Thinking about intercourse does not affect the validity of the Hajj, even if it is followed by ejaculation. So the Hajj is valid and no fidyah is required according to the majority of jurists. However, the pilgrim should not get carried away with bad thoughts; rather he should focus on remembering Allah and what is appropriate to the Hajj, because it is for this sublime purpose that all the rituals of Hajj were prescribed.
He thought about intercourse during Hajj and ejaculated; what is the ruling on his Hajj?
Question 622917
I am a young man, 24 years old. I did Hajj last year, but during Hajj I found myself thinking about sexual matters, and on one occasion ejaculation occurred because of thinking. That happened in Muzdalifah when we were returning from the standing in `Arafah. Is my hajj valid? Please advise me, because I am confused about my situation.
Summary of answer
Similar Topics
Answer
Praise be to Allah, and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah:
It is not appropriate for the pilgrim in ihram to deliberately think about intercourse and anything that is connected to it, because of what that could lead to of emitting maniy or madhiy.
If he did think of such matters but no ejaculation occurred, then there are no consequences, according to scholarly consensus.
It says in Hashiyat ar-Rawd al-Murbi` by Ibn Qasim, 4/38:
Repeatedly thinking without any emission of maniy or madhiy does not lead to any consequences, according to scholarly consensus, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah has pardoned my ummah for what crosses their minds, so long as they do not act on it or speak of it.” Agreed upon. End quote.
But if emission of maniy occurs before the first stage of exiting ihram – as in your case – the majority of scholars (the Hanafis, Shafa`is and Hanbalis) are of the view that Hajj is valid, and it is not rendered invalid by the emission of maniy as a result of thinking.
As-Sarkhasi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
There are no consequences for the pilgrim in ihram for looking at a woman, even if he ejaculates, because looking is like thinking, so long as he does not follow that with masturbation. Even if he thinks and emits maniy, he is not required to offer any compensation.
End quote from Al-Mabsut, 4/120.
Ibn Nujaym (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Nothing is required of him if he looks at the private part of a woman with desire and emits maniy, because what is prohibited for the pilgrim in ihram is intercourse, and did that not take place. So it is as if he thought and then emitted maniy as a result.
End quote from Al-Bahr ar-Ra’iq Sharh Kanz ad-Daqa’iq, 3/15.
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
If he looks at a woman with desire, and looks repeatedly until he ejaculates, that does not spoil his Hajj and no fidyah is required, and there is no difference of opinion in our view…
Our evidence is the fact that it is ejaculation without touching, so it is akin to thinking and ejaculating without looking.
End quote from Al-Majmu` Sharh al-Muhadhdhab, 7/413.
Al-`Imrani (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
If he looked repeatedly at a woman and ejaculated, nothing is required of him... Our evidence is the fact that he ejaculated without touching, so it is as if he thought and ejaculated.
End quote from Al-Bayan fi Madhhab al-Imam ash-Shafa`i, 4/229.
Ibn Qudamah (may Allah have mercy on him) said, in the context of discussing what makes it obligatory to offer fidyah in Hajj:
If he thought then ejaculated, nothing is required of him, because thoughts cross a person’s mind without him wanting or deliberately choosing that. So there is no ruling that is connected to that, as in the case of fasting. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah has pardoned my ummah for what crosses their minds, so long as they do not act on it or speak of it.” Agreed upon.
End quote from Al-Mughni by Ibn Qudamah, 5/173.
And the majority of scholars quoted as evidence the following:
The hadith of Abu Hurayrah, according to which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah has pardoned my ummah for what crosses their minds, so long as they do not act on it or speak of it.”
The indication in the hadith is:
That Allah forgives thinking and does not bring a person to account for it. From this we may understand that ejaculation that results from thinking is to be overlooked. Moreover, if we compare Hajj with fasting, we see that just as ejaculation that results from thinking does not spoil the fast, it also does not spoil Hajj.
And ejaculation that results from thinking may also be compared with that which results from dreaming about intercourse; in both cases there is no real physical intimacy. See: Al-Mughni, 5/173.
For more information, see: Al-Mawsu`at al-Fiqhiyyat al-Kuwaitiyyah, 4/100.
Based on that, your Hajj is valid and nothing is required of you.
For more information, see the following answers on our website: 146055, 206010, 213719.
And Allah knows best.
Issues of Pilgrimage
Source:
Islam Q&A
Was this answer helpful?
