Islam is one of the world’s great religions, the religion of an estimated 23% of humanity (CIA World Factbook). Since its founding by Mohammad (570–632), this third Abrahamic religion, alongside Christianity and Judaism, has been a perennial guide for conduct and source of controversy. It is heavily influenced by the Hebrew scriptures, what some would call the Old Testament, the Arab culture in the sands from which it sprung, and the 1400 years of lived experience in the Muslim community. The prophet, as well as Islamic law as described in the Quran and the rest of the Shariah, has much to say about human sexuality.
To study a religion is, in part, to study its source of authority. Common sources of religious authority include scriptures, traditions, words, and deeds of important people past and present and the lived experience of its adherents over time. The reader must also consider his or her interpretive framework (hermeneutic). Will words be understood literally, allegorically,...
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Harris, M. (2018). Sexuality and Islam. In: Leeming, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27771-9_9237-1
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