Ruling on consuming aphrodisiacs

30-4-2017 | IslamWeb

Question:

What is the Sharee'ah ruling on using aphrodisiacs by spouses in order to feel more ecstasy and sexual enjoyment in particular?

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Answer:

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

If aphrodisiacs are natural, such as some vegetables, fruits, beans, forest herbs, and so on, then the original ruling is that it is permissible to consume them in moderation, without excess, unless they lead to some sort of harm that is considerable in the Sharee'ah. In such a case, the impermissibility is confined to kinds that cause harmful effects. If aphrodisiacs are made from chemicals or similar materials, such as drugs and tablets used for this purpose, then judging them as permissible or impermissible depends on whether or not they lead to harmful results. Yet, such drugs mostly have side effects on the various functions of the body. It has been proven through experiment that they have negative effects. These drugs function by deceiving the normal status of the body in thinking that it has doubled energy, so it acts accordingly. This results in hard muscular overworking and as a consequence the heart and the blood circular system exert extraordinary effort. After recovery, the body and the heart become unable to resist the consequences and cases of contraction of the heart muscles and severe fatigue occur, causing the death of many people.

Thus, the original ruling is that such substances should be disallowed and that one should avoid them in compliance with the Islamic principle that states that, "There should be no harm nor reciprocal harm." They should also be shunned out of blocking a means that could lead to killing a soul without a legal claim.

Allah knows best.