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The Beginning of Life Issues: An Islamic Perspective

Journal of Religion and Health volume 60, pages 663–683 (2021)Cite this article

Abstract

Islam gives legal precedence to purity of lineage and known parenthood of all children. In Islam treatment to infertility using IVF is permitted within validity of marriage contract with no genes mixing. The paper shows that the Qur’ān, the word of Allah, and science, the deeds of Allah are not in major conflicts in defining the start of human life. The Holy Qur’ān provides an elegant description of origin, developmental stages of intra-uterine life. The Hadith explains two positions one that believes human embryo get ensouled at conception and the other after 40 days of conception. The paper aims to find that Islam confers moral respect to human embryo, but it also clarifies the absence of full human rights to a developing foetus. In Islam, human embryonic use is probably permissible for therapeutic and reproductive purpose keeping intact the principles of Shari’ah.

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Notes

  1. ‘Ibaha’ is used in fiqh (jurisprudence) as a permission of possessing or utilising something. Ibaha means to allow. Majority of Shiá faqihs believe that both Shar’ and’ Aql (religion and reason) prove asalat al-Ibaha (primacy of permission). Such opinions find mention in the verses of the Holy Quran Sura al-Baquara, verse no. 29 and verse no. 168. Sura al-Anám, verse no. 145.

  2. Shariáh: Islamic canonical law based on the teachings of the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Prophet (Hadith and Sunnah), prescribing both religious and secular duties and sometimes retributive penalties for law breaking. It has generally been supplemented by legislation adapted to the conditions of the day, though the manner in which it should be applied in modern states is a subject of dispute between Muslim traditionalists and reformists.

  3. Sunnah is the verbally transmitted record of the teachings, deeds and sayings, silent permissions or disapprovals of the Prophet Mohammad, and also of companions of the Prophet.

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Acknowledgements

Special thanks are due to Professor Priyambada Sarkar and to Professor Dilip Kumar Mohanta, wonderful teachers and faculty members of the Department of Philosophy, University of Calcutta, India. I would also like to thank the reviewers for their careful reading of the manuscript and their insightful suggestions and comments that helped me to improve and sharpen the previous version of the paper.

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  1. Department of Philosophy, University of Calcutta, 1, Reformatory Street, Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700027, India

    Piyali Mitra

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  1. Piyali Mitra
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Correspondence to Piyali Mitra.

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Mitra, P. The Beginning of Life Issues: An Islamic Perspective. J Relig Health 60, 663–683 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-020-01018-3

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Keywords

  • Embryo research
  • Islam
  • Preservation of posterity
  • Assisted reproduction
  • Religious perspective
  • Shar’iah