What is the ruling on using contraception or birth control?

The questioner : Is it permissible to use contraceptive medication or an IUD?

The Shaykh : What?

The questioner : Contraceptive medication or an IUD, for example, for regulating the number of children?

The Shaykh : In this matter, one should look at the motive behind this regulation. We must remember here, as a fundamental principle, the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): , . There is no doubt that using contraception contradicts the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) encouragement in this hadith to choose a woman who is fertile. (And peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.) Increasing the number of the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) community is one of the objectives of the Shari'ah. Furthermore, when the husband and wife raise their children, care for their education in Islam, and discipline them in prayer, they receive a tremendous reward from Allah. When parents use means to prevent pregnancy, it is as if they are using means that bring joy to the heart of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) from one perspective, and as if they are using means that stand between them and increasing their good deeds from another. This is a matter a Muslim does not pursue unless there is a pressing need, such as a woman having a type of illness that worsens every time she becomes pregnant and gives birth.
Once we understand this, the least that can be said about using means to prevent pregnancy is that it is disliked. However, if this is accompanied by the bad belief I mentioned earlier, such as fear of poverty or fear of destitution, which existed among the people of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance and was one of the reasons they killed their children out of fear of poverty, then the person using contraception aligns with those people of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance who killed their children out of fear of destitution. There is a clear difference, however: those people killed them after they had entered the stage of life, whereas with contraception, they prevent the formation of the fetus in the woman’s womb. This is the difference, but the intention is the same.
If the motive for using contraception is also fear of destitution, the matter becomes more disliked and may enter the realm of prohibition.
This is my opinion on using contraception in general. However, these means differ. You mentioned the IUD earlier. There is no doubt that inserting an IUD requires the woman to expose her 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered), even if it is to a female doctor. If the examination is by a male doctor, the prohibition is even stronger. It is not permissible for a woman to expose her 'awrah except out of dire necessity. Where is the dire necessity in preventing pregnancy? I do not believe there is one unless the woman has an illness that compels her to use contraception. If we know that some means expose the 'awrah—and this is forbidden—and there are other means, such as certain pills she can take, then in that case, these pills are what she is permitted to take, rather than an IUD which requires exposing the 'awrah.