Is it permissible to read books that speak about intercourse for one who is about to get married?

 

Is it permissible for a person who is about to get married for the first time to read some books in order to learn how to be intimate with his wife, so long as the books do not contain any pictures?.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

There are many reservations about reading books in order to find out how to have
intercourse, such as the following: 

1.       
It may provoke desires in you
that you cannot fulfil in any permissible way. This is a problem that is not
farfetched, especially for one who does not have a wife to turn to.

2.       
Most of these books teach
perverse forms of intercourse. Some of them go against the fitrah and sound
human nature and others go against sharee’ah, such as anal intercourse.

3.       
Reading about these kinds of
intercourse may put a man off his wife who does not do these kinds of
actions well, and he may become attached to those things and the people who
do them.

4.       
Reading these books may make
you want to know more, and the devils among mankind and the jinn may lead
you to read books which contain pictures, and you will end up doing
something that is against sharee’ah.

5.       
Reading them encourages you to
buy them, which helps to propagate them and encourages the printing of more
editions.

6.       
There is no guarantee that
these books will not fall into the hands of people who will be encouraged by
them to do haraam actions. Your situation as one who wants to learn as a
preparation for marriage is not like that of others who may get their hands
on these books. 

Moreover, Allaah has
created in the male an inclination towards the female; having intercourse
with a woman is not something complicated that needs a lot of explanation. A
man will know what to do instinctively. If he needs any help the way to get
this information is usually from the closest of people to him, or the most
sincere among brothers who are already married. Hence there is no need for
these books. 

And there may be other
reservations. Hence we do not think that you should read these kinds of
books. That does not mean that you should not learn about the permissible
way of having intercourse. But what we have mentioned is that you should not
read what has been written by those who are far removed from Islam, good
taste and a sound human nature. 

You can read about
married life and intercourse in the context of shar’i rulings and advice,
that is free of the reservations we have referred to, on this site under the
heading of “Married life.” This is in the category on Marriage. 

And Allaah knows best.