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Updated: May 27, 2015 10:41 IST

An Islamic televangelist from Turkey has created a storm on social media by claiming that any man who masturbates will find his hands “pregnant in the afterlife” and asking for their “rights”.

Istanbul-based televangelist Mücahid Cihad Han, who is active on Twitter and has his own channel on YouTube, made the remarks on May 24 while answering questions from viewers on the 2000 TV channel.



Han initially looked puzzled when a viewer said he “kept masturbating, although he was married, and even during the Umrah”, a pilgrimage to Mecca that can be undertaken by Muslims at any time of the year, unlike the Haj which is performed in the last month of the Islamic calendar.

The televangelist claimed Islam strictly prohibited masturbation as it was a “haram” (forbidden) act, the Hurriyet Daily News reported.



“Moreover, one hadith states that those who have sexual intercourse with their hands will find their hands pregnant in the afterlife, complaining against them to God over (their) rights,” he said, referring to what he claimed was a saying of Prophet Mohammed.

“If our viewer was single, I could recommend he marry, but what can I say now?” Han said, advising the viewer to “resist Satan’s temptations”.

Han subsequently tweeted that masturbation was “haram” and quoted a hadith to back up his claim.

“Istimna”, the Arabic term for masturbation that Han referred to, is a controversial issue in Islam because there have been varying opinions on its permissibility throughout history. The Quran has no clear reference to masturbation and the authenticity of some hadiths has been questioned by experts.

Despite Han’s assertive stance, only a limited number of Islamic interpretations categorise masturbation as “haram” while most others describe it as a “makruh” (disliked) act, the Hurriyet Daily News reported.



Many mainstream Islamic interpretations even allow it in certain conditions, like if the act could be used to avoid the temptation of an extramarital affair, the report added.

Han, who has more than 12,000 followers on Twitter, was mocked on Turkish social media after newspapers published his television “fatwa”.

“Are there any hand-gynaecologists in the afterlife? Is abortion allowed there?” one Twitter user asked.

“So you think that being pregnant is a God-given punishment?” another user asked.