Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
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
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.)
to
produce
children,
such
as
by
having
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
precautions,
you
can
almost
certainly
prevent