Question:
Salaam dear Shaykh,
Ya Sayyidi, I was posed with a very difficult question by a sister, therefore I am in need of your assistance. A 1_ year old Muslim girl has become pregnant out of wedlock. The young girl I’m informed is 6-7 weeks pregnant. The man involved will not commit to her but rather he has threatened her that if she was to go ahead with this pregnancy he would harm her. The mother of the girl is aware of her pregnancy but her father is not. The young girl would like an abortion but her mother is worried, as she is aware that abortion is haraam.
Ya Sayyidi would you shed light on whether it is permissible for her to have an abortion and if not what are her options? I am confused by what I should advise as I have read and heard many rulings regarding abortion but I needed clarity for this particular situation, so that I may provide accurate nasiha to the sister, billahi tawfeeq.
I kindly await your response.
Answer:
Alaykum Salam,
If there is danger for the life of the mother then abortion is permitted. In this case since the danger is entirely due to the threat then the added sin of aborting the fetus is entirely on his soul while the sin of zina is shared by both. If however the threat is assessed as mere words and can be deflected through parental intervention, a police report, adequate protection etc. then there is no danger and the abortion is not permitted.
Hajj Gibril Haddad
