Is family planning allowed
in Islam?
With Abdulfatah Oladeinde 08058105396
Friday,
May 8, 2009
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section of members of the Federal Government delegation
to the 2008 Holy Pilgramege to Saudi Arabia in a group
photograph with President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua
after the presentation of the 2008 Hajj report in Abuja
recently. PHOTO: BAYO OBISESAN.
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The question of family planning and birth control was discussed
in detail by the Majma al-Fiqh al-Islaami. They had twenty
three scholars research this topic and present their findings
on this matter. The participants involved represented many
different trends and schools of thought.
Among the participants were Muhammad Ali al-Baar, Ali al-Saaloos,
Muhammad Saeed Ramadhan al-Booti, Abdullah al-Basaam, Hasan
Hathoot and Muhammad Sayid Tantaawi. Their proceedings, papers
and discussions may be found in Part One of the Fifth Volume
of Majallah Majma al-Fiqh al-Islaami (1988/1409 A.H.). These
proceedings are 748 pages all about the question of birth
control and related issues.
The following are important points related to the issue of
birth control in Islam. These were mentioned by some of the
participants in the above program:
The institution of marriage and the want to have children
was the custom of the best of creation, the prophets and messengers
chosen by Allah. Allah says about them:
"And indeed We sent messengers before you and made for
them wives and offspring" (al-Raad 38)
The best example for the believers is the example of the prophet
Muhammad (saw), who married and had children. These prophets
and messengers are the people whom Muslims should look to
emulate.
Allah says:
"They are those whom Allah has guided. So follow their
guidance" (al-Anaam 90)
They should be emulated and not the disbelievers of the West,
whose new lifestyles - mostly out of concern for enjoying
this life or obtaining as many worldly goods as possible -
discourage women from having more children.
Islam has forbidden celibacy, monasticism and castration for
such purposes. The prophet (saw) made this clear when he told
those companions who were considering acetic forms of life:
"I pray and I sleep; I fast and I break my fast; and
I marry women. Whoever turns away from my way of life is not
from me." The prophet (saw) not only encouraged marriage
but he encouraged marrying those women who are child-bearing.
He stated: "marry the loving, child-bearing women for
I shall have the largest numbers among the prophets on the
day of Resurrection." (Recorded by Ahmad and ibn Hibban.)
From the Islamic perspective, children are a gift and a blessing
from Allah. Allah mentions some of the bounties that He has
bestowed upon mankind in the following verse: "And Allah
has made for you spouses of your own kind and has made for
you, from your wives, sons and grandsons, and has bestowed
upon you good provisions." (al-Nahl 72)
Allah also said: "Wealth and children are the adornment
of the life of this world." (al-Kahf 46)
The only true provider for all mankind is Allah. If Muslims
follow what Allah has prescribed for them, Allah will provide
for them. Allah has warned about killing one’s children
out of fear of poverty for either parents or the child. Allah
says:
"Kill not your children because of poverty - We provide
sustenance for you and for them" (al-Anaam 151)
Allah also says: "And kill not your children for fear
of poverty. We shall provide for them as well as for you.
Surely, the killing of them is a great sin" (al-Isra
31)
Hence, Muslims should never abort or kill their children out
of fear of poverty. It is Allah who provides for them.
Based on the above points and numerous others, the scholars
who participated in the research on this question came up
with the following resolution:
*It is not allowed to enact a general law that limits the
freedom of spouses in having children.
*It is forbidden to "permanently" end a man’s
or a woman’s ability to produce children, such as by
having a hysterectomy or vasectomy, as long as that is not
called for by circumstances of necessity according to its
Islamic framework.
*It is permissible to control the timing of births with the
intent of distancing the occurrences of pregnancy or to delay
it for a specific amount of time, if there is some Shariah
need for that in the opinion of the spouses, based on mutual
consultation and agreement between them.
However, this is conditioned by that not leading to any harm,
by it being done by means that are approved in the Shariah
and that it not do anything to oppose a current and existing
pregnancy.
• Jamaal Zarabozo
Source: www.jannah.org
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