ABSTRACT
Over the first five centuries of Islam, heated hermeneutical and legal debates arose over the sins of Lot's people and the punishment of individuals who engage in male-male anal intercourse. This chapter discusses the historical and modern disagreements over the interpretation of the Quranic Lot narrative in order to highlight both the significance of the Quran as a continuous source for Muslim practices and the fluidity of its text. The early Islamic tradition has played an important role in shaping contemporary Muslim discourse. Early exegetes' definitions of key Quranic terms have undoubtedly had a lasting impact on how many Muslims continue to understand these same terms today. Many Muslim scholars continue to condemn same-sex sexual acts as sinful and endorse a death penalty for individuals who identify as homosexual. Contemporary scholars are also appropriating the Quranic concept of fitra to argue their competing views on same-sex sexual acts, desires, and homosexual identities.
