Psychological and Social Problems, Dought & clear, - * When is it permissible todo a sex-change operation from male to female or viceversa?

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What is the ruling on sex change operations (gender reassignment surgery) in the case of necessity? For example, if a child is born and has genitalia that does not match his gender, and it is possible to surgically reconstruct it? What is the ruling if this child grows up and becomes transgendered, and thus cannot get married, and this is on the basis of medical evidence on which the doctors are agreed, but social standards reject this surgery, and this sex-change operation is for the sake of medical treatment?
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Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
It is not possible for anyone, no matter who he is, to change the creation of Allah, may He be exalted, from male to female or vice versa. Whoever Allah, may He be exalted, has created as a male can never become a female who menstruates and gives birth!
Yes, the doctors may tamper with him to satisfy his perversion so that he will think that he has become a woman, but he will never be truly female and will live in a state of anxiety and worry, which may lead him to commit suicide.
Secondly:
What a person may feel in his mind and heart, that he is of a gender other than what he appears to be to us does not give him an excuse to change his gender; rather it comes under the heading of following the Shaytaan in changing the creation of Allah – outwardly but not truly – and those feelings do not make it permissible for him to undergo surgery or take medicines and hormones to change his outward appearance. Rather he must be content with the decree of Allah, may He be exalted, and treat his case on the basis of faith and obedience to Allah. It is not permissible for him to make himself appear outwardly to be of a gender other than his real gender with which Allah created him, otherwise he will be committing a major sin; if this person is really female then she will be masculinised and if he is really male then he will be effeminate.
Please see also the answers to questions no. 21277and 34553
The surgery that is permissible in such cases is if a person was originally created male or female, but his genital organs are hidden. In that case it is permissible to do surgery in order to make those organs appear, and to give him or her medicine or hormones to strengthen the characteristics with which Allah originally created him or her.
But in the case of one who was created with both female and male genitalia – this is what is called ambiguous intersex – it is not permissible to be hasty in removing one and making the other more apparent. Rather we should wait until it is known what Allah, may He be exalted, will decree for this individual, which may become apparent after some time has passed.
For a more detailed discussion on intersex please see the answer to question no. 114670
There follows a detailed fatwa from the scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas, who were asked about a case similar to what is mentioned in the question. They replied:
Firstly: Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):“To Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. He creates what He wills. He bestows female (offspring) upon whom He wills, and bestows male (offspring) upon whom He wills. Or He bestows both males and females, and He renders barren whom He wills. Verily, He is the All-Knower and is Able to do all things” [ash-Shoora 42:49]. So the Muslim must accept and be content with whatever Allah creates and decrees.
In your case, if you are as you mentioned, that you are certain of your masculinity and that you can play the male role efficiently, even if you have not actually engaged in any sexual activity with any person, then you must preserve your masculinity and accept that which Allah has granted to you of virtue and a favourable situation. .
Secondly: once your masculinity is proven and established, then having surgery to turn into a female – as you think – is changing the creation of Allah, and is an expression of discontent on your part with what Allah has chosen for you, even if we assume that the surgery is going to be successful and lead to what you want of becoming female. But there is no way that it can be successful, for both males and females have their own, distinct faculties and physical makeup, the development and characteristics of which are decreed only by Allah, may He be exalted, and are not just the penis of the male or the vaginal opening of the female. Rather the man has a complete, integrated system comprising the testicles and other organs, each of which has a special function and characteristics, and produces specific secretions and so on. Likewise the woman has a uterus and other connected parts that work in harmony with it, and each part has its own function and characteristics, and produces specific secretions and so on. Among all of them there are connections and harmony over which none of His creation have any power of estimation, creation, control, management or preservation. Rather all of that is under the control of Allah, the All-Knowing, Most Wise, Most High, Almighty, Most Kind and All-Aware.
Therefore the surgery that you want to do is a kind of tampering and striving for something in which there is no benefit. In fact it may be dangerous; if it does not lead to death, then at the very least it will lead to taking away that which Allah has given you without you attaining what you want, and you will still be affected by what you have mentioned of psychological problems that you want to get rid of by means of this surgery that is bound to fail.
Thirdly: if your masculinity is not established, and you only think that you are a man because of what you see in your body of outward masculine appearance, in contrast to what you feel in yourself of having feminine characteristics and an inclination towards males and being sexually attracted to them, then you should examine your situation and not go ahead with the surgery that you have mentioned. You should consult experienced specialist doctors. If they determine that you are male in outward appearance but are in fact female, then you may submit yourself to their treatment, so that they can bring out your femininity by doing surgery. But that will not in fact be a sex change from male to female, because this will not be up to them; rather it will be bringing out your true nature and removing what is in your body, and what you feel deep inside you of confusion and ambiguity. But if nothing is clear to the experts, then do not take the risk of undergoing this surgery; be content with the decree of Allah and be patient with what has befallen you, seeking to please your Lord and protecting yourself against the possible consequences of doing an operation without guidance and insight concerning your condition. Turn to Allah and beseech Him to relieve you of what you are facing, and to heal you from your psychological problems, for control of all things is in His hand, may He be glorified, and He is able to do all things. End quote.
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh ‘Abd ar-Razzaaq ‘Afeefi, Shaykh ‘Abdullah ibn Qa‘ood, Shaykh ‘Abdullah ibn Ghadyaan
Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah(25/45-49)
And Allah knows best.

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Psychological and Social Problems, Dought & clear, - * What should a person do if he feels that his death is approaching?

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Are there any signs before a person dies, whether he is a believer or a disbeliever? Are there any specific times for those signs?
If it becomes apparent to him that his death is approaching, what should he do? When should we pay attention to these signs if there is such a thing?
Is there any way to reduce the agonies of death?
What are the best righteous deeds that one may be advised to adhere to?
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Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
No one knows exactly when he will die, or in what land he will die. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Verily, Allah! With Him (Alone) is the knowledge of the Hour, He sends down the rain, and knows that which is in the wombs. No person knows what he will earn tomorrow, and no person knows in what land he will die. Verily, Allah is All-Knower, All-Aware (of things)”
[Luqmaan 31:34].
See also the answers to questions no. 100451and 180876
Secondly:
There are no specific signs by which a person may know that his death and the end of his life are approaching. This is by the mercy of Allah towards His slaves, for if a person knew when he was going to die, and he knew that repentance expiates the sins that come before it, perhaps he might indulge in sins and commit evil deeds, and promise himself that one hour before his death he will repent and give up his sin. But such a person does not deserve to be a slave of Allah; rather he is a slave to his whims and desires.
This is in contrast to reality, for no person knows when he will die, so the wise person strives to make up what he has missed out on and hastens to do so by repenting and doing righteous deeds, for he does not know when his life will end, and he remains in this state until Allah takes his soul. Such a person deserves to be a righteous slave who loves to obey Allah and hates to disobey Him.
But there are some signs which may indicate that the end of a person’s life is approaching, such as if he suffers a severe sickness from which people hardly ever recover. The same applies if he reaches extreme old age, or is in a serious accident, and other matters that may happen by the divine decree.
Thirdly:
In the answer to question no. 184737we mentioned the signs which are indicative of a person being righteous at the time of his death, and the signs which are indicative of a bad end.
Fourthly:
If a person feels that his death is approaching because of severe illness and the like, then what he must do is hasten to set things straight by repenting to Allah, making up for any wrongs done to people and asking them for forgiveness, hastening to do righteous deeds, being serious and focused in turning to Allah and obeying Him, and seeking pardon and forgiveness from Him by His grace, in addition to thinking positively of Allah, may He be glorified, and trusting in His abundant grace and mercy, and believing that He will never let down a slave who thinks positively of Him.
Muslim (2877) narrated that Jaabir said: I heard the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say, three days before he died: “No one of you should die except thinking positively of Allah.”
He should also do a great deal of those deeds that expiate and erase sins, such as praying for forgiveness, maintaining wudoo’, praying, Hajj and ‘Umrah, and so on.
Fifthly:
The agonies of death are the last hardship that a person encounters before meeting Allah, and they are the last thing by means of which Allah expiates the sins of His slave. We ask Allah to make these agonies easy for us and help us to bear them.
Al-Bukhaari (4449) narrated from ‘Aa’ishah that during the sickness of which he died, the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) began to put his hand in water and wipe his face with it, saying: “Laa ilaaha ill-Allah(there is no god but Allah), verily death has agonies.” Then he held up his hand and started saying: “With the higher companions…” until he passed away and his hand fell.
At-Tirmidhi (978) narrated from ‘Aa’ishah that she said: I saw the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) as he was dying. There was a vessel of water next to him, and he would put his hand in the vessel then wipe his face with the water, then he said: “O Allah, help me to bear the agonies of death.”
Classed as hasan by al-Haafiz inal-Fath(11/362); classed as da‘eef by al-Albaani inDa‘eef at-Tirmidhi
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked:
Do the agonies of death reduced the burden of sin? Does sickness that precedes death do likewise?
He replied:
Everything that befalls a person of sickness, hardship, worry, or distress, even a thorn that pricks him, is expiation for his sins. Then if he is patient and seeks reward, in addition to expiation of sin he will have the reward for that patience with which he faced the calamity that befell him. There is no differentiation in that regard between what happens at the time of death and what happens before that.
End quote fromFataawa Noor ‘ala ad-Darb(24/2)
Alongside the hardship and agonies of death, what the believer receives of glad tidings and being made steadfast at the time of his death are among the things that will make what he is faced with easier to bear and will make him long for what comes after it of meeting Allah.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The dying person can only be one of two things: either it is a relief for him or others are relieved of him. In either case things may be very hard for him at the time of death or they may be alleviated for him. In the former case, he is the one who is faced with the agonies of death, and that has nothing to do with whether he was pious or an evildoer; rather if he was one of the pious it will increase him in reward, otherwise it will expiate for him accordingly, then he will be relieved of the annoyances of this world, of which this is the last. ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez said: I would not like the agonies of death to be reduced for me, for that is the last thing by means of which sin may be expiated for the believer. Yet at the same time, what the believer receives of glad tidings and the angels being happy to meet him, and their accompanying him, and his joy at meeting his Lord, make it easier for him to bear whatever he may face of the pain of death, until it becomes as if he does not feel anything of that.
End quote fromFath al-Baari(11/365)
See also the answer to question no. 135314
We do not know of any way of reducing the agonies of death, except that the individual should turn to his Lord concerning that, and call upon Him at times of hardship and of ease. Perhaps we will do what the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did, when he put his hands in the water then wiped his face with them and asked Allah to help him to face the agonies of death, as mentioned above.
However some of the early generations used to regard this hardship as a mercy, as quoted above from ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez. ‘Abdullah ibn Ahmad narrated inZawaa’id az-Zuhd(p. 388) that Ibraaheem an-Nakha‘i said: They used to regard it as mustahabb for the sick person to go through some hardship at the time of death. And it was narrated from Mansoor that Ibraaheem used to like the severe agony of death.
We do not know of anyone who is saved from this hardship apart from the martyr. Imam Ahmad (7953), at-Tirmidhi (1668 – and he classed it as saheeh), an-Nasaa’i (3161) and Ibn Maajah (2802) narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The martyr does not feel anything more when he is killed than one of you feels if he is pinched.”
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh at-Tirmidhiand elsewhere.
Al-Mannaawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
What this means is that Allah, may He be exalted, makes death easy for him and suffices him against its agonies and distress; in fact the martyr may enjoy giving himself for the sake of Allah willingly, as Khubayb al-Ansaari said (in verse):
I do not care if I am killed as a Muslim; it does not matter how I may be killed.
End quote fromFayd al-Qadeer(4/182)
Sixthly:
Righteous deeds are all deeds enjoined, encouraged and recommended by the Lawgiver, and some of them are superior to others. Among the best of righteous deeds by means of which a person may draw close to his Lord and which the Muslim is advised to do constantly are: to remember Allah a great deal, read Qur’an, honour one’s parents, uphold ties of kinship, perform Hajj and ‘Umrah, offer voluntary prayers at night, give charity in secret, have a good attitude, spread the greeting of salaam, feed people, speak truthfully, enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil, love good for people, refrain from harming them, co-operate in righteousness and piety, reconcile between people and other righteous deeds.
For more information, please see the answer to question no. 26242
We advise the questioner to take thinking of death and its hardships as a means of encouraging her to fear Allah and do righteous deeds, for if a person fears Allah and does good, Allah will make all difficulties easy for him, and relieve him of every distress and hardship.
And Allah knows best.

PUBLISHER:
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Published by,
NAJIMUDEEN M - INDIA,
On behalf of " ISLAMIC RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS "
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