Muslims, what are your views regarding abortion?

Question

I am trying to understand Islam, and as the such I wish to know your views regarding abortion. Do you think that in some instances abortion might be justified, such as in the case that a person was raped by a family member, or some other horrendous situation. Please, if possible just tell me if this is a personal view, or include passages from the Koran to support your view.

Thank you.

Also, non muslims are welcomed to answer this question as well. Please indicate where you came to such a conclusion, whether it be a persona experience or through research.. Thanks.

Answer 1

Abortion and the termination of pregnancy is the expulsion of a foetus from the womb of a woman. This may be carried out either by consuming of certain drugs or by emptying the womb through the process of suction.

Life is sacred:

Islam regards human life to be sacred. Allah Most High says:

“And verily we have honoured the children of Adam.” (Surah al-Isra, V.70)

It does not matter where the life exists. Whether the life is extra-uterine or intra-uterine, its location has no significance on its sanctity. This sanctity applies not only to human life, but to the human body as well. Hence, according to Shariah, the physical body of a human after death is just as sacred as it was before death. The degree of sanctity of life is greater than that of the body. This is one of the reasons why it is unlawful (haraam) to consume the meat of a human, dead or alive.

The Shariah ruling on abortion:

Abortion can be divided into two stages:

a) Abortion after the soul (ruh) enters the foetus,

b) Abortion prior to the entry of the soul into the foetus

Before mentioning the ruling on abortion with regards to these two stages, it must be remembered here, that according to Shariah, the soul (ruh) enters the foetus at 120 days (4 months) from conception.

The Jurists (fuqaha) have based this duration upon a Qur’anic verse and a statement of the beloved of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace). In the verse, Allah Almighty states the stages of development of the embryo in the womb of the mother. Allah Almighty says:

“And verily we did create man from a quintessence (of clay). Then we placed him (as a drop of sperm) in a place of rest, firmly fixed. Then we made the sperm into a clot of congealed blood. Then of that clot we made a (foetus) lump. Then we made out of that lump bones and clothed the bones with flesh. Then we developed out of it another creature (by breathing life into it). So blessed be Allah, the most marvellous creator.” (Surah al-Mu’minun, 12/13/14)

In the Hadith recorded by the two most authentic authorities, Imam al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim in their respective Sahih collections, the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) discussed in detail the periods elapsing between these stages, mentioned by the Qur’an.

Sayyiduna Abd Allah ibn Mas’ud (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said:

“The seed of one of you remains in the womb of the mother for forty days in the form of a Nutfa (sperm). Then it remains like a clot for another forty days, and then for a same number of days like a lump of flesh (when the formation of the limbs and the growth of the bones begin).” (Sahih al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim)

The great Hanafi Faqih, Imam Ibn Abidin States in his Radd al-Muhtar:

“The soul enters the foetus at one hundred & twenty days (4 months), as established by the Hadith.” (Radd al-Muhtar, 1/202)

The ruling on abortion in stage (a) i.e. after the entry of the soul into the foetus which is (as explained) 120 days, is that, it is totally unlawful and tantamount to murder, as it results in the taking out of an innocent life. All the scholars have unanimously condemned such a ghastly act.

Imam Ibn Taymiyyah states in his Fatawa collection:

“Aborting a foetus has been declared unlawful (haraam) with the consensus of all the Muslim scholars. It is similar to burying an infant alive as referred to by Allah Almighty in the verse of the Qur’an: “And when the female infant, buried alive, will be asked as to what crime she was killed for”. (Surah al-Takwir, 8)” (Fatawa Ibn Taymiyya, 4/217)

Allama Ibn Abidin (Allah have Mercy on him) also states the prohibition of this gruesome act in his treatise ‘Radd al-Muhtar’:

“If a woman intends to abort her pregnancy, then the Fuqaha have said: If the period of the soul being blown into the foetus has elapsed, it will be impermissible.” (Radd al-Muhtar, 5/276)

However, some Fuqaha and contemporary scholars have given a dispensation to abort the pregnancy after 120 days, in the situation where the life of the mother is in certain and absolute danger. This is based on the Juristic principle stated in the books of Usul al-Fiqh and Qawa’id (juristic principles):

“If one is overtaken by two evils, one should choose the lesser of the two.” (al-Ashbah wa al-Naza’ir, P.98)

They state that the mother’s life should be saved and the foetus aborted, as the mother is established in life, with duties and responsibilities, whereas the unborn child is still in the mother’s womb. But it should be remembered, that the mother’s life must be in certain danger, and that this should be advised by a qualified and experienced Muslim doctor.

With regards to stage (b) i.e. prior to the entry of the soul into the foetus (120 days), the ruling on aborting the pregnancy is that, even in this case it will be unlawful (haraam) to abort it.

The reason why abortion prior to the soul entering the body will not be permitted is that, although there may not be life in the foetus, but the foetus is considered to be part and parcel of the mother’s body as long as it remains in the womb. Thus, just as one’s very own life and also all the limbs and organs of the human body are trust given by the Almighty Creator, so too is the foetus also a trust given to the mother by Allah, and she will not have a right to abort it.

The only difference here is that the sin of aborting the foetus will be of a lesser degree than aborting it after 120 days. It would not be regarded as murder, rather violating the rights of a human organ entrusted to the mother by Allah Almighty.

It is stated in Radd al-Muhtar:

“It is not permissible to abort the pregnancy before and after the entry of the soul into the foetus.” (Radd al-Muhtar, 5/279)

However, in certain extreme circumstances, it would be permitted to abort the pregnancy before the entry of the soul (120 days), such as: when the woman conceives after being raped, the mother’s life or health is in danger, or repeated pregnancies severely damages her health, etc…

Imam al-Haskafi writes in Durr al-Mukhtar:

“Aborting the pregnancy will be permissible due to a valid reason, provided the soul has not yet entered the foetus.”

It should be remarked here that pregnancy due to unlawful and illegal sex is no reason and excuse for abortion. The embryonic life farm in the mother’s womb is honoured and sacred even though it is a result of adultery. (Hidaya, 2/292)

In conclusion, abortion after 120 days is totally unlawful and tantamount to murder. Some Fuqaha, however, have given a dispensation only in the situation where the mother’s life is in certain danger. As far as abortion before the 120 days have elapsed is concerned, it will still be unlawful, though the sin will be of a lesser degree, and it will become permissible if there is a genuine and valid reason.

Answer 2

I know rape and when it endagers the woman's life...abortion is allowed. Now rape might be a bit different now. Back in teh day you wouldn't know if you're pregnant from rape until a while later.

Now its done basically right after the victim makes it to the hospital....(guess not the tradtional term of abortion, but the day after pills and stuff like that).

Might not fly to well if you wait 6 months then say, rape abortion.



Now i truely don't konw the ruling on this. But the soul doesn't enter the womb until 4 months ish (might be 40 days....but yeah there is a time period). Basically before this....it has no life, just a lump of matter....(which technically is alive..since all cells are alive...but the point is no soul).

I think its always looked down upon since contraceptives are allowed.....why get pregnant when you could've been on the pill or wear a condom. But some peopel say its ok to abort before 4 (or 40 days...still not sure)... months....some will disagree. I have my own opinion on this, but don't really know which is right.

Ooh...off topic but the contraceptive rule has one stipulation. Can't not have a child because you think you can't afford it. So if you suddenly lose your job at month 3 of the pregnancy and decide you can't afford a child, the abortion in that case would be a sin.

There are other things linking this rule though. Like you're nto suppose to even get married if you can't support a family. Then you won't be having kids unless you are in a stable financial situion to begin with.

i know 40 days is something in islam...and 4 months and 10 days is something else.

Answer 3

Dear Deazone:

If you study quran it explains the the whole process from fertilization till the formaiton of a child in the mother's womb.
It says that life is added to the embryo when it is120 days old after fertilization. Thus after that time it is considered a living being. And as per Islamic teachings killing an inocent human being is said to be equal to killing the whole of humanity. (thats why it has such a harsh punishment).
So abortion is murder in islam. period. But islam being a way of life rather than only a religion also takes into consideration other factors.

In case of rape i would say No it is not permitted because the fault does not lie with the child. so why kill it if it posses no threat to you or if it has no fault in the act. (Personal view)

In cases where the mother has to go for example a surgery for some other disease or problem and her life is at risk then based on the risk yes you can accept it. because now the child is a player in your life expectancy. (Personal view) but having said that it still is considered a last resort when there is no other option. Islam gives Human life utmost importance be it yours or your childs.

My personal views are based on studing the Quran, its Tafseer (translations and explainations) and some fiqah (The legal side of islam)

habayeb:
Said perfectly! Thanks, reading your answer i wish i had not answered as yours is complete as can be. specially with the references. May Allah bless you for such answers and give us all the wisdom to know and understand our relligion in such detail.

Answer 4

"Generally speaking, abortion in all stages is considered sinful according to the best teachings of Islam, since it is deemed as disturbing and thus destroying the process of life once it has started. However, the enormity of the sin increases as the pregnancy advances; while some scholars have allowed abortion in the very early stages of pregnancy in cases such as rape or incurable diseases or deformities, especially before the expiry of the first 40 days, there is a consensus among scholars, based on their sound understanding of the sources, that it is clearly forbidden to resort to abortion after the soul has been breathed into the fetus..." - taken from abortion for Fear of Negligence

"The above is the trend I follow in my fatwas on this issue in normal cases. But there are some jurists who think that it is permissible to have an abortion within the first forty days of pregnancy. Some of them even permit it until before the soul is breathed into the embryo..." (note: this is the 4 months into the pregnancy, or 120 days - this is from hadith) . taken from Aborting a Fetus Resulting from Rape

"While many scholars consider abortion before the end of the first 40 days of conception as haram, a number of them, however, consider it as either permissible or at least not as haram..." taken from Abortion in Case of Close Pregnancies

Answer 5

In principle, the Qur'an condemns the killing of humans (except in the case of Just defense), but it does not explicitly mention abortion (Al-Ijhadh). This leads Islamic theologians to take up different viewpoints: while the majority of early Islamic theologians permitted abortion up to day 40 of pregnancy or even up to day 120, many countries today interpret these precepts protecting unborn children more conservatively. Although there is no actual approval of abortion in the world of Islam, there is no strict, unanimous ban on it, either.

Answer 6

Abortion is only allowed when the lady has some medical problem and she concievs some how and can not carry that pregnancy , Like cardiac problems, respiatory problems, sever forms of infective hepititis etc. or baby would be born with sever conginital anomalies like neural tubes defect etc......but in normal conditions where the woman is totally normal,the baby would be healthy, abortion is not allowed and its a great sin, taken to be equal to murder !!no matter in what stage the fetus is ! !!

Answer 7

i'm glad to hear that you are trying to understand islam..
abortion is also a murder... and Allah prohibited the murder without the true reason which make it allowed..
in certain cases the pregnancy was failed due to certain reasons... and this may killed the mother, foetus or both.. in this case the abortion is allowed if it will bring harm to the mother... but if the abortion is not due to this kind of cases...or maybe the mother won't have the responsibility on her baby... it is prohibited strictly... wallahua'lam

Answer 8

Ask my opinion, i will say yes for abortion thou it is a 'sin' n the Quran state so but how thus it come. if u were raped go for abort cause people will talk till u die ,if u were living so poorly can't even afford to feed yourself than y do u keep giving birth to your 5th or 6th child. that is y Allah put our brain on top.

Answer 9

we are pro life ---but abortion is allowed only in the first 90 days and for legitimate reasons like women's health or rape cases----and the decision made by both wife and husband----after 90 days is only women's health issue

Answer 10

why must you abort your baby? they deserve to live like we do. killing the baby is still a sin no matter what. theres no exception. unless the baby is still in zygote state..i think so.

Answer 11

Muslims have no problem with fanatical Christians who bomb abortion clinics.