And taking sensual pleasure in touching a beardless youth, whether by shaking his hand or otherwise, is forbidden by the consensus of the Muslims, just as taking sensual pleasure in touching one’s female relatives whom one is permanently forbidden to marry, or a woman whom one is not forbidden to marry, is forbidden. Indeed, most scholars hold that this is a graver sin than taking sensual pleasure with a woman whom one is not forbidden to marry. Likewise, the majority hold that the punishment for sodomy is more severe than the punishment for unlawful intercourse with such a woman. Both the active and passive participants must therefore be put to death, whether either has muhsan status or not, and whether either is owned as a slave by the other or not. This is reported from the Prophet in the Sunan collections, and his Companions acted upon it without any known disagreement among them. The execution is by stoning, just as Allah destroyed the people of Lot by stoning. This is also the punishment prescribed by Islamic law when someone guilty of unlawful intercourse is to be executed: that person is stoned. Thus, the Prophet had Māʿiz ibn Mālik, the Ghāmidī woman, and the Jewish couple stoned, as well as the woman to whom he sent Unays, saying:

“Go to this man’s wife. If she confesses, stone her.”

She confessed, and he stoned her.

Looking with desire at the face of a beardless youth is like looking with desire at the face of a female relative whom one is permanently forbidden to marry or a woman whom one is not forbidden to marry. This applies whether the desire is for intercourse or for the pleasure of looking. If someone were to look at his mother, sister, or daughter, taking pleasure in looking at her as he takes pleasure in looking at the face of a woman whom he is not forbidden to marry, everyone would know that this is forbidden. The same applies to looking at the face of a beardless youth, by agreement of the imams.

To say that looking at the face of a beardless youth is an act of worship is like saying that looking at women’s faces, or at the faces of a man’s female relatives whom he is permanently forbidden to marry—such as a man’s daughter