The Quranic Foundation
The key word in this verse is harth — cultivation, farming, the place of growth. Scholars interpret "your harth" as referring to the place from which children come — the vagina. The phrase "however you wish" (anna shi'tum) refers to position and approach — not to coming to a different place than the harth. This is the consistent interpretation of the Companions and classical scholars.
The Explicit Hadith Prohibition
Scholarly Consensus (Ijma)
The prohibition of anal intercourse between spouses is among the most agreed-upon rulings in Islamic jurisprudence. All four major Sunni schools — Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali — unanimously prohibit it.
- Imam Malik: Called it among the worst of acts
- Imam Shafi'i: Clear prohibition, no scholarly disagreement from the scholars of the Companions
- Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal: One of his strongest prohibitions in the marital domain
- Imam Abu Hanifa: Prohibited, treated similarly to zina in gravity
The Wisdom Behind the Prohibition
- Physical harm: The rectum is not designed for penetrative intercourse. It causes physical damage, increased risk of infection, and injury. Islam does not permit harm to the body.
- Health risk: Significantly higher risk of STI transmission including HIV through anal intercourse than vaginal. Islam protects health.
- The harth principle: The Quranic framing of wives as "your cultivation" directs intimacy toward the place of life and family, not away from it.
- Dignity: Islamic intimacy is designed around mutual dignity and consideration. The prohibition reflects a framework of care for the other person's body.
For Those Who Have Committed This Act
If you have engaged in this act, the path is sincere tawbah (repentance) as with any sin. Allah's mercy encompasses all sins for the sincere repentant. See our Tawbah guide for the full process. You are not beyond forgiveness. This sin, like all sins, is covered by the promise of Al-Ghafoor Ar-Raheem (The Most Forgiving, The Most Merciful).