What is the ruling on contraceptive methods such as pills and the IUD?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : We have taken up a lot of your time, but these are just brief questions.
The Shaykh: Go ahead.
The questioner : One of them is: What is the ruling on using methods to prevent pregnancy, such as pills and the IUD?
The Shaykh : The answer to this usage varies depending on the motive. If there is a woman who, if she becomes pregnant and then gives birth, it would harm her health, as certified by a Muslim doctor, then in that case it is permissible for her to use these preventatives. However, a distinction must be made here regarding the preventatives, as you all know. Some of them are in the form of pills or syrup that a doctor may prescribe for the woman, and she takes this prescription without having to expose any part of her body to the doctor. Looking at the 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered) is, by nature, forbidden in principle, and it is not permissible to consider the forbidden permissible except out of dire necessity. So, if the woman, as we said, is harmed if she becomes pregnant and there is no treatment she can perform herself without exposing her body to the female doctor’s examination, then it is not permissible for her to use any means other than those she uses herself, such as the IUD, which is well-known today. This undoubtedly requires, at the least, that she expose her 'awrah to a woman like her. Even if it is a woman, it is forbidden for her to look at the 'awrah of her sister of the same sex, let alone if the one who will insert this IUD is a man. It is not permissible to resort to this IUD unless there is no alternative. If there is an alternative and it allows her to take it without exposing herself to committing a forbidden act, then that is the obligatory course. But if the alternative is lacking and there is a dire necessity, as we said, for using what corresponds to it, then there is a dire necessity. For example, a woman who wants to live in comfort and joy and does not want to burden her mind or tire her body with raising children, and she is content with having one or two children, and she and her husband make four, and perhaps, in the European style, their fifth, sixth, or seventh is their dog. No, rather, she only wants to treat herself out of necessity, not for this European idea. Necessities permit the prohibited, knowing that Islam encourages spouses to bear the hardships of raising children, spending on them, and educating them. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), among the things he encouraged Muslims to bear, said:Sahih Ibn Hibban 11:50. They said: “And two, O Messenger of Allah?” He said: . The narrator said: “We thought that if we had said: ‘And one,’ he would have said: ‘And one.’”
Therefore, it is not permissible to use these means except out of dire necessity, and necessity is measured by its extent. If the pills suffice for her instead of the IUD, then it is not permissible to resort to the IUD or to anything else that exposes her so that women, let alone men, can see her 'awrah.
The questioner : Does this include tying the fallopian tubes for permanent sterilization?
The Shaykh : A fortiori.
The Shaykh: Go ahead.
The questioner : One of them is: What is the ruling on using methods to prevent pregnancy, such as pills and the IUD?
The Shaykh : The answer to this usage varies depending on the motive. If there is a woman who, if she becomes pregnant and then gives birth, it would harm her health, as certified by a Muslim doctor, then in that case it is permissible for her to use these preventatives. However, a distinction must be made here regarding the preventatives, as you all know. Some of them are in the form of pills or syrup that a doctor may prescribe for the woman, and she takes this prescription without having to expose any part of her body to the doctor. Looking at the 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered) is, by nature, forbidden in principle, and it is not permissible to consider the forbidden permissible except out of dire necessity. So, if the woman, as we said, is harmed if she becomes pregnant and there is no treatment she can perform herself without exposing her body to the female doctor’s examination, then it is not permissible for her to use any means other than those she uses herself, such as the IUD, which is well-known today. This undoubtedly requires, at the least, that she expose her 'awrah to a woman like her. Even if it is a woman, it is forbidden for her to look at the 'awrah of her sister of the same sex, let alone if the one who will insert this IUD is a man. It is not permissible to resort to this IUD unless there is no alternative. If there is an alternative and it allows her to take it without exposing herself to committing a forbidden act, then that is the obligatory course. But if the alternative is lacking and there is a dire necessity, as we said, for using what corresponds to it, then there is a dire necessity. For example, a woman who wants to live in comfort and joy and does not want to burden her mind or tire her body with raising children, and she is content with having one or two children, and she and her husband make four, and perhaps, in the European style, their fifth, sixth, or seventh is their dog. No, rather, she only wants to treat herself out of necessity, not for this European idea. Necessities permit the prohibited, knowing that Islam encourages spouses to bear the hardships of raising children, spending on them, and educating them. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), among the things he encouraged Muslims to bear, said:
No two Muslims whose three children die before reaching the age of discernment will be touched by the Fire except as a passing trial.
ما من مسلمين يموت لهما ثلاثة من الولد لم يبلغوا الحنث إلا لن تمسَّهم النار إلا تحلَّة القسمAnd two
واثنانTherefore, it is not permissible to use these means except out of dire necessity, and necessity is measured by its extent. If the pills suffice for her instead of the IUD, then it is not permissible to resort to the IUD or to anything else that exposes her so that women, let alone men, can see her 'awrah.
The questioner : Does this include tying the fallopian tubes for permanent sterilization?
The Shaykh : A fortiori.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.