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Islamic Verdict on Contraception

The issue of birth control and family planning differs completely from the issue of contraception.

As for the issue of birth control, it is the complete opposite of proliferation, which in principle is approved and recommended is Islam. The Legislator (swt) has requested that we increase the birth-rate, not control it, i.e. decrease it, nor restrict it. The request has been linked with praise for he who seeks a large family. Therefore, the conjunction indicates that proliferation is recommended rather than undesirable, which means that it is a mandub (recommended) action and not just mubah (permitted). It is however not obligatory, for the texts which request the action have not been linked to a conjunction that decisively command the performing of such action. Therefore, proliferation is a mandub action, meaning that it carries a reward; however, if it is not performed, it would not entail a punishment neither in temporal life by the Islamic state, nor in the Day of Judgement by Allah (swt). Not performing the mandub action, which in this case seeking a large family, is not necessarily makruh (undesirable), nor is it haram, i.e. forbidden.

As for the Shari‘ah texts which indicate that proliferation is part of the mandub actions, these are as follows. Abu Dawood and al-Tirmidhi extracted with a sahih sanad, on the authority of Anas, that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, “Do marry the devoted and prolific women, for I will be proud of you before other nations in the Day of Judgement.” Mu’qil ibn Yassar reported that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, “Do marry the devoted and prolific women, for I will be proud of you before the Prophets in the Day of Judgement.” Al-Tabarani extracted in his book entitled Al-Mu’jam al-Kabeer that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, “Get married and have large families.”

These texts explicitly display an indication and a request for proliferation by way of mandub.

The conspiracy behind the concept of birth control

Proliferation is a mandub action, and therefore, it would not be considered sinful if not performed. However, the idea of birth control propagated nowadays stretches far back to a historical and an ideological conspiracy which the disbelievers concocted against the Muslims for fear of the rapid demographic growth of the Islamic Ummah, which was threatening their objectives, their areas of influence and their interests.

How the concept of birth control emerged

This concept was first introduced in Europe by Pasteur Thomas Robert Malthus in 1798 when he published an essay, The Principle of Population, in which he argued that because population increases by a geometrical ratio while means of subsistence increase by an arithmetical ratio, poverty and suffering are unavoidable. He therefore called for birth control by using contraception once a restricted number of children had been conceived.

This concept has taken root due to the Capitalists viewpoint on goods and services on the one hand and people’s needs on the other hand; and since according to them, goods and services were limited, they would not be sufficient to satisfy people’s unlimited needs. This, according to the Capitalists is at the heart of the economic crisis facing the world, i.e. the increasing needs and the lack of resources and the means to satisfy people’s needs. They claimed that the solution would be an economic growth, met at the same time by birth control in order to decrease people’s needs, especially in the Muslim world, where they, i.e. the Capitalists, control the oil as well as the third world other riches.

Islam however considers the cause of the economic problems facing the world to be the bad distribution and not the lack of production, for in fact the resources of the world as a whole exceed all people’s needs put together. Allah (swt) says,

“There is no moving creature on earth but its sustenance depends on Allah.” [TMQ 11:6]

It is because of the bad distribution, coupled by the injustice of the rulers that led to very few people becoming excessively rich, while most people were poor; furthermore, the resources have been controlled by very few people.

Islam has brought to us a fair and just system capable of resolving the economic crisis facing the world; and systems do not come any fairer and more capable than Islam.

The Islamic viewpoint vis-à-vis birth control

The concept of birth control, by permanently halting birth with the help of medicines or surgery is forbidden under Shari‘ah rules. The state and the Ummah would be forbidden from adopting, or enacting as a law or propagating such a concept, for two main reasons:

1- This concept emanates from the disbelieving Capitalist doctrine, which is based on separating religion from temporal life, i.e. giving the supremacy and the authority to the human over all his life’s affairs, meaning that the Creator has no say in the matter; and this is sheer disbelief, for Allah (swt) says,

“The creation and the rule are to none but Him.”

And Allah (swt) also says,

“No by your Lord, they would not become believers until they make you judge in all disputes between them.” [TMQ 4:65]

He (swt) also says,

“The rule is to none but Allah.”

2- Islam has encouraged and exhorted proliferation, and made the preserving of progeny one of the high ideals; Islam has decreed a set of rules designed to maintain the progeny, such as marriage, and also to protect it as reflected in Allah (swt) saying,

“Kill not your children for fear of want, We shall provide sustenance for them as well as for you.” [TMQ 17:31]

And He (swt) also says,

“And from them twain He scattered countless men and women.” [TMQ 4:1]

As for the issue of family planning or contraception, this is an individual action undertaken by the husband or the wife or both in order to temporarily stop having children, either for health reasons or to protect the woman’s health and youthfulness, or because the husband is engaged in carrying out a worthy duty such as jihad or seeking knowledge, and looking after children could become an obstacle for him and so on.

Therefore, the issue of contraception is wider and more comprehensive than that of proliferation and birth control.

The Shari‘ah texts have clearly indicated that temporary contraception is permitted, men and women alike are permitted to use any method of contraception regardless of the reasons, even if it means not having a family which is a mandub action.

Evidence about the permissibility of contraception is deduced from the hadith which Muslim extracted on the authority of Jabir who reported that a man came to the Messenger of Allah (saw) and said, “I have a maid who serves us and helps us with the palm trees, I do have intercourse with her and I would hate her to become pregnant. Upon this he (saw) said: ‘Perform ‘azl (withdraw prematurely) if you wish, but remember always, that no matter what, she will get what Allah (swt) has willed for her’.”

Bukhari and Muslim extracted on the authority of Jabir who said, “We used to in the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (saw) withdraw prematurely while the Qur’an was being revealed.” Bukhari and Muslim extracted on the authority of Sa‘id al-Khudri who reported, “We were out with the Messenger of Allah (saw) and we desired our women as we have been complaining from celibacy, our women wanted us to perform the ‘azl, so we asked Allah’s Messenger (saw) about this and he said, ‘There is no harm in doing this for Allah (swt) will create what He wishes till the Day of Judgement’.”

Abu Dawood extracted that a man said, “O Messenger of Allah, I have a maid, and I would hate for her to become pregnant, and I desire what every man desires, and I heard the Jews say that the ‘azl is considered as the ‘little burial’. Upon this he (saw) said, ‘The Jews are liars, for if Allah had wanted to create it you would not have been able to prevent it’.”

These Shari‘ah texts explicitly indicate that the ‘azl, in other words temporary contraception, is permitted (mubah). This is so because the permissibility of ‘azl has been mentioned in connection with unwanted pregnancies. However, the belief must always be unshakable that regardless of whether the human being withdrew prematurely or not, or whether he used any means of contraception, Allah (swt) will always create whatever He wished till the Day of Judgement.

Finally, the best example about the importance of the demographic growth in the Muslim world is perhaps the great increase of the Muslim population in Palestine, which forms the strongest means of defence against the Jewish occupation. The author of the book entitled A thorn in Your Eyes, Rabbi Maer Kahana, wrote in the chapter of ‘The demographic devil’, “The birth-rate among the Muslims is unique, they are the youngest nation in the world.”

Indeed the growing birth-rate of the Muslims does not only concern the Jews, but the whole world, for their proliferation would make them a major force if they implemented the rule of their Lord and established a sincere leadership to rule the world and save humankind from the misery, poverty, crime and injustice which they suffer from as a result of the conventional systems implemented upon them. As a way of life in the state and within society, Islam is a mercy to mankind; Allah (swt) says,

“We have send you save as a mercy to mankind”

As for the permanent contraception, this has been forbidden by Islam, for it is considered a kind of castration, and the Messenger of Allah (saw) has forbidden castration on his Companions. Al-Tabarani extracted that a desert Arab came to the Messenger of Allah (saw) and asked him about castration and the Messenger of Allah (saw) prohibited him from this

From alghurabaa.co.uk