Chapter II :
The Fact That Obscene Narrations and an Effort to Legalize Homosexuality Which God has Decreed Unlawful and an Abomination Exist
in the Books Allegedly Written by Mawlana Rumi

According to Islam, homosexuality is an unlawful act, described as an "abomination" in the Qur'an and the hadiths:

A huge man found a child alone one night.
What did he want? The child grew pale with fright.
'Now rest assured, my handsome boy,' he said,
'That you will mount on top of me instead.
View me as impotent, though I am strong;
Ride me as if a camel—come along!'
In form a man, but twisted actually,
Outwardly human, devilish inwardly.
(Rumi The Masnavi, Oxford World Classics, Book II, Translation by Jawid Mojaddedi, Couplets 3167-3170, p.185)

Afterwards, on the wedding-night, he artfully dyed (the hands and feet of) a youth with henna, like (those of) a woman.
He decorated his fore-arms like (those of) a bride: then he displayed to him a hen, but (actually) he gave him a cock; (For) he dressed the sturdy youth in the veil and robes of beautiful brides.
He immediately extinguished the candle (at) the time of (conjugal) privacy; the Hindu was left (alone) with such a rough and strong-bodies (young) man.
The little Hindu was screaming and crying out (but) no one heard from without (the bedchamber) because of (the noise of) the tambourine-players. The pounding of tambourines, clapping of hands and the sound of shouts of men and women masked the screams of that screamer.
He (the youth) squeezed the little Hindu until the (break of) day: how is a bag of flour (to remain untorn) before a (hungry) dog? At morning they brought the wash basin and a big package (of clothes, etc.) and according to the custom of bridegrooms Faraj went to the bath. He went to the bath, sorely troubled in soul, (his) anus torn like the rags of bath stokers. (The Masnavi of Jalalu'ddin Rumi, Book VI, Couplets 303-310, masnavi.net)

"What is this dagger (of yours) for?" He (the sodomite) answered, "So that anyone who thinks evil (bears evil desires) toward me, I may rip (open) his belly." The sodomizer was coming and going (moving back and forth in the act of sodomy) and was saying "God be praised, since I am not thinking evil toward you."
A sodomizer brought a beardless youth (catamite) into a house, threw him head-downwards and pressed into him (in the act of sodomy). (The Masnavi of Jalalu'ddin Rumi, Book V, Couplets 2495-2515, masnavi.net)

There was a preacher, very fine in his exposition, under whose pulpit a great number of men and women were assembled. Júhí went (to hear him): he got a chádar and veil and entered amongst the women without (his sex) being recognized. Some one asked the preacher secretly: "Are pubic hairs a deficiency in (doing) the ritual prayer? (salat)? The preacher said: When the pubic hair becomes long, there is (legal) dislike of it in the ritual prayer. Scrape (it off) with a depilatory (of time) or a razor, in order that your ritual prayer may be perfect and excellent and seemly."

The questioner said: "To what limit is the length stipulated, so that my ritual prayer is deficient?" He replied, "When it becomes the size of a barley seed in length, then shaving is a (religious) requirement, o (excessive) questioner." At once, Juhi said (to the woman beside him) "O sister, find out (if) my pubic hair has become (a length) such as this. In order to satisfy (the requirement of) God, bring forth (your) hand (to determine) whether it has reached to the disliked amount." The woman put (her) hand into the man's trousers: his penis contacted the woman's hand.

Thereupon the woman gave a loud scream: the preacher said, "My discourse has smitten her heart." He (Júhí) answered, "No, it did not smite (her) heart, it smote (her) hand. O (what) if it had smitten (her) heart, O very wise (man)!"
(The Mathnawi of Jalau'ddin Rumi, Translation and Commentary by Reynold A. Nicholson, Books V&VI, Couplets 3325-3330, pp.272-273)

A maidservant (habitually) cast an ass upon herself due to abundant lust and excess (risk) of calamity. The male ass was habituated to copulation: the ass had discovered human sexual intercourse.

(That) fabricator of devices had a gourd (which) she would put on his male organ, according to (a certain) dimension. That old woman would put on the gourd on the penis so that half of the penis would go (into her) at the time of insertion. If all of the ass's tool were to go inside her, (her) womb and intestines would be destroyed.

Later on the ass became leaner and his mistress became helpless saying, 'why has this ass become as (thin as) a hair?' She showed the ass to the shoeing-smiths and asked 'What is his ailment of which the result is leanness?'

When she investigated the ass's condition, she saw the little narcissus (the maidservant) lying under the ass. Through a crack in the door she saw what was going on: the old woman marveled greatly thereat.

(She saw) the ass copulating with the maidservant in the manner that men reasonably and customarily (do) with women. She became envious and said 'Since this is possible then I have the best right, for the ass is my property."

When, with the broom (in her hand) she opened the door, the mistress said under her breath, 'O crafty one, You have made your face sour and (taken) a broom in your hand what is the meaning of the ass having turned away from his fodder?
Half-finished and angry, (the ass's ) penis (was still) moving..

The woman shut the (stable) door and drew the ass (to her) joyfully: necessarily, she tasted the penalty (for her shameful behavior). Pulling, she brought it into the middle of the stable: she lay down on (her back) under the male ass. On the same chair that she saw (used) by the maidservant in order to attain her desire: that whore (did) also.

She raised (her) feet and the ass thrust (its penis) into her: a fire (of lust) was kindled in her by the ass's penis. The ass had been trained: it pressed (its penis) into the lady up to (its) testicles: the lady died at once. (Her) liver was torn by the blow of the ass's penis: (her) intestines were torn away from each other. She did not utter (anything): the woman gave up (her) soul at once.

(The Masnavi of Jalalu'ddin Rumi, Book V, Couplets 1334-1389, masnavi.net)

What is the child's sexual intercourse? An idle play, compared with the sexual intercourse of a Rustam and a brave champion of Islam. (The Mathnawi of Jalau'ddin Rumi, Translation and Commentary by Reynold A. Nicholson, Books I-II, Couplet 3434, p.187)

I had already reached manhood. One day when I was getting my education in a madrasah in Halab (Aleppo) and studying to learn al-Hidaya. Suddenly I saw a dervish entering from the door and asking me for water. I instantly got up and gave the dervish the water jug and placed a piece of food I had in front of the dervish.

I saw that my apposite behavior pleased the dervish and that he fixed a strange gaze at me. That sweet gaze of him pleasured me so much that I had an orgasm and before I pulled myself together in that emptiness I saw that the dervish disappeared. The zest of that gaze is still in my soul. (Ahmad Aflaki, Ariflerin Menkıbeleri [The Manaqib al-Arifin], Turkish Ministry of National Education Publications, p. 323)

News reached to Khalif in Egypt that his son became a follower of a sheikh. He became terribly upset and wanted to kill the sheikh. But the moment he saw the sheikh's face, he also showed him favour with all his sincerity. Khalifa's wife also wanted to see the sheikh. They invited the sheikh to their house. The khatun advanced and fell on her knees before the sheikh and wanted to kiss his hand. But instead the sheikh raised his penis and gave it to the woman's hand and said: "That is not what you want, but this is," and the sama started. After that, the faith of the khalif increased a thousand fold. (Ahmad Aflaki, Ariflerin Menkıbeleri [The Manaqib al-Arifin], Turkish Ministry of National Education Publications, p.95)

The two (brothers) did not leave that house for celibates: they lay down to sleep there for fear of (meeting) the night-patrol.. One night Sodomite stood up in a crowded room. He walked slowly and removed the bricks lecherously.

Why have you put these bricks?, he asked. I am a sick boy and because of my weakness I took precautions and made here a place to lie down." .. "Why," said he, "where can I go? for wherever I go, persecuted (as I am),

Some foul ungodly miscreant like you springs up before me like a wild beast. The dervish-convent, which is the best place—not (even) there do I find safety for one moment. A handful of (greedy) pottage-eaters direct their looks at me: Their eyes filled with semen press their testicles with their hands; And even he that has regard for decorum steals covert glances and rubs his penis. Since the convent is (like) this, what must the public market be like? A herd of asses and boorish devils!

I have no means of escape either from men or women: what can I do, since I belong neither to these nor to those?" He is independent of the bricks and of quarrelling over the bricks and of a wicked young ruffian like you who would sell (prostitute) his own mother. (The Mathnawi of Jalau'ddin Rumi, Translation and Commentary by Reynold A. Nicholson, Books V&VI, Couplets 3845-3855, pp.470-471)

"Rumi relates the story of two brothers, two brothers were stranded and compelled to spend the night in the house of "celibates" ([Masnavi] VI:3845). In order to protect himself against sexual predators, the beardless brother (referred to as kudak, "child") assembled twenty blocks of brick behind his back (kun, lit. "ass"). In the middle of the night a sodomist (luti) gently removed the bricks in an attempt to engage in sexual intercourse with the boy. The boy woke up and began to quarrel: "Why have you taken the bricks?" The man replied: "Why did you put these bricks there (in the first place)?" In the argument that ensues the youngster explains that he cannot go anywhere without some "foul ungodly wrongdoer raising his head" before him like a wild beast (VI:3855). He notes that in the Sufi hospice (khanaqah), which is supposed to be the best place, a bunch of greedy porridge-eaters assault him, "with their eyes full of semen and the palms (of their hands) squeezing their testicles" (VI:3856–57). He continues that even the one who has the most regard for the (Muslim) law "steals covert glances (while) stroking his penis" (VI:3858). The young boy sums up his predicament in this line: "I have no means of escape either from men or women / what can I do, since I belong neither to these (men) nor to those (women)?" (VI:3865)" (Mahdi Tourage, Rumi and the Hermeutics of Eroticism, Iran Studies, vol.2, p.168)

When that adorer of women threw off (his) trousers and sat between the woman's legs. When (his) penis went straight toward (her) seat (buttocks), a commotion and outcry arose from the army. He jumped up (and ran) naked of buttocks to the (army) ranks, grasping a fiery (flashing) scimitar in his hand..

...(then) at once he hastened (back) to the tent of the beauty. When he showed himself to the hourí (lovely woman), his (organ of) manhood was erect in the same manner (as before). He joined in battle with such a lion: (yet) his manhood remained erect and did not rest (go limp). That moon-faced idol, sweet of countenance, was amazed at his manhood.(The Masnavi of Jalalu'ddin Rumi, Book IV, Couplets 3880-3890, masnavi.net)

The Caliph decided on a meeting; he went to that woman for the sake of (sexual) intercourse. He remembered her and got (his) penis erect; he intended to (have) sexual intercourse with (that) love-increaser.

The woman saw his softness; from astonishment, she started to burst out laughing: laughter took hold of her. She remembered the virility of the (courageous) Captain who killed the lion, with his (male) organ like that. She kept laughing violently like beng-eaters: her laughter overpowered (all considerations of) gain or loss.

His killing the lion and returning to the tent with the penis erect like the horn of a rhinoceros; And again the weakness of the ambitious one, that collapsed as though dead because of the rustling of a mouse.
(The Masnavi of Jalalu'ddin Rumi, Book IV, Couplets 3943-3968, masnavi.net)