The ban on masturbation between legitimate spouses

Muhammad Ali Al-Ansari writes:

أما الاستمناء بغير الزوجة فحرام بشتى أقسامه سواء كان الاستمناء بيد المستمني أو بيد إنسان غيره أو بسائر أعضائه أو بغير الإنسان وأما الاستمناء بالزوجة والمملوكة فلم يتعرض له صراحة إلا بعض الفقهاء قال العلامة الحلي كما يحرم أن يستمني بيده كذا يحرم أن يستمني بيد زوجته وجاريته لأن المقتضي للتحريم آت هنا وقال الشهيد الثاني في الروضة وفي تحريمه بيد زوجته ومملوكته المحللة له وجهان من وجود المقتضي للتحريم وهو إخراج المني وتضييعه بغير جماع وبه قطع العلامة في التذكرة

“As for masturbation by anyone other than the wife, it is forbidden in its various forms (Haram), whether masturbation is by the hand of the masturbator or by the hand of another human being or by the rest of his body parts or by anything other than a human being, and as for masturbation by the wife and slave, no one was explicitly against it, except some legal scholars. The polymath Al-Hilli said: “Just as it is forbidden (haram) to perform masturbation by one’s own hand, so it is forbidden (haram) to perform masturbation by the hand of one’s wife or slave, for that which requires a ban is applicable here.” And As-Shahid Ath-Thani said in Ar-Rawdah: “About his prohibition by the hand of his own wife and slave, which he is allowed, there are two points of view. Of the availability of what a prohibition requires, namely, the making of the effusion and its discharge without intercourse, and this was certainly stated by the universal scholar (Al-Hilli) in At-Tadhkirah.” [Al-Mawsu’at-ul-Fiqhiyyati l-Muyassarah, Volume 3, Page 84]

Ruhullah Al-Khumaini writes:

لا يجوز وطء الزوجة قبل إكمال تسع سنين دواما كان النكاح أو منقطعا وأما سائر الاستمتاعات كاللمس بشهوة والضم والتفخيذ فلا بأس بها حتى في الرضيعة

“Sexual intercourse with the wife is not allowed before the age of nine years, whether it is a permanent or temporary marriage, and as for the other pleasures, such as touching with lust, hugging and thighing, there is no problem with it, even when she is an infant.” [Tahrir-ul-Wasilah, Volume 2, Page 241]

Mustafa Al-Khumaini writes:

قوله دام ظله فلا بأس بها خلافا للأصل ووفاقا لمقتضى العقد ولو استشكل في اقتضائه بأن القدر المسلم منه جواز الدخول قبلا والتقبيل والضم دون مثل التفخيذ ونحوه فيكون المعول استصحاب الحرمة الثابتة قبله هذا وللمنع عنه مجال لأجل الأخبار المانعة عن الاستمناء الدالة بإطلاقها على حرمته ومنها مرسلة علاء بن رزين عن رجل عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال سألت عن الخضخضة فقال هي من الفواحش ونكاح الأمة خير منه وخبر إسحاق بن عمار فراجع ولأجل ما ورد من الآثار السيئة المترتبة على الزنا ونحوه

“His statement, may his shadow last, “there is no problem in it” is contrary to the basic principle and in accordance with the requirement of the covenant of marriage, and if one were to object to his requirement that the acceptable level of it is the legitimation of vaginal intercourse and kissing and hugging, rather than like thighing and what goes in its direction, then what one relies on is the principle of maintaining the prohibition established before it. As much for this and for the prohibition of it there is space left because of the traditions that prohibit masturbation and explicitly refer to the prohibition of it, and among them is the interrupted (mursal) of Ala’ Ibn Razin, who reported of someone who reported of Abu Abdillah (As-Sadiq) saying, “I asked about masturbation, whereupon he said, “It is one of the shameful things and to attend a maid is better than that. And the tradition of Ishaq Ibn Ammar, so look up and see what negative effects have been transmitted, that result from fornication and that in its direction.” [Mustanad Tahriri l-Wasilah, Volume 2, Page 343]

Comment:

Mustafa, the son of Ruhullah Al-Khumaini, contradicted his father in the matter of thighing with an underage wife, as he forbade any masturbation, even if it was performed with an Islamic spouse.