When discussing those who ascribe themselves to the LGBTQ community, we must first understand that all of those under the umbrella term are not considered equal. Firstly, we will discuss those who are under LGB. Allah ﷻ mentions in the Qur’ān:

وَلُوطًا إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِۦٓ أَتَأۡتُونَ ٱلۡفَـٰحِشَةَ مَا سَبَقَكُم بِهَا مِنۡ أَحَدٖ مِّنَ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ * إِنَّكُمۡ لَتَأۡتُونَ ٱلرِّجَالَ شَهۡوَةٗ مِّن دُونِ ٱلنِّسَآءِۚ بَلۡ أَنتُمۡ قَوۡمٞ مُّسۡرِفُونَ

"And [mention] Lūṭ, when he said to his people, 'Do you commit such immorality as no one has preceded you with from among the worlds? Indeed, you approach men with desire, instead of women. Rather, you are a transgressing people.'" [7:80-81]

وَلُوطًا إِذۡ قَالَ لِقَوۡمِهِۦٓ أَتَأۡتُونَ ٱلۡفَـٰحِشَةَ وَأَنتُمۡ تُبۡصِرُونَ * أَئِنَّكُمۡ لَتَأۡتُونَ ٱلرِّجَالَ شَهۡوَةٗ مِّن دُونِ ٱلنِّسَآءِۚ بَلۡ أَنتُمۡ قَوۡمٞ تَجۡهَلُونَ * فَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوۡمِهِۦٓ إِلَّآ أَن قَالُوٓاْ أَخۡرِجُوٓاْ ءَالَ لُوطٖ مِّن قَرۡيَتِكُمۡۖ إِنَّهُمۡ أُنَاسٞ يَتَطَهَّرُونَ * فَأَنجَيۡنَـٰهُ وَأَهۡلَهُۥٓ إِلَّا ٱمۡرَأَتَهُۥۖ قَدَّرۡنَـٰهَا مِنَ ٱلۡغَـٰبِرِينَ * وَأَمۡطَرۡنَا عَلَيۡهِم مَّطَرٗاۖ فَسَآءَ مَطَرُ ٱلۡمُنذَرِينَ

"And [mention] Lūṭ, when he said to his people, 'Do you commit immorality while you are seeing? Do you indeed approach men with desire instead of women? Rather, you are a people behaving ignorantly.' But the answer of his people was not except that they said, 'Expel the family of Lūṭ from your city. Indeed, they are people who keep themselves pure.' So We saved him and his family, except for his wife; We destined her to be of those who remained behind. And We rained upon them a rain [of stones], and evil was the rain of those who were warned." [27:54-58]

وَلُوطًا إِذۡ قَالَ لِقَوۡمِهِۦٓ إِنَّكُمۡ لَتَأۡتُونَ ٱلۡفَـٰحِشَةَ مَا سَبَقَكُم بِهَا مِنۡ أَحَدٖ مِّنَ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ * أَئِنَّكُمۡ لَتَأۡتُونَ ٱلرِّجَالَ وَتَقۡطَعُونَ ٱلسَّبِيلَ وَتَأۡتُونَ فِي نَادِيكُمُ ٱلۡمُنكَرَۖ فَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوۡمِهِۦٓ إِلَّآ أَن قَالُواْ ٱئۡتِنَا بِعَذَابِ ٱللَّهِ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِينَ

"And [mention] Lūṭ, when he said to his people, 'Indeed, you commit such immorality as no one has preceded you with from among the worlds. Indeed, you approach men and obstruct the road and commit in your meetings [every] evil.' And the answer of his people was not but they said, 'Bring us the punishment of Allah, if you should be of the truthful."[29:28-35]

There are other verses that allude to the sin of the people of Lūṭ عليه السلام, which, by agreement of the scholars, refers to homosexual acts. If one commits those acts, they are a sinner, just as an alcoholic is a sinner. If they believe that it is not a sin to commit homosexual acts, irrespective of whether they do the acts or not, then such a person leaves the fold of Islam.

As for the TQ part of the acronym, they are considered cross-dressers and open sinners. Consider the following hadith of the Prophet ﷺ.

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا غُنْدَرٌ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ لَعَنَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم الْمُتَشَبِّهِينَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ بِالنِّسَاءِ، وَالْمُتَشَبِّهَاتِ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ بِالرِّجَالِ‏.‏ تَابَعَهُ عَمْرٌو أَخْبَرَنَا شُعْبَةُ‏.‏

Narrated Ibn `Abbas: Allah's Messenger ﷺ cursed those men who imitate women and those women who imitate men [Sahih al-Bukhari 5885].

Their gender will not be according to their desires, and they will be regarded as their assigned gender at birth.^[1]

When interacting with LGBTQ individuals, it is essential for us as Muslims to uphold our dignified manner of treating people while avoiding close personal relationships such that they influence us or impact our faith. Any type of abuse, harassment, discrimination, and the like are not in accordance with our faith.

For those who assert a gender identity different from their biological reality, we should refrain from affirming these claims. Instead of using their self-identified pronouns, we may address them by their given names or a neutral moniker, if suitable. We should recognize gender dysphoria is a psychological illness, and we should not taunt nor exhibit brash and aggressive behavior toward them. Within professional environments, we should observe proper decorum and company policies, and if that requires addressing people by their identified pronouns, then we may do so while being firm in our belief.

Regarding participation in interfaith programs, it is crucial to first establish the purpose of such engagements. Key questions must be considered. What is the intended outcome of the program? How does it serve the community, oneself, and the broader aspirations of the Muslim ummah? Are there discernible and meaningful benefits to these initiatives? If so, what are they?

Only after should knowledgeable and God-conscious individuals consider attending. The laity should not attend—only those with a strong foundational understanding of our religion. Participation must be within defined Islamic parameters, and the environment should ensure that the integrity of Islamic values is preserved and that the program does not devolve into theological debates or allow other religions to proselytize Muslims. Instead, it should focus on shared humanitarian goals or the other valid purpose for which it was held.

And Allah knows best.

Mf. Sawad Alam
Graduate, Darul Iftaa Chicago

Checked and Approved:

Mf. Abrar Mirza
Head Mufti, Darul Iftaa Chicago

^[1] Mufti Abrar Mirza, Mufti Abdullah Nana, Mufti Suhail Tarmahomed, Mufti Sohail Bengali, and Mufti Abdul Azeem Khan. 2020. "Male, Female, or Other: Ruling of a Transgender Post Sex Change Procedures." American Fiqh Academy, August 20. https://fiqhacademy.com/res03/.