Perhaps even more astonishing, he instructed Muslim men that they should not lay with their wives as though they were animals, but to begin with kisses and caressing, to ensure the woman's pleasure.

Thus, it's not just sex for procreation, or sex to relieve masculine needs, but sex as pleasure and intimacy between two human beings that can be holy.

This view of sex, pleasure, intimacy and love reflects Islam's understanding of human nature. The Qur'an affirms that everything in creation is made in pairs. Heaven and Earth. Salt water and fresh water. Male and Female. Having a mate is part and parcel of being a created creature. God alone is single. God alone is complete with no need of any partner. Sex, then, is the manifestation and fulfillment of the essence of humankind as created beings.

Further, the Qur'an tells us that God created mankind with certain innate qualities -- a yearning toward the Divine, the ability to recognize right and wrong, and the inclination toward virtue, including love and mercy which are two of God's greatest characteristics. Sex, as an expression of that love and mercy, is not only according to human nature, but a Godly act in as much as God is Loving and Merciful.

As for the Prophet's insistence that the woman's pleasure is as important as the man's, this again echoes the Qur'anic view of human beings. While many Muslims today talk about the different and complementary roles men and women play in society and in marriage, the Qur'an makes no such distinction. Indeed, it doesn't even have separate words for husband and wife; rather both are called "zauj." They are, quite literally, equal partners to one another. Small wonder, then, that the Prophet would teach that women's enjoyment deserves as much consideration as men's.

On a more personal level, I am struck that this affirmation of sex tells us something interesting about God as understood by Islam. On the one hand, the Prophet taught us that the highest achievement a believer can strive for is the constant awareness of God. And yet, at the same time, Islam frowns on monasticism, and on abstinence, and encourages this act which pretty much guarantees our focus will be somewhere else. God, then, is not petty, or jealous. Nor does God expect perfection, only a sincere attempt at goodness.

(Those interested in references from the Qur'an and Prophet Muhammad's sayings can visit this post at my personal blog).