FatwaFederal TerritoriesCreed (Aqidah)
BAYAN LINNAS SIRI KE-235: GENDER KETIGA MENURUT PERSPEKTIF ISLAM
Does Islam recognise a third gender besides male and female?
Short answer
This Bayan Linnas explains that in Islam human beings are born either male or female according to natural disposition (fitrah) and the natural order, citing the verse in Surah al-Hujurat.
A reference, not a fatwa. First sentence of the summary below — read the original fatwa and consult your state authority before acting.
- Authority
- Federal Territories Mufti Office
- Date
- Status
- Opinion (irsyad)
- Series
- Bayan Linnas
- Topic
- Creed (Aqidah)
No evidence of gazettement in the source — this is not a gazetted fatwa.
Summary
This Bayan Linnas explains that in Islam human beings are born either male or female according to natural disposition (fitrah) and the natural order, citing the verse in Surah al-Hujurat. It distinguishes gender as a spectrum shaped by social constructs from sex, which is determined by biological traits. The case of the khunsa, a person born with two sets of sexual organs, is discussed in jurisprudence and divided into ambiguous (musykil) and non-ambiguous (ghayru musykil). For the ambiguous khunsa, jurists determine sex through the way of urinating, or repeated emission of semen or menstrual blood, and modern medical examination also assists.
Written in our own words from the original fatwa — check the source before acting on it.
Begitu juga fitrah manusia lahir sama ada sebagai lelaki ataupun perempuan, yang mana merupakan aturan semulajadi.
Read the full fatwa on the Federal Territories website (new tab)
How to cite
Cite the original fatwa and its authority. Rujuk Fatwa is only where you found it.
Federal Territories Mufti Office. “BAYAN LINNAS SIRI KE-235: GENDER KETIGA MENURUT PERSPEKTIF ISLAM”, 24 June 2021. https://muftiwp.gov.my/ms/artikel/bayan-linnas/4838-bayan-linnas-siri-ke-235-gender-ketiga-menurut-perspektif-islam. Found via Rujuk Fatwa: https://rujukfatwa.com/en/fatwa/does-islam-recognise-third-gender/