Is it permissible in this case for women to take birth control pills to reduce the population so that every person can find their sustenance from the flour? Please inform us; may Allah reward you.
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The questioner : In our small village, a truck loaded with flour comes to the grocers every Sunday of each week. The grocers distribute this flour. Due to the large number of people and the increase in the population, some take flour and some do not. The question is: Is it permissible in this case for women to take birth control pills to reduce the population so that every person can find their sustenance from the flour? Please inform us; may Allah reward you and bless you?
The Shaykh : The answer: For women to take birth control pills for the purpose mentioned by the questioner, which is reducing the number of offspring out of fear of narrow sustenance, entails having a bad opinion of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and that Allah the Exalted does not provide for those He created. Even if a person were certain that there is no creature on earth but that its provision is upon Allah, and he relied upon Allah (Exalted and Exalted) in seeking sustenance for himself and his family, such a despicable action, which entails what it entails of having a bad opinion of the Lord (Mighty and Majestic), would not occur to him. Also, this action for this purpose has a resemblance to the polytheists, whom Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) forbade from doing, in His saying:[Al-An'am 6:151] And in the second verse: [Al-Isra 17:31] So the believer should be confident in his Lord and believe in His promise, and he should know with certainty that no newborn is born except that his provision has been written for him, and that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is the One who has guaranteed the sustenance of His servants, as Allah the Exalted said: [Hud 11:6] And some trustworthy people, who were among the brokers who sell goods for their owners for a fee, related to me that he had a limited income. When he got married, he felt that this income increased. When his first child came, he felt the increase even more. He had two children. He says: When the second child came, the increase became clearly apparent to me. That a person, if he relies on his Lord and trusts in His promise, Allah the Exalted provides for him from where he does not expect. So taking birth control pills for this purpose entails these two harms: having a bad opinion of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and resembling the polytheists in some respects.
As for taking birth control pills for a purpose other than this, such as if the mother is weak in body or frequently ill, and pregnancy is difficult for her in an unusual way, and she takes the pills for the sake of rest for some time, and that is with the husband's permission and after consulting a doctor and being safe from harm, then there is nothing wrong with it. And Allah knows best.
The questioner : In his second question, he says.
The Shaykh : The answer: For women to take birth control pills for the purpose mentioned by the questioner, which is reducing the number of offspring out of fear of narrow sustenance, entails having a bad opinion of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and that Allah the Exalted does not provide for those He created. Even if a person were certain that there is no creature on earth but that its provision is upon Allah, and he relied upon Allah (Exalted and Exalted) in seeking sustenance for himself and his family, such a despicable action, which entails what it entails of having a bad opinion of the Lord (Mighty and Majestic), would not occur to him. Also, this action for this purpose has a resemblance to the polytheists, whom Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) forbade from doing, in His saying:
and do not kill your children out of poverty; We will provide for you and them
وَلا تَقْتُلُوا أَوْلادَكُمْ مِنْ إِمْلاقٍ نَحْنُ نَرْزُقُكُمْ وَإِيَّاهُمْAnd do not kill your children for fear of poverty. We provide for them and for you
وَلا تَقْتُلُوا أَوْلادَكُمْ خَشْيَةَ إِمْلاقٍ نَحْنُ نَرْزُقُهُمْ وَإِيَّاكُمْAnd there is no creature on earth but that upon Allah is its provision, and He knows its place of dwelling and place of storage. All is in a clear register.
وَمَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ فِي الأَرْضِ إِلَّا عَلَى اللَّهِ رِزْقُهَا وَيَعْلَمُ مُسْتَقَرَّهَا وَمُسْتَوْدَعَهَا كُلٌّ فِي كِتَابٍ مُبِينٍAs for taking birth control pills for a purpose other than this, such as if the mother is weak in body or frequently ill, and pregnancy is difficult for her in an unusual way, and she takes the pills for the sake of rest for some time, and that is with the husband's permission and after consulting a doctor and being safe from harm, then there is nothing wrong with it. And Allah knows best.
The questioner : In his second question, he says.