Is it permissible for a woman to insert an IUD to lengthen the interval between children on the grounds that this is more beneficial for upbringing and the mother's health?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Yes, that is correct. Now, regarding a woman who gives birth every year, is it permissible for her to resort to what is now called an IUD or something similar to lengthen the period between children?
The Shaykh : And why?
The questioner : They say that this is more beneficial for upbringing and the mother's health, and so on.
The Shaykh : It is not permissible.
The questioner : It is not permissible.
The Shaykh : For two reasons. The first reason is that inserting an IUD requires exposing the 'awrah (the part of the body that must be covered), even if it is only to a female doctor. Exposing the 'awrah is forbidden and not permissible except out of dire necessity. If there is no dire necessity other than this modern philosophy, then it is not permissible for her to expose her 'awrah to a doctor.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : She may be prescribed another method that does not require exposing her 'awrah. In that case, we say that this act is disliked (makruh) because it involves reducing the number of the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) ummah (the Muslim community), by whom the prophets will boast of their large numbers on the Day of Resurrection, as he (peace and blessings be upon him) explicitly stated in the well-known hadith, namely his saying: This ruling of dislike is different from the case where the motive for limiting her offspring, or in other modern terms, family planning, is a belief that conflicts with divine decree and destiny, such as fear of poverty or the like, which was the motive for the people of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance to bury their daughters alive in the earth... exposing the 'awrah.
The questioner : Yes, you mentioned one thing.
The Shaykh: Go ahead.
The questioner : You said for two reasons, but you mentioned, I think, only one reason, and you did not mention the second. You said it is not permissible for two reasons.
The Shaykh : I mentioned the two reasons.
The questioner : I mentioned the two reasons.
The Shaykh : I think, let me hear the statement. The second reason is what you mentioned last, regarding the reduction of offspring.
The questioner : Yes, yes. And although this does not necessarily entail prohibition, except in some of the cases I mentioned recently.
The questioner : So, the general ruling is dislike (makruh).
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : Okay, two last questions, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : What Allah willed, yes.
The Shaykh : And why?
The questioner : They say that this is more beneficial for upbringing and the mother's health, and so on.
The Shaykh : It is not permissible.
The questioner : It is not permissible.
The Shaykh : For two reasons. The first reason is that inserting an IUD requires exposing the 'awrah (the part of the body that must be covered), even if it is only to a female doctor. Exposing the 'awrah is forbidden and not permissible except out of dire necessity. If there is no dire necessity other than this modern philosophy, then it is not permissible for her to expose her 'awrah to a doctor.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : She may be prescribed another method that does not require exposing her 'awrah. In that case, we say that this act is disliked (makruh) because it involves reducing the number of the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) ummah (the Muslim community), by whom the prophets will boast of their large numbers on the Day of Resurrection, as he (peace and blessings be upon him) explicitly stated in the well-known hadith, namely his saying:
Marry women who are fertile and loving; for I shall boast of you before the nations on the Day of Resurrection.
تزوَّجوا الولود الودود ؛ فإني مباهٍ بكم الأممَ يوم القيامةThe questioner : Yes, you mentioned one thing.
The Shaykh: Go ahead.
The questioner : You said for two reasons, but you mentioned, I think, only one reason, and you did not mention the second. You said it is not permissible for two reasons.
The Shaykh : I mentioned the two reasons.
The questioner : I mentioned the two reasons.
The Shaykh : I think, let me hear the statement. The second reason is what you mentioned last, regarding the reduction of offspring.
The questioner : Yes, yes. And although this does not necessarily entail prohibition, except in some of the cases I mentioned recently.
The questioner : So, the general ruling is dislike (makruh).
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : Okay, two last questions, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : What Allah willed, yes.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.