Why do Muslims not consider a woman pregnant during first 40 days of pregnancy?

Question

I'm working on this project and I need to know the answer to this question. I am aware that in the religion of Islam, a woman is not considered pregnant during the first 40 days, which is one of the reason they support stem cell research. I would like to know why they think this way. Is it something in their religion that says something about pregnancy? I really need to know. Can anyone help me? Why do Muslims not consider a woman pregnant during first 40 days of pregnancy?

Well, I kind of interepted the information that I found into my own words. Other religions believe that life begins at conception but Islam doesn't. It also said some other things that I can't remember, but from that information I came up with that. Thanks for the help. it was exactly what I was looking for.

However, there was one Islamic website that did say it exactly like that. I suppose I just copied the question exactly in that way. I guess I shouldn't have put the question in that way. Sorry to offend anyone if I did.

Answer 1

because there is no soul in the fetus until after 40 days for a boy and 90 days for a girl. after this time there is a baby...and it is considered murder in Islam for an abortion if the fetus becomes a baby and contains a soul...
no matter what...if i have a fetus inside me i still will not condone abortions. i thought i was pregnate one time and asked how my husband felt...when he droped hints for he would want me to abort the baby i told him i would choose the life growing inside over him. he wanted me to abort because he said he wants to start a life before he can provide for a family. this i can understand...but i feel differently. i feel if he laid down with me then well that about sums it all up...thank God i was not pregnate at the time...because i was going to leave him. i didn't want to but i wasn't going to stop something God started. and i told him this.

Answer 2

Hi, I am Muslim, and I've heard about life beginning at the 4th month of pregnancy as well.

When I was in college, a young Muslim minister (Imam) did a research paper about abortion & pregnancy; and in the paper he wrote that a Muslim woman can get an abortion up until 4 months of pregnancy--but after that, she can not. The reason, if I remeber correctly, is that in the 4th month of pregnancy--an angel comes and "breaths a soul" into the body of the fetus. What amazing about this theory is that doctors of today, and a woman who has been pregnant--will tell you that a woman begins to feel the baby move at the 4th month of pregnancy...Therefore, before the 4th month, the fetus does not have a "soul" yet; and is basically flesh and bones.

The Koran speaks a lot about pregnancy. Whats incredible is that some things that are stated in the Koran are only now being discovered by modern-day science and medicine. The Koran was written 1,400 years ago--and science is now discovering some things to be true. For example, the Koran talks about 3 different layers within the womb of a pregnant woman--and any doctor today will tell you that there are 3 protective coatings in the uterus while a woman is pregnant. It also speaks of how the fetus is formed, and it falls in line with modern medicine.

Anyways--thats whats I've heard on the subject. Hope this helped! :)

PS----I'm a Muslim woman, and I support a woman's right to choose an abortion, and stem cell research.

Answer 3

No that's not the issue, in Islam it's considered pregnancy since the 1st day; the matter of the 40 days is not for considering it pregnancy or not, but it's in the ruling if it's allowed to get abortion before and after it or not, and here's what the scholars of Islam have to say about it:

1 – It is not permissible to abort a pregnancy at any stage unless there is a legitimate reason, and within very precise limits.

2 – If the pregnancy is in the first stage, which is a period of forty days, and aborting it serves a legitimate purpose or will ward off harm, then it is permissible to abort it. But aborting it at this stage for fear of the difficulty of raising children or of being unable to bear the costs of maintaining and educating them, or for fear for their future or because the couple feel that they have enough children – this is not permissible.

3 – It is not permissible to abort a pregnancy when it is an ‘alaqah (clot) or mudghah (chewed lump of flesh) (which are the second and third periods of forty days each) until a trustworthy medical committee has decided that continuing the pregnancy poses a threat to the mother’s wellbeing, in that there is the fear that she will die if the pregnancy continues. It is permissible to abort it once all means of warding off that danger have been exhausted.

4 – After the third stage, and after four months have passed, it is not permissible to abort the pregnancy unless a group of trustworthy medical specialists decide that keeping the foetus in his mother’s womb will cause her death, and that should only be done after all means of keeping the foetus alive have been exhausted. A concession is made allowing abortion in this case so as to ward off the greater of two evils and to serve the greater of two interests.

Answer 4

I'm not muslim, but I think it makes sense.

that early in the pregnancy the woman's body can entirely naturally, for no perceivable reason abort the pregnancy entirely, just the biology determine the situation isn't just right, and cancel it.

in fact did you know MANY MANY pregnancy starts (ie: egg becomes fertilized, and even implants on the uterine wall) are 100% naturally aborted, simply by the body's own natural functions, without the woman even knowing she was pregnant to begin with?
if I remember what I read right, theres actually more that cancel themselves that early on, than progress further. (kinda screws that whole "life begins at conception" concept don't it)

for what its worth in Judaism, in the Talmud its stated that an embryo prior to the 40th day is "as water" or something to that effect, and has *zero* status of being alive. where between then and pregnancy it has varying degrees of partial-status. (not gaining personhood til birth)

Answer 5

My boyfriend told me that the soul is not put into the fetus after a certain amount of days. Before this occurs then the fetus is considered to be just cells and not a living human being.
Also, take into account a women is more likely to miscarry during the first trimester of her pregnancy and then the likelihood diminishes.

However, the woman is still considered to be pregnant even before the soul is put into the fetus.

Answer 6

Muslims believe that the soul is introduced into the fetus at the beginning of the six week. The soul according to the Quran is a secret of God that no human will ever reach its knowledge, so I can't be of any further help.

Answer 7

This is a misconception among muslims who say that aborting the babies early in the pregnancy is ok. There is a scholar (his name is Zakir Naik) who went over this issue and said that those people are wrong and that the only way that you can have an abortion is if it is dangerous and harmful for the mother to have the baby.

Answer 8

The ignorant Muslim you spoke to is misinformed. A man who desires divorce can not until 3 after 3 months incase his wife is pregnant. Moreover according to Islam, a women is pregnant when she first conceives it the baby, taking its life in any stage is considered murder..

[13:8] GOD knows what every female bears, and what every womb releases, or gains. Everything He does is perfectly measured.

35:11] GOD created you from dust, then from a tiny drop, then He causes you to reproduce through your spouses. No female becomes pregnant, nor gives birth, without His knowledge. No one survives for a long life, and no one's life is snapped short, except in accordance with a pre-existing record. This is easy for GOD.






[2:228] The divorced women shall wait three menstruations (before marrying another man). It is not lawful for them to conceal what GOD creates in their wombs, if they believe in GOD and the Last Day. (In case of pregnancy,) the husband's wishes shall supersede the wife's wishes, if he wants to remarry her. The women have rights, as well as obligations, equitably. Thus, the man's wishes prevail (in case of pregnancy). GOD is Almighty, Most Wise.


[6:151] Say, "Come let me tell you what your Lord has really prohibited for you: You shall not set up idols besides Him. You shall honor your parents. You shall not kill your children from fear of poverty - we provide for you and for them. You shall not commit gross sins, obvious or hidden. You shall not kill - GOD has made life sacred - except in the course of justice. These are His commandments to you, that you may understand."

Answer 9

THats a new one.

Never heard of such a thing in islam.

We believe that a child doesn't get a soul untill six weeks of pregnancy.

Answer 10

yr question is realy funny !!
who told u that.

havent u forgoten that hospital i mean the specialist are the first one to iform she is pregnated, or u mean you Go out the street and tell everyone that u are pregnated ? is that what u want muslims to do like YOU?