What is the ruling on limiting and regulating the number of offspring?

The Shaykh : You have understood from two aspects. From the Sharia aspect, there are many details, among which is that when a Muslim raises his children, he seeks a reward from Allah behind that. The disbeliever, no, the disbeliever does not think about the hereafter, and therefore the system of the disbelievers, all the disbelievers, we do not exclude any people from them except in the dark, gloomy circumstances of war. At that time, they pay attention to this Sharia ruling that our religion brought, which they ignored because of their preoccupation with this worldly life. I refer with this statement to the war that broke out, World War II, between Germany and the Allies. Hitler had imposed a reward for every newborn. Why? To increase the offspring of the German people and to fight with this people the surrounding countries, which are his enemies, such as France and Britain, and so on. But when did Hitler pay attention? After the destruction of Basra, because this offspring is not a balloon. Do you know a balloon? It means the air ball, you inflate it and it becomes like this. No, the child requires patience in his upbringing and rearing until he becomes a strong soldier, which takes a long time. Islam, which is a revelation from the Wise, the Praiseworthy, intended for the Muslim community, from the beginning and the Salaf, to increase their number. Therefore, Muslims should let go of the idea of limiting or regulating the number of offspring, this is a metaphorical expression. This idea should never enter.

The questioner: Peace be upon you.

The Shaykh : And upon you be peace. To their ideas, let alone that it enters their homes, is that clear?

The questioner : Is that clear?

The Shaykh : It may be said that there is something known in the Sharia, and we resort to it as a flight from what I advised you to flee from, which is limiting and regulating. We should not use these two words at all, but rather we should use the term that came in the authentic hadith, which is 'azl (coitus interruptus). Do you remember 'azl? It came in the authentic hadith from Jabir ibn 'Abdullah, who said: "We used to practice 'azl while the Qur'an was being revealed." Did this hadith pass you by? It did not pass you by. They used to strive in the path of Allah and they would be away from their families and their wives for long periods during the raids. So captives would fall into their hands. Do you know captives? The Messenger (peace be upon him) would distribute the spoils of war that fell to him among his companions, and among the captives would be married women or young girls who were not married, and so on. So a man would get a woman or a young girl, and he would desire to enjoy her. But captives are not like free women. It is permissible for him to enjoy her, and after a period, either he gives her to another person or he sells her to another person. And this, of course, has its system in Islam. So the question came: "O Messenger of Allah, we are in the raids and we long for women; should we practice 'azl with the captives? Should we practice 'azl?" He said: . And to this, Jabir ibn 'Abdullah al-Ansari referred in the previous hadith: "We used to practice 'azl while the Qur'an was being revealed." He is indicating that 'azl for a Sharia reason is permissible, because if it were not permissible, the Qur'an would have been revealed prohibiting it: "We used to practice 'azl while the Qur'an was being revealed." So what I wanted to say is that if there is a woman who is afflicted with a certain illness, and the Muslim doctor advises her to practice 'azl, then it is permissible for her to practice 'azl, but she should keep the idea of regulating and limiting the number of offspring out of her mind. Did you understand me?

The questioner : I understood.

The Shaykh : Recently, as you heard just now, a question came from Algeria. The Algerians, unfortunately, due to the poverty of their land and its lack of scholars, call very often and very frequently every night. So last night, a woman called and said, "I have four children, and I am forty years old. I was blessed with two daughters in the normal way, but I was blessed with two sons afterwards in an abnormal way. She said the son, instead of coming out from the head, comes out from the back." So the doctor told her: "You should not get pregnant and should not conceive, because if you conceive and give birth, there will be danger to you." So I had a long conversation with her, because I could not tell her immediately that it is permissible or immediately that it is not permissible. The summary of the answer I said to her: If your doctor is a skilled doctor and a Muslim doctor who knows the rulings of the Sharia and advised you with this advice, then you may refrain from pregnancy by practicing 'azl. But her question was about what is called today tying the tubes.
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : Do you understand tying the tubes?
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : It is what you are asking about.

The questioner : They have, our Shaykh, the removal of the uterus as well, the operation of removing the uterus.

The Shaykh : That is more terrible.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Because that one, perhaps, we can return to it. I told her, as for tying the tubes, beware of it and beware of it. As for 'azl, practice 'azl until your strength and vitality return to you, for perhaps you may conceive and give birth in a normal way as you did before. The important thing is that 'azl for a pressing need or dire necessity is permissible, but limiting and regulating is foreign to Islam. On this basis, we say that you must carry this idea to the Muslims there, but you must be wise, because not every Muslim accepts such advice, that you tell him to leave the job, and this is obligatory. But not every person has the faith readiness to leave the job to work in a free profession. It is also a social and political rule: It is obligatory for Muslims, especially when they are ruled by disbelievers, to stay away from jobs and to engage in free professions, such as medicine, agriculture, and trade, and the like, as much as they are able to do so. This is all I have as an answer to your question.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with the best reward.

The Shaykh : And may Allah protect you, if Allah wills.

The questioner : Do you allow, our Shaykh, that we encounter Muslims who give birth but do not raise their children, meaning their children become a burden in the streets, as we see now?

The Shaykh : Yes, we say, as the common people say: "A thorn produces a rose, and a rose produces a thorn." And such a painful reality should not change our Islamic system, but we say: Improve the upbringing of your children. If they do not do so, "then upon herself has fallen Baraqish." As for us, we remain on the straight path, walking until we meet the Face of our Lord, the Lord of the worlds (Glorified and Exalted is He). I hope that this is sufficient, if Allah wills.
The student : May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : And welcome.
The student : If he has another question, I do not know if your time allows, and it is also of great importance.

The Shaykh : Good, if Allah wills.