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Rulings of Miscarriage in Islam

22 February, 2023
Q What do I do if I have a miscarried fetus? Should I give it a name? Should we offer janazah on him? Should it be wrapped?

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:

If the fetus was born alive for even a moment then it must be given a name, ghusl, shrouded, prayed over, and buried with Muslims like any other child.


Answering your question, Sheikh Mustafa Umar, President of California Islamic University, states:

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Be patient and know that this is the will of Allah. Say “inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rājiun”. Know that Allah will reward you if you pass this difficult test.

If the fetus was born alive for even a moment then it must be given a name, ghusl, shrouded, prayed over, and buried with Muslims like any other child. Another opinion is that this must be done if the fetus reached 120 days since it had a soul. Otherwise, the fetus will not be given a name, no ghusl will be done, no janazah will be performed, and it will just be wrapped in a cloth and buried anywhere. An aqiqah is not recommended unless the baby lived for seven days.

Allah says what means:

“˹He is the One˺ Who created death and life in order to test which of you is best in deeds. And He is the Almighty, All-Forgiving.” (Al-Muklk 67:2)

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:

“The miscarried fetus should be prayed over (the funeral prayer), and supplication for forgiveness and mercy for his parents should be offered.” (Abu Dawud; Al-Albani said it is authentic in Sahih al-Jami`, 3525)

The Prophet also said:

“The scholars are unanimously agreed that if it is known to have lived and its cry has been heard, the prayer should be offered for it. But if its cry is not heard, Imam Ahmad said: “If it has completed four months [gestation], then it should be washed and the funeral prayer offered.” (Al-Mughni 2:328)

Almighty Allah knows best.

Source: AsktheScholars.com