Most Muslim couples look forward to starting a family. Children are considered a blessing from God, and raising children is one of the main goals of family life. Some couples face difficulty conceiving, however, while others may prefer to postpone having children for health or personal reasons. Muslims refer to the Qur'an and Sunnah for guidance when making such difficult decisions. When it comes to medical reproductive issues, two main standards need to be met: no destruction of life that God has made sacred, and no confusion of parental and blood family relationships.

Contraception

Some Muslim couples may wish to time pregnancies for health or other reasons. In general, contraception is permitted in Islam, as long as the method only temporarily prevents fertilization and does not disrupt the growth of an already fertilized embryo.

In the early days of Islam, coitus interruptus was widely practiced, with the knowledge and approval of the Prophet Muhammad. Modern methods such as barriers, the pill, and IUDs are generally considered to be permissible, because they disrupt the process by which the sperm first contacts the egg. Sterilization is forbidden on the grounds that it permanently scars a person, leaving no future option to change one's mind.

Abortion

There are differences of opinion in Islam on whether or not it is wrong to disrupt a pregnancy after fertilization. In general, abortion is considered a sin, the murder of an innocent unborn life. However, the magnitude of the sin varies according to the age of the pregnancy. Muhammad once said: “Each one of you collected in the womb of his mother for forty days, and then turns into a clot for an equal period (of forty days), and then turns into a piece of flesh for a similar period (of forty days). Then Allah sends an angel and orders him to write four things (regarding the destiny of the child's life). Then the soul is breathed into him.”

According to this narration, the soul is breathed into the fetus at 120 days after gestation. Muslim jurists acknowledge this turning point when making rulings about abortion.

During the first four months (120 days) of gestation, the growing fetus is a potential life whose growth should not be interrupted. These months allow plenty of time for medical tests and evaluations of the mother and child. If there is solid evidence that the mother is in danger, or that the fetus has a major abnormality that will cause him or her to suffer and live in agony, then most scholars agree that abortion is permissible. Abortion becomes a major sin (murder) if it is done after 120 days of gestation, unless the life of the mother is in certain danger.

Under no circumstances is a Muslim to perform an abortion because a pregnancy is inconvenient or the parents fear that they will not be able to support a child financially. Muslims are reminded in the Qur'an that it is God who gives life and death, and that the creation of a child is in His hands. Muslims always keep in mind the possibility that no matter what they do, if God decrees a child for them, they will have one. Muslims are advised to seek help from God if they fear that they cannot care for a child. “Kill not your children for fear of want. We will provide sustenance for them as well as for you. Verily, the killing of them is a great sin” (Qur'an 17:31).

Infertility and Reproductive Technology

Muslims acknowledge that all life comes from God and that the inability to have a child is a test in this life. Islam encourages believers to look for a healthy balance between striving for pregnancy and accepting what God has ordained for them. As the Qur'an admonishes, “To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. He creates what He wills. He bestows children, male or female, according to His Will, or He bestows both males and females, and He leaves barren whom He will” (Qur'an 42:49–50).

When facing any medical issue, Muslims believe in seeking medical treatment in the hopes of a good outcome. However, that treatment needs to fall within the ethics and dictates of Islamic law. When treating infertility, the main Islamic rule is that one must honor the blood parental relationship within the bonds of marriage. Most reproductive technology (in vitro fertilization, hormonal treatments, and so on) that can be sought by a Muslim couple is permissible. However, some modern reproductive techniques cloud the parental relationship and are forbidden in Islam. This includes surrogate parenting and the use of donor sperm or eggs.