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Unable to Conceive: What to Do?

23 October, 2016
Q Respected scholars, as-salamu `alaykum. A woman is grieving because she is not pregnant; and sometimes she cries and ends up thinking too much and becomes withdrawn from life. What is the ruling concerning her situation, and what advice would you give her? Jazakum Allahu Khayran.

Answer

Wa`alaykum as-salamu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Dear sister in Islam, thank you for your question which reflects your care to have a clear view of the teachings of Islam. Allah commands Muslims to refer to people of knowledge to get themselves well-acquainted with the teachings of Islam as well as all aspects of life.

Children, like any other worldly provision, are gifts from Almighty Allah. It is He alone who, with His unfathomable wisdom and limitless knowledge, arranges the affairs of His creatures granting to whomever He wills and withholding from whomever He wills.

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A Muslim, with his belief in Almighty Allah, has to remain patient and resort to Him for all his needs. At the same time, a Muslim is required to utilize the available means while relying on his Lord for success.

Responding to this question, the Standing Committee for Islamic Research stated,

It is not befitting for this woman to cry and grieve because she is unable to conceive. This is because the ability or inability to conceive and have children, male or female, is by the decree of Allah the Almighty who says, “To Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. He creates what He wills. He bestows female (offspring) upon whom He wills, and bestows male (offspring) upon whom He wills. Or He bestows both males and females, and He renders barren whom He wills. Verily, He is All-Knower and is Able to do all things.” (Ash-Shura 42: 49-50)

A good example for the questioner is the story of Yahya (John), the son of Zakariyah (Zachariah) and `Isa (Jesus) ibn Maryam (peace be upon them all). Zakariyah was an old man and his wife was barren, but they remained patient and prayed to Almighty Allah who granted them Yahya. Moreover, Maryam, never touched by a man, miraculously gave birth to `Isa.

There is, however, no harm in consulting a specialist female doctor or, if one is not available, a male doctor. It is quite possible that the reason preventing her from conceiving can be treated as in cases of blocked tubes. Likewise, her husband should also see a specialist doctor since it is possible that he be the cause of his wife not being able to conceive.

Allah Almighty knows best.

Excerpted with edition from www.fatwa-online.com