I am a Muslim woman but I do not feel that I am a female. Rather, I internally feel that I am a man. I had a previous marriage which ended with divorce. I was feeling like a man who was cohabiting with another man. Doctors, however, assert that I have a natural female genital tract. Is it permissible for me in the sharia to undergo a sex reassignment surgery in order to become a male?

All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

You have to fear Allah Almighty and be content with your destiny and your being a female. I ask Allah Almighty to rid you of the trial that you are going through. You should not allow the devil to deceive you and beautify for you actions that would lead to blameworthy consequences. Sex reassignment surgery is prohibited for it implies changing the creation of Allah. This is actually one of the deeds of Satan who promised to seduce the children of Adam. In the Quran, Allah says (what means): {They call upon instead of Him none but female [deities], and they [actually] call upon none but a rebellious Satan.  Whom Allah has cursed. For he had said, "I will surely take from among Your servants a specific portion.  And I will mislead them, and I will arouse in them [sinful] desires, and I will command them so they will slit the ears of cattle, and I will command them so they will change the creation of Allah." And whoever takes Satan as an ally instead of Allah has certainly sustained a clear loss.  Satan promises them and arouses desire in them. But Satan does not promise them except delusion.} [Quran 4: 117-121]

We advise you to seek a Shareea'h-approved treatment to remove such feelings, whether through physical treatment or Shareea'h-approved ruqyah (healing through Quranic reading and supplications). However, you are not allowed to resort to magicians and sorcerers.

You should be alert that a woman's inclination to become a man means that she finds sexual enjoyment in women, just as men do. This is as dangerous as a man's inclination to enjoy or be enjoyed by other men. It is clear that it is a serious deviation from the fitrah (natural disposition created by Allah), which was a reason behind the destruction of the People of Prophet Loot . They were blamed for allowing themselves to change their natural distinct as created by Allah, the Exalted. Had they restrained the wrongful desires of their souls, they would have been back on track. But who is more astray than one who follows his desire without guidance from Allah, the Exalted?

Allah knows best.