I am very keen to know if anyone has knowledge about when gender is determined during pregnancy? I know of the following hadith;
Narrated by Abdullah (r.a), Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him ) said:-
“(As regards to your creation), every one of you is collected in the womb of his mother for the first 40 days, and then he becomes a clot for another 40 days, and then a piece of flesh for another 40 days. Then Allah (s.w.t) sends an angel to write 4 words: He writes his deeds, time of his death, means of his livelihood, and whether he will be wretched or blessed (in the Hereafter). Then the soul is breathed into his body. So a man may do deeds characteristic of the people of the (Hell) Fire, so much so that there is only the distance of a cubit between him and it, and then what has been written (by the angel) surpasses; and so he starts doing deeds characteristic of the people of Paradise and enters Paradise. Similarly, a person may do deeds characteristic of the people of Paradise, so much so that there is only the distance of a cubit between him and it, and then what has been written (by the angel) surpasses, and he starts doing deeds of the people of the (Hell) fire and enters the (Hell) Fire.”
But, it does not mention anything regarding gender determination. I have been told by some people that its about four months and yet some gender scans don’t seem reliable at this stage. Furthermore, some people say its shirk to have a gender scan.
Please share your knowledge and thoughts on this topic
I am very keen to know if anyone has knowledge about when gender is determined during pregnancy? I know of the following hadith;
Narrated by Abdullah (r.a), Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him ) said:-
“(As regards to your creation), every one of you is collected in the womb of his mother for the first 40 days, and then he becomes a clot for another 40 days, and then a piece of flesh for another 40 days. Then Allah (s.w.t) sends an angel to write 4 words: He writes his deeds, time of his death, means of his livelihood, and whether he will be wretched or blessed (in the Hereafter). Then the soul is breathed into his body. So a man may do deeds characteristic of the people of the (Hell) Fire, so much so that there is only the distance of a cubit between him and it, and then what has been written (by the angel) surpasses; and so he starts doing deeds characteristic of the people of Paradise and enters Paradise. Similarly, a person may do deeds characteristic of the people of Paradise, so much so that there is only the distance of a cubit between him and it, and then what has been written (by the angel) surpasses, and he starts doing deeds of the people of the (Hell) fire and enters the (Hell) Fire.”
But, it does not mention anything regarding gender determination. I have been told by some people that its about four months and yet some gender scans don't seem reliable at this stage. Furthermore, some people say its shirk to have a gender scan.
Please share your knowledge and thoughts on this topic
Allah knows before conception what the gender is going to be, we learn that after 4 months
Well, you can know it much earlier if you do a genetic screening. But it's not recommended as a routine procedure for gender determination, since the risks outweighs the benefits. It's better to wait till the ultrasound gives a definitive answer, which happens after 4-5 months.
The procedure normally requires a puncture through the belly and taking a sample of the liquid from inside the womb. The most common side-effect – the procedure may trigger miscarriage.
Thank you all for your replies, I guess its one of those things that even science can get wrong. Someone mentioned a biology book, well as it so happens I was looking for an Islamic point of view on this. We all know what science has to say, even the scientists have a difference of opinion.
Yes, CVS/amnioscentesis commonly done around 16 weeks gestation to rule out fetus abnormality would help determine baby’s gender. But, I am looking for specific hadeeth in relation to when the angel comes down during pregnancy to write down the child’s gender as well as the above four mentioned things in my earlier post!
Here is an interesting article I found regarding early male/female genital development/scans;
I wonder what must be the reason for someone to go for genetic screening. A history of defective births is one that comes to mind.
Yes, usually it is done if there is a history of genetic diseases in the family. It's also recommended for women over the age of 35, since the chance of having a baby with Down syndrome rises exponentially after this age.