eyes.

 People see multitudes of people and innumerable objects daily and the mind works in a very strange way. The cause of this is that when one is idle, it starts bringing back the things that a person has seen. Unfortunately, these things tend to be the Haram that a person has looked at during the day which causes one to get excited and do things that he shouldn’t. The best way to cure this is to keep ones gaze down and most importantly, use the internet only when one really needs to. This is because when one just browses the web aimlessly and goes onto ‘harmless’ websites such as Youtube , he will see the other pictures and videos on the side and with the a final shove from shaytān, ones desires get the better of him and before you know it this person is indulging in Haram.

One should also try and ensure that the computer/ laptop stays in a place that everyone can see. This will deter one from visiting immoral sites. It is also vital that one doesn’t buy or read any material in which he knows there are illicit, indecent and racy images or material that will lead one to other sins.

A practical thing one can do to stop this habit and any other bad habit that one may have is to make a promise to Allah the Almighty that he will not commit the sin, and for each time he does after that, he will give a certain amount of money in charity or to the local masjid… It is important that one keeps this amount realistic and even more important that one pays.

The final and most important thing is that one constantly makes dua to Allah the Almighty and constantly does the dhikr of Allah. This will keep ones’ mind occupied at all times. One should not despair if he commits the sin again. Remember! If your taubah and intention are correct, Allah will definitely give you the taufeeq (ability) to refrain from this sin.

The answers to your questions are as follows:

1.  If one gets excited but does not discharge, it will not make ghusl fardh upon the person[2]. One will not have to perform ghusl to pray salah. This act is Haram and will be regarded as masturbation as one is using his own body to fulfil his passion.
2.  If one excites himself but manages to prevent ejaculation at that moment, but ejaculates at a later time in the day, he will have to do ghusl after the ejaculation.[3] [4]

Remember! An idle mind is the devils workshop! Keep yourself busy.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
www.daruliftaa.net

[1] صحيح البخاري (1/ 133)

، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: ” سَبْعَةٌ يُظِلُّهُمُ اللَّهُ فِي ظِلِّهِ، يَوْمَ لاَ ظِلَّ إِلَّا ظِلُّهُ: الإِمَامُ العَادِلُ، وَشَابٌّ نَشَأَ فِي عِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِ، وَرَجُلٌ قَلْبُهُ مُعَلَّقٌ فِي المَسَاجِدِ، وَرَجُلاَنِ تَحَابَّا فِي اللَّهِ اجْتَمَعَا عَلَيْهِ وَتَفَرَّقَا عَلَيْهِ، وَرَجُلٌ طَلَبَتْهُ امْرَأَةٌ ذَاتُ مَنْصِبٍ وَجَمَالٍ، فَقَالَ: إِنِّي أَخَافُ اللَّهَ، وَرَجُلٌ تَصَدَّقَ، أَخْفَى حَتَّى لاَ تَعْلَمَ شِمَالُهُ مَا تُنْفِقُ يَمِينُهُ، وَرَجُلٌ ذَكَرَ اللَّهَ خَالِيًا فَفَاضَتْ عَيْنَاهُ ”

[2] Nurul Idhaah, pg:27, maktabah Asriyyah

[3] Al Muheet al Burhani, pg:88, Darul kutub al Ilmiyyah.

[4] Al fiqhul islaami wa adillatuhu, vol:1, pg:443, Darul Fikr