Q65 :Since birth control is not allowed in Islam,
may I know if it is permissible to try to elongate the period between
pregnancies, depending on necessity and on condition that both husband
and wife agree on that? Is it also forbidden in Islam to sterilize a
man or a woman in order to control birth?
A65 : You have started by saying that birth
control is not allowed in Islam. I am afraid that this is a very
general statement which is far from accurate. I have often mentioned in
this column that the authority to forbid anything belongs only to
Allah. No one can declare anything forbidden without clear evidence
from the Qur’an or the Sunnah. Therefore, anyone who claims that birth
control is forbidden must produce his evidence. When he tries, he will
soon discover that his efforts are far from successful. To start with,
there is nothing in the Qur’an on this subject. When we look at Hadith,
we find several reports by netpanions of the Prophet saying that they
used to resort to methods known to them to delay conception and they
told the Prophet about them, or that he was aware of them, but he did
not speak against them. Indeed, he told them that such methods would
not prevent creation of any human being Allah wants to create. On the
basis of these reports, contemporary scholars have given a verdict that
new methods of birth control are permissible, provided that they are
absolutely safe. However, this permissibility applies in individual
cases. Needless to say, proper spacing between pregnancies is
perfectly acceptable from the Islamic point of view, as long as it is
done through legitimate means. When sterilization of either man or
woman is done for netpelling health reasons, it is acceptable. Proper
advice should be sought from a netpetent, God-fearing Muslim Doctor. If
he determines that such a course of action is absolutely necessary to
protect the person’s life, then it is permissible. Otherwise, such an
operation involves a change of what Allah has created and, therefore,
it is forbidden.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )