Surah 2. Al-Baqara, Ayah 223

In other words, a spiritual relationship between man and woman is postulated as the indispensable basis of sexual relations.

 Ḥarth means “farmland”—the husband being like a farmer, the wife like productive land, and children like seeds—a metaphor for fertility and growth.

 It is permissible to have intimate relations in any position, however anal sex is impermissible. Vaginal penetration during monthly cycles, or while bleeding persists after childbirth, up to forty days, is also not permitted.

 This can either imply “sending forth good deeds that will be rewarded in the next life” or—according to some interpretations—“engaging in foreplay with one’s spouse before intercourse.”

Sex is not a thing to be ashamed of, or to be treated lightly, or to be indulged to excess. It is as solemn a fact as any in life. It is compared to a husbandman's tilth; it is a serious affair to him; he sows the seed in order to reap the harvest. But he chooses his own time and mode of cultivation. He does not sow out of season nor cultivate in a manner which will injure or exhaust the soul. He is wise and considerate and does not run riot. Coming from the simile to human beings, every kind of mutual consideration is required, but above all, we must remember that even in these matters there is a spiritual aspect. We must never forget our souls, and that we are responsible to God.

Our highest spiritual ambition should be the hope of meeting God. To uphold such a hope is to give glad tidings to people of faith. It would only be unrepentant sinners who would fear the meeting. Note how the most sensuous matters are discussed frankly, and immediately taken up into the loftiest regions of spiritual upliftment.