What is the Islamic stance on IVF and other reproductive technologies for married couples?

IVF (in vitro fertilization) using a husband's sperm and his wife's egg, fertilized and then implanted back into the same wife during a valid, ongoing marriage, is permitted by the majority of contemporary scholars and fiqh councils. The Quran describes spouses and the children born to them as part of Allah's design for human life, and infertility struggles are treated with compassion rather than as a matter for guilt — seeking medical means to conceive within marriage is not seen as interfering with divine decree, since Islam generally encourages pursuing legitimate means (asbab) toward a permissible goal. Where the technology introduces a third party's genetic material, however, such as donor sperm, donor eggs, or a surrogate carrying the couple's embryo, most scholars consider this impermissible, primarily because it disrupts the clear preservation of lineage (nasab) that Islamic law places significant weight on. Couples navigating fertility treatment are encouraged to discuss both the specific clinical procedures involved and any religious questions with their doctor and a knowledgeable scholar together, since details of protocol can matter for the ruling.

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