:salam2:
I would like to open this thread about ‘family planning - in views of Qur’an and Hadeeths’. Your valuable comments will enlighten this thread and i will appreciate u pplz correct me, if I mistaken somewhere.
There are fundamentally two methods of Contraception or family planning.
(1) Permanent methods: Include, Vasectomy in males and Tubecotomy in females. All the scholars unanimously agree that permanent methods of family planning are prohibited since they involve changing human physiology.
Here ‘true’ is used in the sense in which we say, ‘the magnetic needle is true to the north’. Those who have been privileged to receive the Trust should never hesitate or swerve, but remain onstant, as men who know.
As turned out from the creative of God, man is innocent, pure, free, inclined to right and virtue, and endued with true understanding about his own position in the Universe and about God’s goodness, wisdom, and power. That is his true nature, just as the nature of a lamb is to be gentle and of a hors is to be swift. But mand is caught in the meshes of customs, superstitions, selfish desires, and false teaching. This may make him pugnacious, unclean, false, salvish, hankering after what is wrong or forbidden, and deflected from the love of his fellow-men and the pure worship of the One True God. The problem before spiritual Teachers is to cure this crookedness and to restore human nature to what is hould e under the Will of God.
‘Din qaiyim’ as ‘straight usage’. Here the meaning is wider, as it includes the whole life, thoughts and desires of man. The ‘standard Religion’, or the Straight Way, is thus contrasted with various human systems that conflict with each other and call themselves separate ‘religions’ or ‘sets’. God’s standard REligion is one, as God is One.
However, scholars unanimously agree that any permanent method of family planning, or even abortion, can be done if the life of the mother is in danger. For e.g. if the woman is suffering from certain diseases like heart disease or has under gone multiple caesarean operations and in her case the continuation of pregnancy or another pregnancy may be detrimental to her life, then the woman can be aborted or a permanent method of family planning can be adopted to save the life of the woman.
**(2) Temporary methods: **Following are various different temporary methods.
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M.T.P. (Medical Termination of Pregnancy) or Abortion: All scholars unanimously agree that M.T.P. or abortion is prohibited.
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Taking birth control pills: Almost all the scholars including Shaykh Ibn Baaz, Council of the Senior Scholars [of Saudi Arabia] agree that it is not allowed to take birth control pills (Fataawa al-Marah) because of its side effects and changes in the normal physiology.
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Copper-T: A very common temporary method of family planning or contraception is Copper-T. Though it is known as ‘contraception’ but technically it is contra-implantation. The sperm fertilizes the ovum but the zygote formed is destroyed by the Copper-T and is prevented from being implanted on the uterine wall (mother’s womb). Thus it is a very early abortion, which is prohibited in Islam.
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Some “scholars” out of ignorance permit this temporary method of family planning without knowing its detail.
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Coitus Interruptus (‘Azl): Coitus Interruptus is permissible as long as it is performed with mutual consent of both the husband and wife since both of them have equal right to have children.
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As regarding other temporary methods of family planning like condom etc., the scholars are divided whether their use is permitted or not. Allah SWT has provided a natural method of planning the family, which is medically known as lactation amenorrhea. After the women gives birth to a child, till she breast feeds she does not have her menstrual cycle, thus the chances of pregnancy in this period of lactation is minimal.
Instead of following Pagan superstitions, and being in constant terror of imaginary taboos and prohibitions, we should study the true moral law, whose sanction is God’s Law. The first step is that we should recongnise that He is the One and Only Lord and Cherisher. The mention of goodness to parents immediately afterwards suggest (i) thats God’s love of us and care for us may - on an infinitely higher plance - be undserstood by our ideal of parental love, which is purely unselfish (2) that our first duty among our fellow creatures is to our father and mother, whose love leads us to concception of divine love. Arising from that is the conception of our converse duties to our children. God provides sustance (material and spiritual) not only for us, but for them; hence any custom like the Pagan custom of sacriicing children to Moloch stands condemned. Then come the moral probhibitions against lewdness and all unseemly acts, relating to sex or otherwise, open or secret. This is followed by the prohibition of killing or fighting. All these things are confromable to our own interests, and therefore true wisdom from our own point of view.
For the comprehensive word ‘haqq’ used as the two words ‘Justice and law’, other significations implied are: right, truth, what is becoming, etc. It is not only that human life is sacred, but all life is sacred. Even in killing animals for food, a dedicatory formula “in the name of God” has to be employed, to make it lawful.
The arabs were addicted to female infanticide. In a society perpetually at war a was a source of strenght whereas a daugher was a source of weakness. Even now infanticide is not unknown in other countries for economic reasons. This crime against children’s lives is here chaterised as one of the greatest of sins.
Reasons for Family Planning: All the various reasons for family planning can be divided into two categories:
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Either for poverty or
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Giving special attention to children by having fewer children.
As for those who are poor and fear that they will not be able to meet the economic expenses of the additional child, Allah (swt) has prescribed the system of zakaat. Every rich person who has the savings of more than the nisab level i.e. 85 gms of gold, should give 2.5% of his excess wealth every lunar year in charity. Those who are poor have the right to take the zakaat money.
**Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an “…Kill not your children on a plea of want; We provide sustenance for you and for them;” (Al-Qur’an 6:151) **
**Allah (swt) also mentions in the Qur’an “Kill not your children for fear of want: We shall provide sustenance for them as well as for you: verily the killing of them is a great sin.” (Al-Qur’an 17:31) **
Both these verses seems to convey the same message but on scrutiny we realize that the first verse is meant for poor parents, who fear that if one more child is born in the family neither they will be able to survive nor the child, thus Allah SWT says we provide sustenance for you and for them. In the other verse Allah SWT says We shall provide sustenance for them and as well as for you, referring to rich parents who feel that if they have less children they can concentrate on them better and give them better education and quality life. Here Allah SWT reverses the order and mentions first the children and then the parents.
It is a misconception that if there are fewer children you can provide better education and quality life to your child.
However, its worth notable that one never knows which child could be a blessing from the Creator for the family. It is quite possible that the child, which the parents anticipate to be a bane, may turn out to be a boon for the family and the society. History bears witness to the fact that many of the great scientists, thinkers, and revolutionaries were not from only amongst the first two children of their parents.
Thus the child whom the parents consider unwanted may be a blessing to the family religiously and economically.
With regards to the claim of the people who say that the growth in population increases poverty, this was mainly based on Malthusian’s theory. This theory states that, to maintain prosperity and welfare of human race, its increase should be checked to correspond with the production of foodstuff.
But now we have realized that Malthusian’s theory has been proved wrong and there is no shortage of food grains. Moreover, in spite of the amount of land India uses in agriculture, there is still much more land in India, which can, with little more efforts in fertilizing it through the proper means be utilized in agriculture thus producing more food grains. It would be interesting to note that population density of Holland and Denmark is about four to five times more than that of India. Nevertheless the living conditions of the people there is far better off (economically) than the Indians.
Besides, even if one faces difficulties in upbringing of children, one should always remember that in these hardships could be a test from Allah as this life is a test for the hereafter.
If you feel you can plan the family better, the choice is yours or else leave it to Allah (swt) to do the best planning for your family.
Allah knows the best.
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LKK