artificial insemination-halal ?

[Hamza Asadullah]

Can a single woman use artificial insemination to have a child ? plz dont say adopt a child, its not the same. Wat if there are no chances of marriage (dont want to get into that bit) so can this be a the halal way of having a child ? as for the child's linage, etc having the fathers name, then the child could have that, but be brought up just by the mother.

thanks in advance.

Asalaamu Alaikum, Firstly i would just like to apologise for any responses you found inappropriate or offensive. You are most welcome here to ask any questions you like.

My dear sister you came here wanting the Islamic position with regards to artificial insemination of a third party as oppose to a husband so here is the Islamic position with regards to your question:

According to Sheikh Mufti Muhammad Ibn Adam Al-Kawthari:

The Islamic ruling on these various forms and methods of treatment is concerned, one must keep in mind a very important principle, for that answers all the questions. The principle is that resorting to these methods of medical treatment is permissible as long as "only" the husband and wife are involved. It is completely unlawful to use a third party's (donor) sperm or eggs.


The reason being is that Islam has completely prohibited adultery (zina) and everything that leads to it. Islam lays allot of importance on the preservation of lineage. The preservation of lineage (hifz al-nasl) is one of the five universals and objectives of Shariah. As such, introducing a third party into the family equation would confuse the lineage, hence it will not be allowed. Using the sperm or eggs of a third person would create doubt and confusion with regards to the child's identity. The child's lineage and identity will not be preserved and safeguarded.


Many contemporary scholars have declared the introduction of other than the husband's sperm into the wife akin to adultery (zina), hence a major sin. They state that artificial insemination of other than the husband's sperm and adultery are both similar in effect; that is, in both cases the tillage is inseminated by a stranger. It is also a more severe crime than "legal" adoption, which is also completely prohibited in Shariah.


Allah Most High says:


"And those who guard their private parts. Except with those joined to them in the marriage bond, or (the captives) whom their right hands possess, for (in their case) they are free from blame. But those whose desires exceed those limits are transgressors." (Surah al-Mu'minun, V. 5-7)


Ruwayfi' ibn Thabit al-Ansari (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said on the day of Hunayn: "It is unlawful for a man who believes in Allah and the last day that he waters the plant of another." (Sunan Abu Dawud, no. 2151 & Sunan Tirmidhi) The meaning of watering the plant of another is to introduce one's sperm into the womb of another person's wife.


Therefore, all forms of treatment in which a third party is involved are completely unlawful. Hence, AID, AIM and surrogate motherhood is out of the question.


Moreover, the question of "to whom will the child be attributed" also arises in such cases. Scholars mention that despite the prohibition of resorting to such methods, if one did employ them, the child will always be attributed to the mother's husband.


There is a famous Hadith recorded by Imam Muslim and others in which the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: 'The child will be attributed to the husband and the adulterer will receive the stone'. The meaning of this Hadith is that the right of paternity will always be for the person who is married to the child's mother.


Thus, if a donor's sperm or the husband's sperm mixed with that of a donor was introduced into the wife, the child will still be attributed to the husband. However, if the husband refuses to accept the child as his own, it will only be attributed to the mother.


If an unmarried woman was artificially inseminated with the sperm of another man, the child will only be attributed to herself. The man whose sperm was used will have nothing to do with the child.

Source: http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=1&ID=3622&CATE=95


Sheikh Faraz Rabbani Adds:

The Islamic Fiqh Academy, and other bodies, including Al-Azhar's Fatwa Committee, have studied this matter at length. They concluded that artificial insemination is permitted, as long as only the husband and wife are reproductively involved. This is permitted whether the fertilization itself occurs inside or outside the woman. It is not permitted to use third party ('donor') sperm or eggs, even when either spouse is infertile. They stressed that one should ensure that such procedures are carried out in a safe way, for obvious reasons.

Some of the scholars emphasize, too, that such procedures should only be used when normal means prove ineffective.

It is important, in the end, to remember that while we have been commanded by Allah Most High to take all permitted means, we have also been commanded to believe that means themselves do not have an effect; only Allah does.

And Allah knows best.

Source: http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=7&ID=2455&CATE=2


So my dear sister it is clear that artificial insemination from a third party who is not your husband is totally foribidden in Islam and likened to adultery. Surely there is no good in that which Allah has made forbidden for us. There is no way around this and this has been made clear by scholars who have looked into this matter in great detail with the help and advice of physicians.

My sister I do understand that for a person who has a disablity or illness it may be difficult to get married but it is not impossible and you should not give up hope of finding a husband. Whatever Allah will give you will be the best for you and if he does not give you a child then you will be compensated MUCH greater for it in the hereafter where we will all wish we had recieved NOTHING in this world just so that we could have recieved EVERYTHING in the hereafter.

It maybe that Allah will find you a partner whom you can marry and bear a child with. You should try all the means possible and make dua relying on Allah but at the same time accepting his decree. Does he not know what is best for us in our lives?

There are many people who are infertile and this is their test so you should be happy that you are fertile and know that if it is best for you in this life to have a partner with whom you can bare children with then it will happen no matter what but if it is not meant for you to have children then NOTHING you do will enable you to have children.

So in conclusion you should make the utmost effort despite your condition, to look for a marriage partner even if that means you become a second wife and at the same time make sincere dua and put your trust in Allah and accept his decree that whatever he has planned for you in this life is best for you as he created you and his decree is what is best for you.

Please read this thread as it will help you inshallah:

Solutions Of How To Get Through Hardships, Stresses and Problems in life!

http://www.islamicboard.com/advice-...through-hardships-stresses-problems-life.html


If you have any further questions or need any advice or help with anything at all then please do not hesitate to ask.


And Allah knows best in all matters

 

[Ramadhan]

Forget all these people.....let me tell you of something that can get you in heaven......adopt an orphan and take care of him/her and bam!....you've quenched the thirst for babies and you've had your account deposited with large sums of good deeds.

finally someone is making sense with illuminating and yet so simple solution.
In my country at least, there are plenty of babies who are not wanted by their mothers ("accidental" pregnancies by unmarried young women), so yeah those babies need some good loving mother care too.

although maybe with some women it is the pregnancy experience that they are after?
Is pregnancy really that wonderful experience?

To the OP: have you ever considered babies adoption?
Not one of those anonymous internet mail babies where you have no idea about the lineage of the baby, but going to orphanage or hospitals, or maybe relatives or friends, who have unwanted babies with clear parental identities?

 

[anonymous]

umm-sufyan i wasnt being funny, with my constant questioning, i had already thought about all them things you had mentioned, but it felt like i had struck a nerve ?? apologies if ive got it wrong.


insanaah- thank you so much for taking the time and patience for your thoughtful reply. i guess i was sick of hearing about sabr all the time, & then to hav babies pushed in2 my face 24/7, ive been patient for so many years, & i got fed up, well its 2 much to take...& sometimes wen your sat in despair its hard to switch off emotions esp ones like these. It was a last resort thing b4 my time is up, i think any childless woman would understand that. Unfortuantely i come from a background where an umarried woman mite as well be dead.

Im not bothered about the husband, and Im not doing this to be looked after, or for sex.

I dont understand why this is so hard to get ? but my desire is for a child. thats IT. Ive done everything i can with my life, i just wanted something of my own, to care and look after. I get the adoption thing but its not the same. do any of you that have inputted in this thread actually have children ?? to the men, would you really adopt a child, and be able to love them as your own ? It wud feel different, and i dont wana do injustice to someone else's child., & hav lack of love for that person, wen its not even their fault. @ naidamar, re:adoption i looked into this years ago, and the amount of paperwork/constant check ups that i wud hav to go thru is ridiculous, your right the world is crying out for adoptive parents, but i would literally have to wait years + i did also think of the option of going overseas. Some places put prices on children, i know someone that bought one for 10, 000 pounds, it just feels wrong. a child is sacred, not an item, you can just pick off the shelf. an adoptive child would never ever be mine, its not the same.

I knew what the answer would be when i posted this, but i guess i just wanted to hear what other women do in my situation, to stop feeling resentful of a religion, cos thats what its getting like.

to m.scientist. in future i suggest you refrain from makin those kinds of comments, (you dont know me, would you really speak to your blood sister like that ?) esp when dealing with a sensitive issue that men will never ever get. you just wont understand. all women hav biological clocks, and its not possible to just get ova certain things. i came with a genuine concern, not to get ridiculed, i really hope your wife/sister or any other female in your family never ever has to feel like this or encouter any probs with bearing children. us women are sensitive things, you know the way allah made us, just plz bear that in mind, next time you ridicule someone. you can kill a persons's iman with certain words, an iman that is prob more or less dead anyway.

@ hamza jazakhallah with respect polygamy is not something easy for a woman to go through. I have no issues with people that practice it, each to their own, but when you suggest that to someone you dont know, you should also ask youself would you like it for your real sister ?? if the tables were turned would you be able to share you partner ? Im sorry im not saying this to be rude, just to make you realise that this sort of stuff is a big deal to us women. Allah made it lawful but its also a choice for us women, whether we chose to go down the root. It takes a strong woman to be in a polygamous marriage, and theres not many of them women about.

oh and sorry for saying the P word before

 

[anonymous]

Forget all these people.....let me tell you of something that can get you in heaven......adopt an orphan and take care of him/her and bam!....you've quenched the thirst for babies and you've had your account deposited with large sums of good deeds.

really its not that easy. when you have a wife and children of your own then maybe, just maybe you'll understand a little.

 

[CosmicPathos]

umm-sufyan i wasnt being funny, with my constant questioning, i had already thought about all them things you had mentioned, but it felt like i had struck a nerve ?? apologies if ive got it wrong.


insanaah- thank you so much for taking the time and patience for your thoughtful reply. i guess i was sick of hearing about sabr all the time, & then to hav babies pushed in2 my face 24/7, ive been patient for so many years, & i got fed up, well its 2 much to take...& sometimes wen your sat in despair its hard to switch off emotions esp ones like these. It was a last resort thing b4 my time is up, i think any childless woman would understand that. Unfortuantely i come from a background where an umarried woman mite as well be dead.

Im not bothered about the husband, and Im not doing this to be looked after, or for sex.

I dont understand why this is so hard to get ? but my desire is for a child. thats IT. Ive done everything i can with my life, i just wanted something of my own, to care and look after. I get the adoption thing but its not the same. do any of you that have inputted in this thread actually have children ?? to the men, would you really adopt a child, and be able to love them as your own ? It wud feel different, and i dont wana do injustice to someone else's child., & hav lack of love for that person, wen its not even their fault. @ naidamar, re:adoption i looked into this years ago, and the amount of paperwork/constant check ups that i wud hav to go thru is ridiculous, your right the world is crying out for adoptive parents, but i would literally have to wait years + i did also think of the option of going overseas. Some places put prices on children, i know someone that bought one for 10, 000 pounds, it just feels wrong. a child is sacred, not an item, you can just pick off the shelf. an adoptive child would never ever be mine, its not the same.

I knew what the answer would be when i posted this, but i guess i just wanted to hear what other women do in my situation, to stop feeling resentful of a religion, cos thats what its getting like.

to m.scientist. in future i suggest you refrain from makin those kinds of comments, (you dont know me, would you really speak to your blood sister like that ?) esp when dealing with a sensitive issue that men will never ever get. you just wont understand. all women hav biological clocks, and its not possible to just get ova certain things. i came with a genuine concern, not to get ridiculed, i really hope your wife/sister or any other female in your family never ever has to feel like this or encouter any probs with bearing children. us women are sensitive things, you know the way allah made us, just plz bear that in mind, next time you ridicule someone. you can kill a persons's iman with certain words, an iman that is prob more or less dead anyway.

@ hamza jazakhallah with respect polygamy is not something easy for a woman to go through. I have no issues with people that practice it, each to their own, but when you suggest that to someone you dont know, you should also ask youself would you like it for your real sister ?? if the tables were turned would you be able to share you partner ? Im sorry im not saying this to be rude, just to make you realise that this sort of stuff is a big deal to us women. Allah made it lawful but its also a choice for us women, whether we chose to go down the root. It takes a strong woman to be in a polygamous marriage, and theres not many of them women about.

oh and sorry for saying the P word before

You cannot blame me for killing your emaan. Its your deed, not mine. If my words made you kill your emaan, Allah will ask you about why you let my words effect yourself. You cant put your burden of loosing emaan on me.

Now that is clear, onto the next thing about ridiculing you. Can you tell me where I ridiculed you as a person? I only responded to your statement. I did not make any comment about you as a person, only about your statement.

Regarding adopted children and you feeling that it can never be mine, honestly tell me, what is yours? Nothing is ours in this world, not our body. Did you have a choice about your body? about your being? About your parents? You or I cannot even prevent ourselves from dying, how can we have this ego of "Mine." Your baby or an adopted baby, its the same thing. It is a human being that needs nourishment.

Prophet Muhammad pbuh grew as an orphan, and non-biological parents (his uncle and grandfather) nourished him and adopted him.

I am done with this thread. Good luck to you with whatever you wish and desire.

salam.

 

[Insaanah]

sister anonymous,

I was PM'd this by a member who cannot yet post in the advice and support section, and she asked if I could post it here for her. For your info, this was sent by her before you made the last two posts in the thread, but I have only just logged on to the forum now and seen it now. I am posting it at her request.

There are many babies who will grow up without a mother and she can be a mother to one of these children. She says its not the same to adopt but to the child it might not be the same to be brought up by a woman who is not their birth mother but they have no choice in the matter they cant inceminate themselves into a mother and get borne but being adopted is the next best thing and lets them be part of a real family and it is something beautiful she should seriously consider like.

She says its not the same but she can make it the same by being as loving to them as she would to her own and consider them her own and the child will see her as their real mum and both have something missing in their lives found cuz they're together.

Also many embryos die in the proces of incemination and theres a high fail rate lots of dead embryos each embryo is a human life even if not much developed its still alive and human and growing so thats one good reason why its not allowed plz ask her does she want to be responsible for so many human deaths?

 

[Predator]

What a weird way of looking at things.



Moreover, what guarantee you or she has that the inseminated child she produces from some random man will grow up and look after her when is in "grey hair?".

Scientist have actually found a way to create sperm cells without men.

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archive/ldn/2008/feb/08020103

Of course as Abdullahi mentioned , Adoption is best solution in this case . But if there are no more orphans left due to every infertile couples and widows/widowers taking an orphan Child ,Such a situation would probably never happen but if does can the women then resort to those stem cells created embryos if she has no relatives/friends to support her ?

 

[Rhubarb Tart]

so basically a woman who is unable to get married has to give up her right to bear children ?? yeh cos thats fair isnt it ? wat about women who are disfigured, disabled etc ? they've got no chance of marrying ? they've got to give up that right ?

My mother had Achondroplasia (dwarfism) :wub:and managed to get married to my dad. Believe or nor sis, there are people that can look beyond appearance. Just a thought...

 

[Alpha Dude]

Sister, for one thing, I don't think there would be that many Muslim sperm donors out there and secondly, donated sperm would be produced by masturbation.

So, in light of the above, if you were to go through with such a thing, you'd have to endure:

i. sperm that is borne of a sin (masturbation)
ii. sperm that is from a non-legal partner (someone you're not married to)
iii. sperm that is from a non-muslim most likely (muslim women aren't allowed to marry non-muslims)

Three layers of unlawfulness in order to have your child.

You said earlier that children aren't items that can be bought and sold which is true and makes perfect sense, they don't deserve such a thing to have happen to them - I think you should also spend some deep thought on whether a child deserves to be bought into the world via sin.

so basically a woman who is unable to get married has to give up her right to bear children ?? yeh cos thats fair isnt it ? wat about women who are disfigured, disabled etc ? they've got no chance of marrying ? they've got to give up that right ?

Sister, please don't take this the wrong way but: a woman who is not married does not have any right to have children. It's only when a woman enters a contract of marriage, that she gains a right. No other way. So a person who cannot get married is not giving up any right whatsoever. How can she give up something she does not have in the first place?

Sister, for the sake of your deen, you should have an optimistic and trusting outlook on Allah. Holding a grudge against/being bitter toward Allah for superficially PERCEIVED unfair reasons is opening the door toward misguidance. Allah is as you think him to be. If you think he's unfair, you're blocking yourself from his mercy.

It's a matter of using your will-power in order to have a positive outlook. Be strong in your concviction and be strong in your tawakul/trust in Allah.

At the end of the day, this life is a test. We should never forget that. One day, we will be reckoned and on that day we will have great fear over our deeds. Life is temporary.

Make plenty of dua for marriage. It's not impossible. Allah can do anything. For your dua to be potent, avoid sins and do many good deeds. Above all, place your full trust in Allah. Allah has 99 attributes that we know him by. They're not just mere words. There is depth behind them. Allah is All Wise. This means there is undoubtedly great wisdom behind everything that happens. So we should do our utmost and resign ourselves to Allah's wisdom because we simply don't (and can't) know any better.

 

[Cabdullahi]

really its not that easy. when you have a wife and children of your own then maybe, just maybe you'll understand a little.

ok Insha'Allah


You've ruled yourself out from the prospect of having halal children of your own.....Allah may have other plans for you.

but what do i know and understand.....nothing

 

[CosmicPathos]

Scientist have actually found a way to create sperm cells without men.

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archive/ldn/2008/feb/08020103

Of course as Abdullahi mentioned , Adoption is best solution in this case . But if there are no more orphans left due to every infertile couples and widows/widowers taking an orphan Child ,Such a situation would probably never happen but if does can the women then resort to those stem cells created embryos if she has no relatives/friends to support her ?

red is mine.
According to the New Scientist report, Nayernia claims to have developed the spermatogonia from female bone marrow as well, but has not yet been able to make the female spermatogonia undergo meiosis. You need meiosis for diploid spermatogonia to form haploid spermatozoa and then spermatids (sperms). So scientists have really done nothing spectacular here.

As with most stem-cell technologies, however, there are safety concerns about the process. Reportedly Nayernia pioneered his "female sperm" techniques first on mice, impregnating female mouse eggs with sperm derived from female stem cells. The mice that were subsequently born, however, suffered severe health problems.
One other problem with creating "female sperm" is that such sperm would always lack the Y chromosome necessary to conceive a male child. Hence the process could only ever produce a female child.Lets see who would want a baby riddled with syndromes such as downs, angelmans, wagners, dactyly's blah blah.