What is the Islamic ruling on sapphism (female fornication), and does it necessitate the prescribed punishment (حد)?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
Lesbianism is forbidden and considered one of the major sins. There is no prescribed legal punishment for it. It differs from adultery (zina). Adultery is the insertion of the glans into a forbidden vagina that is naturally desired. As for lesbianism, it is an act of a woman with another woman, involving no insertion, and it is not naturally desired; rather, it is practiced out of perversion.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/37823
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 37823
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy