Is contraception or spacing pregnancies permissible for a Muslim woman?

Temporary contraception is permissible when both spouses agree and there is no harm to health. The Companions practised ʿazl (withdrawal) during the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ while revelation was still descending and it was not forbidden them (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5207; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1440), and jurists extended this by analogy to other reversible means such as the pill, provided a trustworthy doctor confirms they are not harmful. It should not spring from fear of poverty or distrust in Allah's provision — the same attitude the Quran censures where it forbids killing children "for fear of want" and promises, "We shall provide sustenance for them as well as for you" (Quran 17:31) — nor should it become a settled policy of never having children, since the Prophet ﷺ said, "Marry women who are loving and prolific, for I shall outnumber the nations by you" (Sunan Abī Dāwūd 2050, ṣaḥīḥ). Permanent sterilisation is not permitted except for a genuine medical necessity established by a trustworthy doctor, because it cuts off offspring entirely. Contraception is also a completely separate matter from abortion: preventing conception is not the same as ending a pregnancy already established.

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