Abortion: An Islamic perspective
Abortion: An Islamic perspective
Our analyst Muhammad Faisal Khalil looks at what Islam says about abortion, and how this can help the current debate on abortion in Europe and the US.
This weekly comment was written by Muhammad Faisal Khalil and reflects his personal analyses and opinions, rather than those of EARS.
When does a foetus get the right to life? This key question has shaped the debate about whether and when abortions can be performed.
The question of life and abortion
Those in favour of abortion often argue that the right to life starts when the foetus has the ability to survive outside the womb. This is the concept of foetal viability, which Justice Harry Blackmun, while writing the majority opinion for Roe, defined as the point where a foetus “has the capability of meaningful life outside the mother’s womb.”[1]
Those who oppose abortion often argue this starts from the moment of conception: life begins as soon as the sperm fertilises the human egg.[2] They disagree that life is acquired sometime between the two points of conception and birth. So the idea of a ‘right’ to life becomes invalid because life is never really acquired over time but is a given from the start. They would rather answer the question, ‘When does life begin?’
Both science[3] and religion[4] have, of course, offered knowledge to help settle the question of when life or the right to life begins. This knowledge is being examined again[5] by many in Europe as the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade to end 50 years of federal abortion rights in the US.[6]
What does Islam say about abortion?
A source of knowledge that can be added to this reexamination is the Islamic tradition. Islam does not explicitly refer to abortion but offers guidance on related matters. This guidance can reliably be applied to abortion. This guidance seeks to protect the life of both the foetus and the mother.
As a preamble, Islam argues that people will always disagree on certain questions if they limit themselves to human knowledge or intellect.[7] These disagreements need divine resolution.[8] God, it follows, sends prophets to reveal the decisive answer to these questions.[9] So what does prophetic revelation say about when the foetus is alive?
Islam believes that life begins at conception.[10] But it additionally states that the living foetus’s ensoulment happens at a different point in time.[11] Both the Quran[12] and the Prophet Muhammad[13] say that the creation of a human being happens over two stages. The first stage sees the formation of the foetus’s physical body. Then the human soul enters this body. This, according to the Prophet Muhammad, happens more or less in 120 days of pregnancy.[14] Islam essentially argues that the human foetus does not become a human person until 120 days. It would, therefore, be possible to abort a foetus before 120 days.[15]
Under what circumstances can abortion occur before these 120 days? The position of Muslims varies on this.[16] Most Muslims do not believe there is a right to abortion on demand.[17] There is also consensus that abortion is possible if the pregnancy puts the mother’s life in danger.[18] It follows that while Muslim countries do not have complete abortion bans, they do impose abortion restrictions that narrow the circumstance in which women can have an abortion.[19]
How can this help the abortion debate?
What is the key takeaway from the Islamic perspective? It tells us that while life does begin at conception, the foetus’s right to life begins at a later point in time. So abortion is possible. This stands in contrast to what many Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians in Europe and the US believe. They argue abortion is morally wrong because life begins at conception. But the distinction between life and ensoulment may prove to be a useful entry point to theologically review whether abortion is imaginable in Roman Catholic and Orthodox traditions.
The Islamic perspective also tells us exactly when abortion can be performed, while highlighting that people will find it difficult – if not impossible – to categorically determine when abortions can occur. At a time when the anti-abortion activism in Europe has become emboldened and uncompromising after success across the Atlantic,[20] Islam’s acknowledgement of human limitations can be rewarding. Greater self-insight into our limitations can help us respect the views of others. In other words, humility and empathy can help us view the differences over abortion more as a common challenge rather than a polarising conflict.
This weekly comment was written by Muhammad Faisal Khalil and reflects his personal analyses and opinions, rather than those of EARS.
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[1] Fetal viability is at the center of Mississippi abortion case. Here’s why.
[2] Europeans launch campaign to declare life starts at conception
[3] Science Is Giving the Pro-life Movement a Boost – The Atlantic
[4] Pope: Abortion is murder, the Church must be close and compassionate, not political – Vatican News
[5] When does “life” begin? When it comes to abortion, it depends on what you mean by “life” | Salon.com
[6] Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, ending 50 years of federal abortion rights
[7] Is Abortion Permissible in Islam or not – Javed Ahmed Ghamidi
[8] Is Abortion Permissible in Islam or not – Javed Ahmed Ghamidi
[9] Is Abortion Permissible in Islam or not – Javed Ahmed Ghamidi
[10] Abortion – Javed Ahmad Ghamidi
[11] Abortion – Javed Ahmad Ghamidi
[12] [It is He] Who has excelled in the creation of everything. He began creating a human being from clay; then carried on his progeny from an insignificant fluid; then perfected it and blew into it from His spirit and for you made ears [for hearing], eyes [for seeing] and hearts [for understanding] – seldom are you grateful. (Quran 32:7-9)
[13] The Prophet Muhammad is reportd to have said: “(As regards your creation), every one of you is collected in the womb of his mother for the first forty days, and then he becomes a clot for another forty days, and then a piece of flesh for another forty days. Then Allah sends an angel to write four words: He writes his deeds, time of his death, means of his livelihood, and whether he will be wretched or blessed (in religion). Then the soul is breathed into his body…” Sahih Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 55, Number 549
[14] Sahih Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 55, Number 549
[15] Abortion – Javed Ahmad Ghamidi
[16] The diversity of abortion rights in some Muslim-majority countries are a starting point in encouraging liberalisation in other countries
[17] Today, only Turkey and Tunisia allow abortion on demand.
[18] Abortion and Islam: Policies and Practice in the Middle East and North Africa
[19] The diversity of abortion rights in some Muslim-majority countries are a starting point in encouraging liberalisation in other countries
[20] Abortion: UK women face protests by emboldened campaigners – BBC News
