Title: Planning a Family - Is it Allowed in Islam? Question: I have a question regarding the position of using contraceptives in Islam. Please give me a guideline. According to Islam are you trying to control a natural process through science? Is there anything said about this issue in Qur'an? Answer: In all those areas and spheres of life in which man has a role to play, he is expected to be sensible and to use his mind. I do not see any reason why planning a family should be considered an exception. While planning to raise a family, a man and a woman should consider all the variables in their lives that may affect the life of the mother, the child as well as that of the father. The case of planning a family may be understood from the example of planting seeds to get the produce of land. When planning to get land's produce effectively, a number of factors need to be considered. One must see if the land is fully prepared; if water supply is adequate; if good quality seeds are available and procurable; if the season is right etc. A person who considers all these, and a number of other factors, in planning his plantations is likely to get better quality and quantity of produce, while another person who does not consider these factors is likely to waste all his efforts and resources without any considerable results. If a person should - and must - plan sensibly for things like plantations, then it is more than obvious that planning a child - giving life to another human being - deserves much more attention and consideration on our part. Moreover, it is not just the child, but also the mother whose health and other related conditions should be considered. In my opinion, therefore, while planning a family, a person must give serious thought to all such factors that have any importance in this decision. 1 st March 1999