Islamic texts do not use a modern term like "gay" as an identity category. Classical Arabic sources instead speak of actions, and the main terms are liwat (sodomy, the act between men) and sihaq (sexual contact between women). Scholars discussed these as acts with rulings, not as a personal orientation. The Qur'an and hadith refer to the story of the people of Lut (Lot), and classical jurists treated same-sex sexual acts as forbidden.

Does Islam have a concept for “being gay”?

Islom an'anasida "gomoseksual" tushunchasiga o'xshash atama yo'q, ya'ni bir jinsga nisbatan barqaror va faqat shunga yo'naltirilgan erotik tortishishni his qilib, qarama-qarshi jinsga bunday tortishishni his qilmaydigan shaxs tushunchasi ham yo'q. "Geterosekual" degan atama ham yo'q. Islom olimlari Qavmi Lut amalini qilgan shaxsni ifodalash uchun atamalar ishlatganlar. Biroq bu, g'arbliklar "gomoseksual" so'zini ishlatganda nazarda tutadigan narsa emas. G'arb kontekstida "gey" shaxs o'z o'zligi bir jinsga bo'lgan tortishish bilan belgilanadigan kishidir. Zamonaviy g'arbiy tasavvurlarga ko'ra, insonning muhim va o'zgarmas xususiyati uning "jinsiy yo'nalishi"dir. Odamning ma'lum teri rangi bilan tug'ilishi va shu tufayli ma'lum irqqa mansub bo'lishi haqidagi keng tarqalgan qarashlarga o'xshab, inson ma'lum jinsiy yo'nalish bilan tug'ilishi va shu sababli jinsiy o'ziga xoslik guruhiga, masalan, "gey", "to'g'ri yo'nalishli" (straight), "bi" va boshqalarga mansub bo'lishi mumkin.

In the Islamic tradition, there is no analogous term for the concept of “homosexual,” i.e., the notion of a person who experiences stable and exclusive erotic attraction to the same sex while not feeling such attractions towards the opposite sex. There is also no term for “heterosexual.” Islamic scholars have employed terms to describe a person who committed the action of Qawm Lut. However, this is not what Westerners mean when they use the word “homosexual.” In the Western context, a “gay” person is one whose identity is defined by his attraction to the same sex. According to modern Western conceptions, an important and immutable characteristic of a person is his “sexual orientation.” Similar to popular notions of how a person can be born with a certain color of skin and, thus, belong to a certain race, a person can be born with a certain sexual orientation and, thus, belong to a sexual identity group, e.g., “gay,” “straight,” “bi,” etc.

Islom an’anasida bunday jinsiy o‘ziga xoslik tushunchasi yo‘q. Ba’zi odamlar tug‘ma ravishda o‘z jinsiga ko‘proq moyillik va jalb etilishga ega bo‘lishi mumkin (hatto klassik olimlar batafsil muhokama qilgan “ma’bun” holatidagi kabi, orqa yo‘lga jinsiy kirib borishni istashi ham mumkin). Shunga qaramay, islomiy tushunchalar nuqtayi nazaridan bu odamni mohiyat jihatdan “gomoseksual” yoki “gey” qilmaydi, ya’ni “u kim” degan ma’noda. Sababi, inson aslida kim ekani – ichki va tashqi jihatdan – uning nimani istashi yoki qanday fikrlar xayoliga kelishiga asoslanmaydi. Islomdagi o‘ziga xoslikka oid jinsiy toifalarning barchasi amalga, sof istakka emas, balki harakatga tayanadi, masalan, zoniy va boshqalar. Biror harakat sodir etilib, shaxs to‘g‘ri islomiy sudda shu uchun hukm qilingandan keyingina bunday atamalarni aniq shaxslarga nisbatan qo‘llash o‘rinli bo‘ladi. Lekin bu “gomoseksual” bo‘lish bilan hech qanday aloqasi yo‘q, “gomoseksual” esa o‘zi faqat G‘arbda milodiy 19-asrda (hijriy 13-asrda) paydo bo‘lgan zamonaviy atamadir.

The Islamic tradition, in contrast, has no such conception of a sexual identity. While it may be possible that a person be born with more of an affinity and attraction to the same sex (or even have the desire to be anally penetrated, as in the case of the “ma’bun,” which the classical scholars discussed at length), nonetheless, as far as Islamic categories are concerned, this does not make that person a “homosexual” or “gay” in terms of one’s essential identity, “who one is.” This is because who a person ultimately is – internally and externally – is not based on what that person desires or what thoughts might occur to him. Islamic sexual categories having to do with identity all revolve around action, not mere desire, e.g., zani, etc. Once an act has been committed and a person is convicted for that in a proper Islamic court, then that is the only time it is appropriate to use such terms in referring to specific persons. But this has nothing to do with being a “homosexual,” which itself is only a modern Western term coined in the 19th century CE (13th century AH).