103
about such things?‘ A girl raised herself on her knees so that Allâh’s Messenger (s.a.w.s.) could see her and
listen to what she said. She said, ‘Yes, by Allâh, the men talk about it and the women do, too.’ Then the
Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said, ‘Do you know what those who do this are like? The ones who do this are like a male
and female devil who meet each other in the road and satisfy their desire while the people look on.
(Reported by the compilers of Sunan.)
This emphatic way of expressing the matter should be sufficient to turn the Muslim away from such ill-
considered and degraded behavior, which would make him or her resemble a devil!
Contraception
The preservation of the human species is unquestionably the primary objective of marriage, and such
preservation of the species requires continued reproduction. Accordingly, Islâm encourages having many
children and has blessed both male and female progeny. However, it allows the Muslim to plan his family
due to valid reasons and recognized necessities.
The common method of contraception at the time of the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) was coitus interruptus, or
withdrawal of the penis from the vagina just before ejaculation, thus preventing the entrance of semen. The
Companions of the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) engaged in this practice during the period the Qur‘ân was being
revealed to him. Narrated Jabir, We practiced coitus interruptus during the time of Allâh’s Messenger
(s.a.w.s.) while the Qur‘ân was being revealed. (Compiled by al-Bukhâri and Muslim)
In a version transmitted by Muslim, he said, We practiced coitus interruptus during the time of Allâh’s
Messenger (s.a.w.s.). He came to know about it, but he did not prohibit it.
A man came to the Prophet (s.a.w.s.), saying, “I have a slave girl. I desire what men desire, but I do not want
her to become pregnant, so I practice coitus interruptus with her. The Jews say that this is a minor form of
burying your children alive“. The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said, “The Jews are wrong. If Allâh wishes to create a
child, you cannot prevent it,” (Reported by Abû Daoud, Ibn Mâjah; al-Nisai, and al-Tirmidhî) meaning that
despite the employment of coitus interruptus, a drop of semen might have been deposited in the vagina
without his awareness, resulting in conception.
In a gathering at which ‘Umar was present, someone remarked, “Some say that coitus interruptus is a minor
form of burying a child alive.” ‘All then said, “This is not so before the completion of seven stages: being a
product of the earth, then a drop of semen, then a clot, then a little lump of tissue, then bones, then bones
clothed with flesh, which then become like another creation.” (Ali was paraphrasing the Qur‘ân 23:12-14,
considering the creation of Adam from wet earth as the first stage of development of every human foetus.
(Trans.)) “You are right,” said ‘Umar. “May Allâh prolong your life.”
Valid Reasons for Contraception
The first valid reason for employing contraception is the fear that the pregnancy or delivery might endanger
the life or health of the mother; past experience or the opinion of a reliable physician are the guides in
determining this possibility. Allâh Ta‘ala says:...And do not be cast into ruin by your own
hands....(2:195)...And do not kill yourselves; indeed, Allâh is ever merciful to you. (4:29)
Another reason is the fear that the burden of children may straiten the family’s circumstances so much that
one might accept or do something haram to satisfy their needs. Allâh says:...Allâh desires ease for you, and
He does not desire hardship for you....(2:185)...It is not Allâh’s desire to place a burden upon you....(5:7 (6))
Again, fear that the children’s health or upbringing may suffer may be a valid reason. On the authority of
Usama ibn Zayd, Muslim in his Sahih reported that a man came to Allâh’s Messenger (s.a.w.s.), saying, “I
practice coitus interruptus with my wife.” “Why do you do that?” asked the Prophet (s.a.w.s.). He said, “I
104
fear for her child,” or he may have said, “for her children.” Allâh’s Messenger (s.a.w.s.) then said, “If it (the
pregnancy of a nursing mother) were harmful, it would have harmed the Persians and the Greeks.”
Another valid reason is the fear that the new pregnancy or a new baby might harm a previous suckling child.
The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) termed intercourse with a nursing mother, or rather the intercourse which results in
pregnancy while the mother is still nursing a baby, “gheelah,” thinking that pregnancy would ruin the milk
and weaken the suckling infant. Since he was greatly concerned with the welfare of his ummah, he
dissuaded them from what was harmful. Among his personal opinions (The Prophet sometimes expressed
his personal opinions in worldly matters, which he distinguished from his binding judgments in matters of
religion. (Trans.)) was the saying, “Do not kill your children secretly, for gheelah overtakes the rider and
throws him from the horse.” (Reported by Abû Daoud. It is said that the child who nurses from a pregnant
mother will suffer from it in later life like a horseman who is thrown from his horse. (Trans))
The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) did not, however, go so far as to prohibit intercourse with a nursing mother, as he
noted that the Persians and Greeks, the two most powerful nations of his time, practiced it without any
resulting injury to their children. Moreover, he feared that it would be a great hardship for husbands to
abstain from their wives during the period of suckling, which may last up to two years. He said, I intended to
prohibit gheelah, but I considered the Persians and the Greeks and saw that they suckled their children
during pregnancy without any injury being caused to their children as a result. (Compiled by Muslim.)
Ibn al-Qayyim, in discussing the relationship of this hadith to the one quoted just before it, “Do not kill your
children secretly...” says, The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) saw that pregnancy harms the suckling infant in the same
way as being thrown off a horse harms a rider: it is injurious, but not to the extent of killing the baby. He
advised them to avoid intercourse leading to pregnancy while the woman is nursing an infant but did not
prohibit it. He then intended to prohibit it in order to save the health of the suckling child but realized that the
resulting hardship to the husband, especially for young ones, would be much more injurious to the society.
On balancing these matters, therefore, he preferred not to prohibit it. Moreover, he saw that (in) the two most
powerful and populous nations of his time, (women) suckled their children during pregnancy without its
affecting their strength or numbers, and accordingly he refrained from prohibiting it. (Miftah Dar al-Sa‘adah
by Ibn al-Qayyim, p. 620; also see Zad al-Mi‘ad, vol. 4 p. 26)
In our time new methods of contraception are available which realize the objective intended by the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.), that of protecting the suckling infant from any possible harm which may Occur due to the
pregnancy of its mother, (Although the primary issue discussed here is the welfare of the child, the mother’s
health and well-being is also an object of concern here as well. (Trans.)) while at the same time avoiding the
hardship to the husband in abstaining from sexual relations with his nursing wife. From this we may
conclude that from the Islâmic point of view the ideal spacing between two children is thirty months, or, if one
wants to nurse the baby for two full years, (Two full years is the maximum period for the suckling of an infant
in Islâm. (Trans.)) thirty-three months.
Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal is of the opinion that contraception requires the consent of the wife, because she
has a right both to sexual enjoyment and to decide whether or not she wants a child. It is reported that ‘Umar
forbade the practice of coitus interruptus without the consent of the wife. This was, on the part of Islâm, a
noteworthy step toward establishing the rights of women in an age in which they had no rights.
Abortion
While Islâm permits preventing pregnancy for valid reasons, it does not allow doing violence to the
pregnancy once it occurs.
Dostları ilə paylaş: |