Birth Control for Financial Reasons
Question
I recall being in a discussion with some older brothers at an Islamic Conference here and they were promoting the notion that we as Muslims must have 15 to 20 children so that we can take over the world. This ignorant statement really bothered me because I am a public health student and understand the disaster that too many children can have on a family. Yet, their justification for the statement came from a verse in the Qur'an , which says that don't worry about not providing for your children, God will provide for them. Could you comment? Salaam Adnan, USA
Answer
The verse that the brother has referred to reads as under: Do not kill your children in fear of poverty. It is Us who feed you and the child as well. ( Al-An`aam 6: 151) The same topic has been stressed at Al-Israa 17: 31. Muslim scholars have generally based their opinion of the prohibition of birth control on these verses. Nevertheless, in my opinion, these verses are not related to birth control or planning a family. A close look at these verses shall show that they refer to the prohibition of killing one's child due to the fear of poverty. Planning a family or planning the birth of a child can, by no means, be termed as "killing a child". Therefore, the directive of these verses cannot and should not be extended to the prohibition of birth control or planning a family. 23 rd November 1999 Answer published by Moiz Amjad
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