The Islamic Stance on Birth Control

Azhar Goraya 5th Year Jamia Ahmadiyya Canada

Islam is a religion which covers every aspect of human life, from the moment of conception to the burial ceremony after we pass on to the Hereafter. This paper will deal with the former issue, and attempt to portray the Islamic stance in regards to birth control. Birth control by definition means, the Voluntary limitation or control of the number of children conceived, especially by planned use of contraceptive techniques.i. This includes all types of contraception, which fall under hormonal methods (pills), mechanical (condoms, diaphragm) and natural methods (coitus interruptus, fertility awareness methods). The Holy Quran and the narrations of the Holy Prophet (saw) lead us to the conclusion that birth control is indeed permissible in Islam, but with the right conditions and accompanying philosophy. Islam is very clear on its position that all types of pre-marital conjugal relations are absolutely forbidden. Therefore, the issue of contraception only arises within the sphere of a married couple. Islam strongly encourages the spreading of a population, and encourages couples to have children. The Holy Quran declares children to be a source of beauty and indeed are a gift from God.

[18:47] Wealth and children are an ornament of the life of this world. But enduring good works are better in the sight of thy Lord in respect of immediate reward, and better in respect of future hope. And Allah has rebuked those who try and make forbidden the adornment God has given them:

Say, Who has forbidden the adornment of Allah which He has produced for His servants, and the good things of His providing? Say, They are for the believers in the present life and exclusively for them on the Day of Resurrection. Thus do We explain the Signs for a people who have knowledge. (7:33) The narrations of the Holy Prophet also support the above inference. The Holy Prophet has been reported to have said: Marry women who are loving and very prolific, for I shall outnumber the peoples by you. ii (Abu Daud #2045). Therefore, when marrying, we should give due consideration to the fact that one of the purposes of the institution of marriage is to have children and multiply the number of Muslims in the world. Large numbers are a means of beauty as well as strength. The Holy Quran states the following in support of having children:

Your wives are a tilth for you; so approach your tilth when and how you like and send ahead some good for yourselves; and fear Allah and know that you shall meet Him; and give good tidings to those who obey. (2:224) One possible interpretation of Send ahead for yourselves means to ensure your future progeny. Comparing a woman to a tilth also forces us to realize that you dont sow your seed in a field hoping for no return in crops. A farmer always hopes for the maximum return from his field. In short, the Holy Quran and the ahadith are strongly pro-birth, and there are many reasons and benefits in them being so, the scope of which is beyond the purposes of this paper. That being said, Islam is a religion which encompasses all conditions and scenarios. It acknowledges the fact that there are certain situations in which a couple may not want to have kids and they would be right in their thinking. The Quran has not explicitly numbered these reasons, but we can infer several scenarios from the text of the Holy Quran. One reason could be health complications, in which the female faces extraordinary risk to her health in giving birth to a child. The Holy Quran states:

And spend for the cause of Allah, and cast not yourselves into ruin with your own hands, and do good; surely, Allah loves those who do good. (2:196). The Quran admonishes us not to throw ourselves into destruction with our own hands. Meaning that if there is prior knowledge of significant health risks confronting the mother in case of pregnancy, birth control should be used by the couple. On a side note, this verse also sheds light on the type of birth control that is allowed to be used. No type of birth control should be used that effectively amounts to permanently killing yourself by ending all chance of future progeny. In todays society, this would include any type of sterilization. For men this generally entails castration or a vasectomy, and for women a tubal ligation (tying of the fallopian tubes). No situation is permanent. If such contraception is considered because of fear of poverty, then the couple should trust in God that all the wealth of the universe is in His control; He gives to whom He pleases. If it is being done because of any sort of health reason, the couple should remember that one of Allahs attributes is Al-Shaafi (the Healer). He can heal both the parents and the resultant child of any possible disease. There is also the possibility of future treatments for any such disease. Another reason could be poverty. If the husband and wife are barely able to provide the bare necessities of life for themselves, then contraception can be used so a child is not brought into such a situation. The basic necessities which must be met for a human being are water, food, clothing and shelter as the Holy Quran states:

[20:119] It is provided for thee that thou wilt not hunger therein, nor wilt thou be naked. [20:120] And that thou wilt not thirst therein, nor wilt thou be exposed to the sun.

Muslims are required to care for their children and ensure their proper upbringing. If they cannot provide a stable home or even the bare minimum of education for their children, then etiquette would dictate they not produce a child. In fact, it would be injustice (zulm) to give birth to a child into the world while not having the means to provide for it as Allah intended.

Another reason could also be if the wife is currently breast feeding a previous child or is recovering from a past pregnancy. God has recommended 2 years and in another place 30 months for a child to be breastfed so that the child can become fully healthy. This is also so that the woman can recover from the demands of child birth. If another child is born too soon after the previous, it can be difficult for the woman to breast feed both of them as well as negatively affect her recovery. In such a case, both the children and the mother suffer. The Holy Quran states:

And We have enjoined on man concerning his parents his mother bears him in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning takes two years Give thanks to Me and to thy parents. Unto Me is the final return.(31:15) The mentioning of weakness of the mother along with breast-feeding lends support to the aforementioned reason for contraception. There can also be other reasons and situations in which pregnancy would be undesirable. Such cases would have to be reviewed individually in seeing whether they are valid and in confirmation with the overall philosophy behind Islamic marriage and the rearing children. Despite these recesses the Quran provides for a couple not desirous of children, the Quran does make an exception. That a Muslim couple is not allowed to use child birth if there is a fear that having the child will force them into poverty or lower their standard of living. The Holy Quran states:

Say, Come, I will rehearse to you what your Lord has forbidden: that you associate not anything as partner with Him and that you do good to parents, and that you kill not your children for fear of poverty it is We Who provide for you and for them and that you approach not foul deeds, whether open or secret; and that you kill not the life which Allah has made sacred, save by right. That is what He has enjoined upon you, that you may understand. (6:152) Allah says to not kill your future progeny because of fear of poverty. If you fear poverty, then know that Allah is the one who provides for you and your future children. In different ahadith, we also come across narrations where it is stated that the Holy Prophet was informed that some his companions would practice coitus interruptus, and he looked upon it with disapproval. These ahadith are usually variations of the following hadith: Narrated Ibn Muhairiz: I saw Abu Said and asked him about coitus interruptus. Abu Said said, "We went with Allah's Apostle, in the Ghazwa of Barli Al-Mustaliq and we captured some of the 'Arabs as captives, and the long separation from our wives was pressing us hard and we wanted to practice coitus interruptus. We asked Allah's Apostle (whether it was permissible). He said, "It is better for you not to do so. No soul, (that which Allah has) destined to exist, up to the Day of Resurrection, but will definitely come, into existence."iii (Sahih Bukhari, Book #46, Manumission of Slaves, Hadith #718) Its important to study the context in which disapproval was shown by the Holy Prophet in the use of contraception. All of the ahadith of this nature refer the use of contraception (the most popular method of contraception at the time of the Holy Prophet was probably coitus interruptus) with female prisoners of war. With this revelation, the issue becomes exceedingly clear. According to Islamic Law, if a female prisoner of war is impregnated, she automatically becomes an Umm-e-Walad, is immediately freed and is given all the rights guaranteed to a wife in Islam. The Holy Quran has strongly supports the freeing of slaves and prisoners of war as quickly as possible, and has opened up many avenues for their emancipation. Any type of slavery is looked upon with disapproval, as Islam presents every human as being born free. As such, the Holy Prophet was also desirous that these prisoners also become free as quickly as possible. Practicing contraception with them would be closing one avenue of their release, hence he looked upon the act with disapproval. But since freeing slaves and prisoners of war immediately without any type of monetary compensation is not an order of the Quran, but merely an option, the Holy Prophet also did not order them to stop the practice. The following hadith also supports the above conclusion:

Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri: That while he was sitting with the Prophet a man from the Ansar came and said, "O Allah's Apostle! We get slave girls from the war captives and we love property; what do you think about coitus interruptus?" Allah's Apostle said, "Do you do that? It is better for you not to do it, for there is no soul which Allah has ordained to come into existence but will be created."iv (Sahih Bukhari, Book #77, Book of Tauheed, Hadith #600) Here explicit mention is made of property and wealth in relation to coitus with a female captive. If the captive is not impregnated, she remains a captive unless her ransom is paid by her tribe, family, or the equivalent in her labour (known as Mukatbat in Islamic Terminology). This is if her captor requires remuneration, both for expenses of the war and for her upkeep while incarcerated. This is the recommendation regarding prisoners of war. Yet we find no such injunctions regarding the use of contraception between a husband and a wife. In fact, ahadith of the following nature come to our attention: Narrated by Jabir: We used to practice coitus interruptus during the lifetime of Allah's Apostle.v (Sahih Bukhari, Book #62, Book of Marriage, Hadith #135) Meaning the companions of the Holy Prophet would practice coitus and he did not forbid them to do so. This is made even clearer in the following narration: Jabir (Allah be pleased with him) reported: We used to practise 'azl during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). This (the news of this practise) reached Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him), and he did not forbid usvi. (Sahih Muslim, Kitab al Nikah, chapter The order of Al-Azl) Therefore, the prophet allowed contraception to be used between a married couple, but looked upon it with disapproval when used with a prisoner of war. It is also interesting to note that Imaam Bukhari has classified the ahadith regarding the disapproval of using contraception with prisoners of war under the book of manumission of slaves. While on the other hand he has classified the ahadith apparently allowing birth control under the book of marriage. Imaam Muslim has also placed the ahadith allowing birth control under his book of marriage as well. This also powerfully leads us to believe that these to two great scholars of Islam also held the aforementioned belief in regards to the legality of birth control. Islam is truly a religion that guides us aright in every avenue of life. May we be every ready to submit to its beautiful teachings. Amen.

ii

Dictionary.com Abu Daud #2045. Sahih Bukhari, Book #46, Manumission of Slaves, Hadith #718

iii

iv v

Sahih Bukhari, Book #77, Book of Tauheed, Hadith #600 Sahih Bukhari, Book #62, Book of Marriage, Hadith #135 vi Sahih Muslim, Kitab al Nikah, chapter The order of Al-Azl