Is it permissible for a husband to stop having children because one of his wife's relatives is afflicted with leprosy?
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The questioner : May Allah forgive you, O honorable Shaykh. Regarding a man who married and had several children, and then it became clear to him that one of his wife's relatives has leprosy, is it permissible for him to stop having children from her out of fear of this disease, given that his children are healthy and free from illness?
The Shaykh : This is due to his ignorance. If he wanted to stop having children because some of the wife's relatives have leprosy, this is undoubtedly a sign of his foolishness and his bad opinion of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). For we see people who have this disease and their children are safe from it, and we see people of whom we do not know that they have leprosy, yet their children were afflicted with it. Therefore, a person should not take an omen as a bad sign; rather, he should rely upon Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and place his trust in Allah, and he should have children.
The Shaykh : This is due to his ignorance. If he wanted to stop having children because some of the wife's relatives have leprosy, this is undoubtedly a sign of his foolishness and his bad opinion of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). For we see people who have this disease and their children are safe from it, and we see people of whom we do not know that they have leprosy, yet their children were afflicted with it. Therefore, a person should not take an omen as a bad sign; rather, he should rely upon Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and place his trust in Allah, and he should have children.