Grand Ayatollah Shirazi: Gender Change is Not Permissible

Another scholarly session was held on Wednesday, Shaban 27, at Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Sadiq Hosseini Shirazi’s honourable residence in Qom, where his Eminence addressed various questions regarding Islamic jurisprudence.

During the session, Grand Ayatollah Shirazi made a significant statement regarding the issue of gender change. The Supreme Marja asserted that, based on Islamic teachings, changing one’s gender is not permissible. He emphasized that both men and women do not have the right to alter their gender to that of the opposite sex.

Grand Ayatollah Shirazi elaborated that if an individual were to commit such a prohibited act and undergo a complete transformation—from male to female or vice versa—their legal rulings would also change accordingly. For instance, he explained that if a man transitions to a woman and genuinely becomes a woman, he would then be subject to the legal obligations of a woman. Conversely, if a woman transitions to a man and authentically becomes a man, she would be subject to the legal obligations of a man, as the essence of legal rulings is based on actual state.

Furthermore, he underscored that in cases of doubt regarding whether a complete transformation has occurred due to surgical procedures, the principle of continuity (istishab) indicates that the individual retains their previous legal status.