What’s the Haram?
I saw this ridiculous story on Drudge earlier today and just had to share:
Deliberate masturbation during the month of Ramadan renders a fast invalid, Iranian Supreme Leader Sayyid Ali Khameini has ruled.
Khameini, who is Iran’s most powerful political and religious figure, was asked on his website: “If somebody masturbates during the month of Ramadan but without any discharge, is his fasting invalidated?”
“If he do not intend masturbation and discharging semen and nothing is discharged, his fasting is correct even though he has done a ḥarām (forbidden) act. But, if he intends masturbation or he knows that he usually discharges semen by this process and semen really comes out, it is a ḥaram intentional breaking fasting,” the Iranian leader said, posting the reply on his website.
I’m not sure whether female masturbation went unaddressed because it is unthinkable or because Khameini had already exhausted his supply of stupidity on the rest of the issue. As it were.
Frankly, I don’t want to know what the connection between fasting and ejaculation would be, anyhow.
