What is the Islamic view on family planning and contraception?

Mainstream Islamic scholarship permits married couples to space or limit births using contraception, based on precedent from the Prophet's own time: companions practiced al-'azl, or withdrawal, during his lifetime, and it was not forbidden (Sahih Muslim 1440), a ruling jurists have extended by analogy to modern temporary contraceptive methods. Most scholars distinguish this clearly from permanent sterilization or abortion, which are treated far more restrictively - abortion generally being prohibited except where there is serious danger to the mother's life, and permanent sterilization being discouraged or disputed since it forecloses future childbearing entirely rather than merely delaying it. Family planning decisions are expected to be made jointly by both spouses, never imposed by one upon the other, and should not stem from a lack of trust in Allah's provision, which the Quran explicitly criticizes when it condemns killing children "out of fear of poverty" (17:31). Legitimate reasons commonly cited by scholars include the mother's health, financial strain, or the wellbeing of existing children, always weighed against Islam's general encouragement of a thriving, stable Muslim family.

Ask your own question → All questions