Is Cybersex On Skype Permissible Between Married Muslim Couples?

09 January, 2020
Q As-salamu `alaykum. My question is: one has been married for just a few months and after the first couple of weeks, his wife and he have been living in different continents due to their studies, careers, etc. This is through a mutual consent, as well as necessity. But since they have excellent love, trust and communication between them, the separation isn't causing any emotional problems per se alhamdulillah. However, with regard to intimacy, both have high sex drives but they only meet once a year and this state of affairs will continue for a few more years to come! Things then gradually evolved that they ended up having "Skype Sex" (the evolution took them both by surprise!). Basically, self-stimulation leading to orgasm while the other watched, which was arousing for both parties actually. However, they are now a bit confused whether this is allowed Islamically or not. Please, let us know.

Answer

Wa `alaykum as-salamu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.


In this fatwa:

So, the couple is free to stimulate each other in any way as long as the relation is kept private and they are safe from being watched by anyone else. The problem with Skype and the like programs is their vulnerability to be spied on.


In his response to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states,

Indeed, the intimate relation is a completely private one. It must be kept only between the married couples. It is also impermissible for any of the couple to tell anyone about what they do during their intimate relations.

As a married couple, you can stimulate each other and find satisfaction as long as it is all between both of you and there is no fear of it being seen or watched by anyone else.

I am not so tech-savvy to determine whether the method you are using is strictly confidential and cannot be visible to others. If it can be wholly confidential, I don’t see any reason to prohibit it. However, such methods of stimulation are allowed only as long as you are far away.

Allah Almighty knows best.

Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.