What is the ruling on test-tube babies, which involves placing the woman's egg in the laboratory with the man's semen, given that the woman's private parts are exposed for the sake of that procedure?
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The questioner : We have in the laboratory... currently we are conducting a research project called test-tube babies. We take the man's fluid and the woman's egg to fertilize it outside the womb, and after a certain period, meaning after two weeks or a certain time, we return this egg to the woman's womb. What is the ruling of Islam on this?
The Shaykh : Of course, this is not permissible, and much has been said about it. At the very least, this involves exposing the woman's private parts. Is it possible to obtain an egg without exposure?
The questioner : No, of course not.
The Shaykh : What is built upon a defective foundation is defective, and what is built upon what is forbidden is forbidden. The man's fluid can be obtained without exposing the private parts.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : What is that?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh: This is the first obstacle in the path to prohibiting this procedure: that it be performed by a Muslim couple. The second obstacle is that there is no guarantee that there will be no mixing. Mixing means the wife's egg with the fluid of a man other than her husband, and the husband's fluid with the egg of a woman other than his wife. This could happen, at least by mistake. Otherwise, what do you think? Is this impossible?
The questioner : Of course not.
The Shaykh : And therefore, preserving lineage is a very obligatory matter, and anything that is feared to lead to the disruption or mixing of lineages should be avoided, especially since the issue is built upon the commission of a forbidden act from its very first step. Therefore, this action is not permissible. Yesterday we were asked about this issue, we spoke about it, and we said that only the couple can perform this procedure, provided one of them is a doctor.
The questioner : Is it permissible if the man is a doctor?
The Shaykh : Yes, or she is.
The questioner : She is a doctor.
The Shaykh : Or she, for example.
The questioner : I mean, the door of prohibition that I understood is that the door of prohibition is the examination of the woman's private parts, and second, the mixing of lineages.
Another questioner: And if the woman exposes herself, O Shaykh?
The questioner : And if it is a female doctor, meaning...
The Shaykh : A wrong question.
The questioner : This is a question that arises on its own.
The Shaykh : How is that?
The questioner : I mean, and if a woman exposes herself to another woman.
The Shaykh : It is not known that a woman examining another woman is forbidden.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : ... to what you know, it is the same. And from the example I gave you, the issue is not prohibited because it is strange, and because the Europeans... no, that is not the case. The issue is that there are precautions, and you have known them. But if we assume a Muslim couple, one of whom is a doctor, it does not matter to them that they are husband and wife, because if the doctor is the husband, he extracts from her either this egg, instead of putting fluid in it, is there a prohibition? No, there is no prohibition. And conversely, she extracts this fluid from the husband, and the technical composition is made, and they proceed with steps that do not extend tube to tube, nor tube to tube, nor anything else, and Allah is sufficient for the believers in fighting.
The questioner : Well, what is the benefit of this, O Shaykh...?
The Shaykh : The benefit is clear: that the woman does not have the capacity to carry the fetus in her womb, and this is a specialist in the subject, so he will understand more than me. Explain the answer to him.
The questioner : Sometimes the sperm stop and do not reach the woman's egg, so they try to extract the egg and fertilize it outside... this is one. Second, sometimes the tubes leading to the egg are closed and do not descend to the fertilization area in the womb upon connection with the man, so we try to open this area by surgery and extract the egg outside, then fertilize it. I forgot what the question was...
The Shaykh : Of course, this is not permissible, and much has been said about it. At the very least, this involves exposing the woman's private parts. Is it possible to obtain an egg without exposure?
The questioner : No, of course not.
The Shaykh : What is built upon a defective foundation is defective, and what is built upon what is forbidden is forbidden. The man's fluid can be obtained without exposing the private parts.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : What is that?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh: This is the first obstacle in the path to prohibiting this procedure: that it be performed by a Muslim couple. The second obstacle is that there is no guarantee that there will be no mixing. Mixing means the wife's egg with the fluid of a man other than her husband, and the husband's fluid with the egg of a woman other than his wife. This could happen, at least by mistake. Otherwise, what do you think? Is this impossible?
The questioner : Of course not.
The Shaykh : And therefore, preserving lineage is a very obligatory matter, and anything that is feared to lead to the disruption or mixing of lineages should be avoided, especially since the issue is built upon the commission of a forbidden act from its very first step. Therefore, this action is not permissible. Yesterday we were asked about this issue, we spoke about it, and we said that only the couple can perform this procedure, provided one of them is a doctor.
The questioner : Is it permissible if the man is a doctor?
The Shaykh : Yes, or she is.
The questioner : She is a doctor.
The Shaykh : Or she, for example.
The questioner : I mean, the door of prohibition that I understood is that the door of prohibition is the examination of the woman's private parts, and second, the mixing of lineages.
Another questioner: And if the woman exposes herself, O Shaykh?
The questioner : And if it is a female doctor, meaning...
The Shaykh : A wrong question.
The questioner : This is a question that arises on its own.
The Shaykh : How is that?
The questioner : I mean, and if a woman exposes herself to another woman.
The Shaykh : It is not known that a woman examining another woman is forbidden.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : ... to what you know, it is the same. And from the example I gave you, the issue is not prohibited because it is strange, and because the Europeans... no, that is not the case. The issue is that there are precautions, and you have known them. But if we assume a Muslim couple, one of whom is a doctor, it does not matter to them that they are husband and wife, because if the doctor is the husband, he extracts from her either this egg, instead of putting fluid in it, is there a prohibition? No, there is no prohibition. And conversely, she extracts this fluid from the husband, and the technical composition is made, and they proceed with steps that do not extend tube to tube, nor tube to tube, nor anything else, and Allah is sufficient for the believers in fighting.
The questioner : Well, what is the benefit of this, O Shaykh...?
The Shaykh : The benefit is clear: that the woman does not have the capacity to carry the fetus in her womb, and this is a specialist in the subject, so he will understand more than me. Explain the answer to him.
The questioner : Sometimes the sperm stop and do not reach the woman's egg, so they try to extract the egg and fertilize it outside... this is one. Second, sometimes the tubes leading to the egg are closed and do not descend to the fertilization area in the womb upon connection with the man, so we try to open this area by surgery and extract the egg outside, then fertilize it. I forgot what the question was...