New Unmarried Muslim Pregnant and Confused
Fatwa No: 83890

Question

I'm a 21-year-old girl from Lithuania, Europe. I'm a new Muslim and I would like to get some information about one case, actually my close friends case. She is a new Muslim too but she got serious problems now. The story is like this. The girl knew one Muslim guy. She liked him too much and it happened that they slept together. She was in London when she went for winter holidays. When she got back home she discovered that she was pregnant; it's 8 weeks now. When she told the guy she was very confused. He told her that he has no rights for the baby, that he doesn't have to support or even marry the girl. He said that she has to do whatever she thinks is the best (to keep the baby or not). He said that there are such rules in Islam or that's the Islamic law. When the girl asked where are these rules written he told her to find out for herself. Actually he travels to Saudi Arabia quite often and said that he checked this there, and also got some e-mails from some scholars in Saudi saying that. Well, I need to know if there are such rules or if the guy is wrong? Maybe he is just trying to fool the girl as she is a new Muslim and doesn't know all rules. Could you tell me what is said about a case like this in Islamic law or the religion of Islam? Please reply as soon as you get this e-mail, as the girl is so depressed and will go for abortion as she sees it is the best solution. She wants to do that on Friday this week, but if you reply to me before that maybe something can be done to avoid that.

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

Answering your question is briefed in the following three points:

First, inducing an abortion after 120 days of pregnancy is prohibited. Such an action constitutes a form of killing a person whom Allah has forbidden. There is no difference among Muslim scholars concerning the above ruling. But, they differ concerning this ruling if the period of pregnancy is still less than 120 days. However, the preponderant opinion is that it is forbidden to cause an abortion before 120 days although this does not constitute a form of killing a person because the soul is still not breathed into the fetus. So, inducing an abortion in such a case is forbidden since the fetus is giving rise to formation and the soul is breathed into it, and stopping that is a form of destruction of progeny.
Second, one is not allowed to marry the woman with whom he has committed Zina (fornication or adultery) unless she repents and delivers the baby in case of pregnancy.

Third, one who commits Zina is not forced to marry such a woman even after she repents and delivers. But, it is better and preferable to marry her in order to conceal her past and to stop any possible repetition of Zina between them in the future.

Finally, we advise the sister to repent sincerely and to show patience and satisfaction towards what Allah, The Great and Almighty, has decreed. In addition, we advise her to avoid abortion. As a result of such a good commitment to Islam, Allah will make it easy for her to have a good husband.

Allah Says (what means): {And whoever fears Allah - He will make for him a way out. And will provide for him from where he does not expect. And whoever relies upon Allah - then He is sufficient for him.} [Quran 65:2-3]

In other words, Allah will spare our sister from every misfortune and evil and will make every good and benefit possible for her.

As for abortion, it will be another form of disobedience.

Allah knows best.

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