Ruling on a woman stopping childbearing due to her husband's illness
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
From Aden Governorate in Southern Yemen, the listener (M. A. N.) sent a message saying: I am a Muslim woman—praise be to Allah—who performs the obligations my Lord has made obligatory upon me, such as prayer, fasting, and zakah. However, I stopped having children during a period when my husband was suffering from tuberculosis. This period lasted about ten years, and afterward, my menstruation stopped permanently. Is there anything in my action that would anger Allah regarding this, given that my children were afflicted with hemiplegia, some of whom passed away, and some remained alive suffering from this disease? Please advise us, may Allah reward you.
Answer:
If you did what prevents childbearing with your husband's consent, then there is no blame on you if it was with his consent or approval. We hope there is no blame on you. However, if it was without his consent and without his knowledge, then it is obligatory for you to repent and seek forgiveness, and to feel remorse for what has passed. Praise be to Allah. Yes.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good. If a woman, O Shaykh, does not give birth except to children afflicted with specific disabilities, is she permitted to stop childbearing?
The Shaykh : What appears to us is that Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) is capable of everything; He is capable of giving her healthy children. However, there is no objection to seeking treatment. She should consult specialized doctors. It may be that her illness is in the uterus, and she can be given treatment for it. But it is not permissible for her to refrain from childbearing. As for the woman mentioned, if she took pills for this purpose, then she must also seek forgiveness. It seems she refrained from it only out of fear that there would be hemiplegia or the like. She should repent from that, because the situation does not remain constant. Rather, one child may be born healthy, and another afflicted, and another fine, and another afflicted with another disease.
The result is that it is not permissible for her to take what prevents pregnancy out of fear of hemiplegia or fear of the like, because Allah has prescribed for His servants to engage in the causes of procreation and to strive to increase the Muslim community, due to the great good in this for everyone.
As for if she refrained because of the tuberculosis in her husband and out of fear that she would contract tuberculosis, then this is also not permissible for her, and she must repent to Allah and seek forgiveness from her husband if he prevented her from doing so. However, if it was with his consent, then the matter is broad in this regard. Yes.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good.
From Aden Governorate in Southern Yemen, the listener (M. A. N.) sent a message saying: I am a Muslim woman—praise be to Allah—who performs the obligations my Lord has made obligatory upon me, such as prayer, fasting, and zakah. However, I stopped having children during a period when my husband was suffering from tuberculosis. This period lasted about ten years, and afterward, my menstruation stopped permanently. Is there anything in my action that would anger Allah regarding this, given that my children were afflicted with hemiplegia, some of whom passed away, and some remained alive suffering from this disease? Please advise us, may Allah reward you.
Answer:
If you did what prevents childbearing with your husband's consent, then there is no blame on you if it was with his consent or approval. We hope there is no blame on you. However, if it was without his consent and without his knowledge, then it is obligatory for you to repent and seek forgiveness, and to feel remorse for what has passed. Praise be to Allah. Yes.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good. If a woman, O Shaykh, does not give birth except to children afflicted with specific disabilities, is she permitted to stop childbearing?
The Shaykh : What appears to us is that Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) is capable of everything; He is capable of giving her healthy children. However, there is no objection to seeking treatment. She should consult specialized doctors. It may be that her illness is in the uterus, and she can be given treatment for it. But it is not permissible for her to refrain from childbearing. As for the woman mentioned, if she took pills for this purpose, then she must also seek forgiveness. It seems she refrained from it only out of fear that there would be hemiplegia or the like. She should repent from that, because the situation does not remain constant. Rather, one child may be born healthy, and another afflicted, and another fine, and another afflicted with another disease.
The result is that it is not permissible for her to take what prevents pregnancy out of fear of hemiplegia or fear of the like, because Allah has prescribed for His servants to engage in the causes of procreation and to strive to increase the Muslim community, due to the great good in this for everyone.
As for if she refrained because of the tuberculosis in her husband and out of fear that she would contract tuberculosis, then this is also not permissible for her, and she must repent to Allah and seek forgiveness from her husband if he prevented her from doing so. However, if it was with his consent, then the matter is broad in this regard. Yes.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.