Leaving artificial insemination is preferable to performing it

Question: My wife gave birth to four children and has not been able to bear any more for four years. The doctors have agreed to perform artificial insemination on her. Please note that this is not available in our government hospitals, only in Jeddah. She has refused to undergo the procedure. What is the ruling?

Answer: Some contemporary scholars have permitted artificial insemination, subject to important conditions and precautions to prevent what Allah has forbidden. However, I am among those who refrain from it and advise against doing so, as it may open the door to an endless evil. But if she is unable to bear children, the four [wives] have already provided sufficient offspring, praise be to Allah, and he is able to marry a second, third, or fourth wife. Allah will provide him with sustenance from another source other than this woman, so leaving her is better.