Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

We just had a baby 3 months ago and it was a scissorian and during pregnancy my wife got diabetics and doctor told us that we should not have a baby till 9-12 months because it will be dangerous for the mother. So under this situation does Islam allows abortion?

Plese advise.

Thanks

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Answer:

Circumstances for lawful abortion

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Question: So under this situation does Islam allows abortion?

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verse 140:

Most surely they became losers, who, in their folly and ignorance killed their own children; and made unlawful what Allah had provided them as sustenance, falsely ascribing prohibitions to Allah. Surely, they went astray and were not at all rightly guided.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verse 151 (part):

You should not kill your children for fear of poverty; for We provide sustenance for you and will provide sustenance for them also.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 17 Surah Israa verse 31:

Do not kill your children for fear of want; for it is We Who provide for them, and for you as well. Indeed, their killing is a heinous crime!

The heinous act of intentionally killing one’s unborn child is akin to the crime of murder in the Sight of Allah Subhanah, and abortion is thus absolutely forbidden and impermissible in Islam. If one performs or is an accomplice in the heinous crime of abortion, and does not sincerely repent to Allah Subhanah for their abomination, they will be held severely accountable for their sin of intentional murder of an innocent soul in the Just and Supreme Court of The Majestic Lord on an Inevitable Day.

In light of the guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah, the intentional killing of an un-born child or abortion is absolutely and totally forbidden in Islam. The only one exception some jurists and scholars in Islam have reluctantly allowed abortion is when in extreme circumstances and situations, the medical experts come to a solemn conclusion that it would be humanly possible to save only one, either the mother or the un-born child, during a severe pregnancy complication. In such extreme cases where only one of the two, either the mother or the un-born child, can be saved, the jurists have concluded that the life of the one who is alive will take precedence over the one who is not yet born. Other than this one extreme exception, to the best of our knowledge, there is absolutely no room where abortion would be permitted in Islam.

Beloved brother in Islam, the mere caution of a doctor that a woman should not get pregnant because of her disease of diabetes or immediately after the birth of a child would not be enough to justify an abortion. Unless and until the life of the mother is diagnosed as an absolute severe risk only because of her pregnancy by a medical expert, would there be enough grounds to even contemplate an abortion in Shariah.

One should sincerely fear Allah and His Day of Accounting, and be absolutely sure that their reason for performing an abortion would hold weight in the Court of their All-Knowing Lord before making such an important decision. Allah forbid, if one intends or decides to abort for any reason other than saving the life of the mother, they would be guilty of the heinous crime of the murder of an innocent soul in the Presence of the Lord Most Majestic Most Supreme on that Inevitable Day of Judgment!

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan