Virtue and Danger: Sexuality and Prophetic Norms in Muslim Life and Thought

Abstract

This paper responds to Michael Stoeber’s article from the perspective of a Muslim scholar.   

The paper explores various points where Muslim and Roman Catholic perspectives on human sexuality either disagree or can profitably conversable to find productive areas for comparative religious studies. By comparing two role models, Jesus and Muhammad, the author questions the Catholic arguments in favor of clerical celibacy over marriage for the sake of love for broader segments of humanity, arguing that, in Muslim tradition, some forms of favoritism are inevitable and desirable as they can serve as training grounds for intimacy and empathy.