Q63 :Is it appropriate for a married couple not to
have more than two children because of their limited economic
resources? Is it acceptable that they take measures to prevent
pregnancy after having had two children?
A63 : During the time of the Prophet, some of his
netpanions tried to reduce the chances of conception and pregnancy,
because they did not want any more children. The Prophet was aware of
that. Some referred to him while some relied on the fact that no edict
was given concerning the question of preventing pregnancy. The general
rule is that “everything is permissible unless pronounced otherwise.”
Thus, we have statements by some of the Prophet’s netpanions such as:
“We resorted to contraception at the time when the Qur’an was being
revealed”, and “We resorted to contraception and the Prophet was aware
of that but he did not stop us.” These statements are clear in their
import. If the Prophet’s netpanions had been doing something
unacceptable to Islam, God would have either revealed a prohibition in
the Qur’an or the Prophet would have given an order in a Hadith. The
fact is that the Prophet did not give such an order. Instead, when he
learned from one of his netpanions that he resorted to contraception,
the Prophet said clearly that no method of contraception would stop the
creation of a child, should God will that the child be born. As such,
no method of contraception can stop God’s will being fulfilled. The
method of contraception which was known at that time was coitus
interruptus. Modern methods are equally permissible, provided that they
are safe and they prevent conception. Sterilization of either the man
or the woman is not permissible except when it is made absolutely
necessary for medical reasons. Thus, if doctors determine that any
pregnancy is likely to present a serious risk to the life of the
mother, then sterilization may be approved. But each case must be
considered separately on its own merits. What I have said so far
applies at the individual level only. A national policy of family
planning which aims to reduce the population is unacceptable because it
is likely to have serious repercussion on the health of the nation as a
whole.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )