A man married a woman who had recently converted to Islam and wanted to separate from her, then it turned out she was pregnant. Is it permissible for him to abort the child before the soul is breathed into it?

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : Peace be upon you and Allah's mercy.

The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.

The questioner : I have two questions, Shaykh, if you permit?

The Shaykh : Start with one of them.

The questioner : The first question: regarding a Muslim brother who is married to an American sister who recently converted to Islam, and some disagreements occurred between them, so they decided to separate. But after this, it turned out that the woman was pregnant. This man asked some of the imams present in the mosques here about whether it is permissible to abort the child or not. They told him: Yes, it is permissible as long as it is before the soul is breathed into it. Is this correct?

The Shaykh : And for what reason is the abortion?

The questioner : It is not permissible.

The Shaykh : For what reason is the abortion?!

The questioner : Ah, why? Because they intend to separate, and he fears that the woman might revert to disbelief or something, and it would be a hardship for the child if he is born, or something like that. He would be raised in a non-Islamic environment, and a person from his lineage would be raised, for example, as a non-Muslim?

The Shaykh : These reasons do not justify the abortion. But without a doubt, the ruling on abortion differs between before the soul is breathed into it and after the soul is breathed into it. Abortion after the soul is breathed into it is forbidden, and before the soul is breathed into it it is disliked.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : This is what I have.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : And beware of that.