Playing sports with homosexuals

16-11-2014 | IslamWeb

Question:

Salam aleykum, I would like to ask a question regarding my situation. I live in the Unites Kingdom.I love playing football an I always play it to have a better health, to be fit,that is my only intentions. I have been for a while with a team of whose majority players are gay..What are the islamic rulings in such a case? I do not support gays by any means, as I said before, I just go there to play football for my health, but As they are gay people, should due to Islamic rulings, I stop going to play with them or that is fine?jazak Allah for your answer.
Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

There is no harm in playing sports in order to stay in shape as long as you abide by the limits set by the Sharee‘ah of concealing the ‘Awrah (i.e. body parts that should be covered as per the Sharee‘ah) and avoid looking at other people’s ‘Awrah. For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 82677.

But you should not mix with those homosexuals because it is feared that they may lure the person who mixes with them into vice. Whoever keeps the company of the wolf will learn how to howl. Those dissolute gays who follow their sinful desires and whims often seek to invite others to deviate just as they have deviated. Allaah, The Exalted, says (what means): {... those who follow [their] passions want you to digress [into] a great deviation.} [Quran 4:27]

The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "The likeness of a good companion and a bad companion is that of a person carrying musk and another who works the bellows. The person carrying musk might give you some of it or at the very least you will enjoy the pleasant scent. The person with the bellows will either singe your clothing or at least make you suffer from the bad smell." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

In his commentary on this Hadeeth, Al-Nawawi may Allaah have mercy upon him said: "It demonstrates the virtue of keeping the company of the righteous and pious people who carry out good deeds and possess noble manners…. It prohibits us from keeping the company of people who engage in bad deeds and commit religious innovations, those who backbite others, and those who are habitually sinful and idle and the like of blameworthy attitudes and actions."

Ibn Hajar may Allaah have mercy upon him wrote: "The Hadeeth prohibits keeping the company of those who can harm one whether in respect to one's religiosity or worldly affairs; it also urges Muslims to keep the company of those who can benefit them in their religious or worldly matters." [Fat-h Al-Baari]

Hence, you should look for other companions to play football with or you may consider playing another sport like swimming, running, or maybe working out on a stationary bike for instance.

For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 88137 and 90305.

Allaah Knows best.

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