Sie sind auf Seite 1von 10

Family Planning

By
Sheikh Jamaal al-Din Zarabozo
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 (state of not being married),
monasticism (life of monks & nuns) and castration (removal of the
male glands) 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

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.
Birth Control
Reprinted from OurDialogue.com
These are questions and answers reprinted from "Our Dialogue," a
series appearing in the Arab News of Jeddah; providing an
Islamic perspective to questions agitating the minds of people
today.
Can a Couple Limit Their Children?

Question: Is it appropriate for a married couple not to have more


than two children because of their limited economic resources? Is
it acceptable that they take measures to prevent pregnancy after
having had two children?
Answer: During the time of the Prophet, some of his companions
tried to reduce the chances of conception and pregnancy,
because they did not want any more children. The Prophet was
aware of that. Some referred to him while some relied on the fact
that no edict was given concerning the question of preventing
pregnancy. The general rule is that "everything is permissible
unless pronounced otherwise." Thus, we have statements by
some of the Prophet's companions such as: "We resorted to
contraception at the time when the Qur'an was being revealed",
and "We resorted to contraception and the Prophet was aware of
that but he did not stop us." These statements are clear in their
import. If the Prophet's companions had been doing something
unacceptable to Islam, God would have either revealed a
prohibition in the Qur'an or the Prophet would have given an order
in a Hadith.
The fact is that the Prophet did not give such an order. Instead,
when he learned from one of his companions that he resorted to
contraception, the Prophet said clearly that no method of
contraception would stop the creation of a child, should God will
that the child be born. As such, no method of contraception can
stop God's will being fulfilled.

The method of contraception which was known at that time was


coitus interruptus. Modern methods are equally permissible,
provided that they are safe and they prevent conception.
Sterilization of either the man or the woman is not permissible
except when it is made absolutely necessary for medical reasons.
Thus, if doctors determine that any pregnancy is likely to present
a serious risk to the life of the mother, then sterilization may be
approved. But each case must be considered separately on its
own merits.
What I have said so far applies at the individual level only. A
national policy of family planning which aims to reduce the
population is unacceptable because it is likely to have serious
repercussion on the health of the nation as a whole.
Coitus Interruptus
Question: You advised a young man to get married and delay
having children until he has finished his studies. This obviously
means that he has to resort to methods of birth control. In our
community, most scholars say that birth control is not acceptable
from the Islamic point of view. Please comment.
Answer: In ancient times, before the new methods of birth
control were invented, people resorted to coitus interruptus in
order to restrict the number of children. This is a safe method,
because it does not involve the use of any substance or chemical
compound. It is a simple method which involves withdrawal

before discharge. It is not highly effective, because some of the


sperms may be released before the actual discharge. These could
easily fertilize the female egg. This method was practiced in
Arabia, as well in many other places. The companions of the
Prophet mentioned it to him and asked him whether it was wrong.
The Prophet did not forbid them that, but he told them that it
could not stop Allah's work. If He wants us to create something, or
in this case, if He wants a child to be born, the resort to
contraception would not prevent the mother from getting
pregnant.
We have reports from companions of the Prophet mentioning that
he was aware of their resort to contraception, but he did not
forbid them that.
In the light of the foregoing, we can say that using a safe and
effective method of birth control is permissible, if it does not
involve the use of a harmful substance. The couple must check
with their doctor if a particular method is safe for them to use. If
so, then they decide whether to use it or not.
Contraception and Sterilization
Question: I have four children and I am considering resorting to a
sterilization operation to be done for my wife. She is thin and
weak and can hardly cope with the demands of the family,
especially during my prolonged absence, away from home to work
here in Saudi Arabia. May I also say that my financial situation is

not that bright. Indeed, I can hardly cope with the great demands
placed on me.
Answer: Let us first of all deal with the financial aspect of this
question. We know that Allah provides sustenance for everyone of
His creation. I personally have experienced an improvement in my
financial level with every child I have had. Indeed, that
improvement was very tangible in the case of one of my children.
Some people may not have such a tangible experience. It is true
to say, however, that Allah will not neglect to provide sustenance
for any human being. It is up to the breadwinner of the family to
make use of the opportunities that Allah provides for him.
Having said that, I should also point out before attending to the
question

on

sterilization

that

resorting

to

methods

of

contraception which are safe and do not affect the health of the
mother is permissible. That must be kept at the individual level.
By this I mean that a family may resort to contraception in order
to limit the number of their children if they determine that such a
thing is desirable in their particular circumstances. At the time of
the

Prophet,

some

of

his

companions

resorted

to

coitus

interruptus, which was the only method of family planning known


to them, and the Prophet was aware of what they did. He did not
instruct them to stop, nor did he tell them that what they did was
forbidden. Therefore, it is permissible. Other methods of family
planning have the same verdict provided they are safe.

Sterilization which involves a surgical operation is a special case.


Unlike other methods of contraception it is permanent. Therefore
it has to be viewed separately. Preventing pregnancy by surgery is
known as sterilization which can be performed for either the
husband or the wife. It is perhaps more accurate to say that we
cannot make a general, sweeping statement in order to say that
such an operation is either forbidden or permissible. Any surgery
may be considered, from the strictly religious point of view, as
required, recommended, discouraged or forbidden, according to
the different circumstances of its person. If a highly competent
doctor advises his patient that a certain operation will not only
cure his illness but also prevents a speedy deterioration of his
case, which is otherwise inevitable, then we can say that the
operation is recommended. On the other hand, if there is no
strong medical grounds for operating on a certain patient, but the
doctor advises the operation only to get his fee, then the doctor
commits a sin by giving such an advice.
In the case of sterilization, what we have to look for is the effect
of pregnancy on the health of the mother. If a competent doctor
determines that every pregnancy is likely to pose a real threat to
the life of the mother or to cause serious threats to her health and
that other methods of contraception may also have a bad effect
on her health, then the woman may have such an operation
without any qualm of conscience. It is permissible in her case. On
the other hand, for a woman who asks her doctor to perform such
an operation because she feels that a pregnancy may spoil her

figure or having children may stop her from taking a lengthy


holiday every few months, such an operation is forbidden.
In your particular condition, I do not think the reasons you have
advanced for such an operation constitute a sound argument to
justify the operation. Your wife may be thin and weak, but you can
easily delay pregnancy by resorting to other methods of
contraception. On the basis of what you say in your letter, you are
only with your wife for a month or so every year. If you take
adequate

precautions,

you

can

almost

certainly

prevent

pregnancy. Therefore, the operation is not required on medical


grounds. Hence, it cannot be lawful in your case.
Modern scholar Shaykh Ahmad al-Sharabassi of Egypt has
pronounced the following as genuine reasons for practicing
contraception:
1. So that the woman may rest between pregnancies.
2. If either partner has a transmittable disease.
3. For the sake of the woman's health. For example if she is
already breast-feeding a child it would be damaging for both
her and the child to have another pregnancy.
4.

If the husband cannot afford to support any more children.

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen