Answer
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.
In this fatwa:
- Family planning is allowable as long as the method employed is not irreversible.
- Vasectomy is not allowed because it is irreversible.
- The irreversible type of tubal ligation is not permissible in Islam.
Responding to this question, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS), states the following:
Islam encourages its followers to marry, procreate, and populate the earth. One of the basic aims of marriage in Islam is to have children, whom the parents bring up according to the morals of Islam while taking care of the quality of their life.
It is for this reason that Islam allows family planning and the use of contraception as long as the conditions set by Islam in this regard are observed.
The main purpose of marriage is to procreate. But at the same time, Islam emphasizes the good upbringing of children in order for them to become exemplary Muslims. This may not be achieved if one has too many children to handle.
Thus, Islam allows its followers to plan their family structure. Family planning is allowable as long as the method employed is not irreversible.
Therefore, vasectomy is not allowed because it is irreversible. This is because irreversible family planning methods will render the husband or wife sterile forever, thus permanently changing Allah’s creation.
Reversible family planning includes the use of the rhythm method, ejaculation outside the vagina, condoms, the Pill, IUD, and hormone releasing patches.
The morning after pill is permissible since it has not been known whether the wife’s egg has been fertilized with the husband’s sperm or not. Hence, there is no question of killing a fertilized ovum.
As for tubal ligation, there are two types: reversible and irreversible. The reversible type is when the fallopian tube is tied or blocked with a ring or clip, which is permissible. The irreversible type is when the fallopian tube is cut or sealed using an electric current, which forms a scar. This is not permissible in Islam.
Almighty Allah knows best.