Islam & Abortion with Dr. Omar Suleiman and Sr. Hanaa Hasan | DoubleTake, a Yaqeen Podcast

Abortion is dominating headlines as the United States Supreme Court considers a decision that could lead to it being outlawed in many states. While the political debate is framed as being either pro-life or pro-choice, the Islamic perspective is not so simple.
Is abortion halal or haram, and are there any exceptions? What principles do Muslim scholars use to determine their understanding? How should we be thinking about this issue on an individual and political level?
In this episode, host Mohamad Zaoud talks to Dr. Omar Suleiman and Sr. Hanaa Hasan about the Islamic perspective on abortion and the article Islam and the abortion debate. Read the article here: yqn.io/qr6
00:00 Introduction
01:52 Abortion: Halal or Haram?
21:09 The Decision-Making Process
34:57 Roe v. Wade: The Political Debate
46:59 What Islam Brings to the Conversation
51:08 Advice to a 13-Year-Old
53:29 Rapid Fire
🎧 Listen on-the-go on your favorite platform yqn.io/doubletake
📨 Share your feedback! yqn.io/podcastfeedback
👍🏻 Don't forget to follow us on Instagram: @yaqeenpodcast
#islamicpodcast #abortion #omarsuleiman

[@haleemaahmed911]

Love the points on Islam’s stance inclining to the fitrah AND not trying to fit Islam into these boxes of pro life or choice. Really loving these takes on contemporary topics Alhamdulliah!

[@nimetalpay9164]

Thanks for this very timely and enlightening discussion with two great speakers. However, I am very disappointed that not enough time and ground were given to Sr. Hannah as I find her very smart, knowledgeable, and articulate. The two men dominated the conversation. I don’t want to say how typical because I want to honor your intentions of educating the audience on the issue. I think you owe Sr. Hannah another airtime just to have her alone to speak her mind.

[@MsTima-eg1xe]

MashaAllah, may your understanding of Islam continue to be shared more in shaa Allah 🌬💓

[@muhsinahabdullah4411]

ASA. This is the 1st Islamic discussion I have heard on this topic; pleasantly surprised to hear my personal views reflected and encouraged here. Subhanallah for sirat al mustaqeen.

[@lelaam1992]

Thank you for the great session!

[@balsamicpineapples5479]

excellent perspective and discussion, i immensely enjoyed listening and found a lot of my hesitations and queries being answered alhamdulillah

[@cattlecorner305]

Loved it...Two brilliant speaker....

[@maroofshabirmir6440]

Beautifully Explained speakers.... ♥️

[@plutos-pals]

Could you please post links in the description to the different articles referenced. Barkah Allah feek.

[@traditionalateliers]

Alhamdulillah.. this is so enlightening and educational.. thank you .. I cannot believe 1400 years ago we had this life enhancing perspective.. default is prolife with major caveats

[@shawnahaji7178]

I personally would never have an abortion. I feel compelled to comment as an American woman. There are two issues I have about this ruling. Firstly, it won't stop with abortions. Next women will have to fight for the right to use contraception of any kind for any reason, including health reasons. Second, my perception has always been that groups of men get together and make the rules about women and our choices, which is wrong on many levels. I guess there's a third way this is wrong. Abortion and contraception are very personal and usually spiritual decisions. The government and politics need to stay out of my choices, my morals, and my religious beliefs. I believe that abortion is wrong, but I would never make that decision for someone else.

[@deedeee6271]

If a Muslim woman does end up having an abortion outside of the Islamically defined boundaries, the most that would happen is that she would have to pay blood money. So although it is a personal decision, there are societal payments that would have to be made.

[@deedeee6271]

Also please watch 44:35 onwards which addresses you point

[@punjabiqt08]

Exactly!!!

[@nathanjohnston1176]

Explain how what contraceptives use has to do with spirituality? It seems to me have to do with unchecked sexuality, not spirituality.

[@punjabiqt08]

@@nathanjohnston1176 OP is saying that overturning of casea like roe vs wade sets a precedent for politicians to further control women. There are already bills in the pipelines to ban contraception in certain states.

[@Maha420]

Why not upload this to the main Yaqeen account, will reach more ppl there!

[@user-bn7de7by2m]

Masha'allah Masha'Allah My God protect you Very nice video Thank you Jazakum Allah khier

[@deedeee6271]

I love this convo, mashaAllah, but I still think we are falling short in how we take these views and see them actualized in the context of the political environment we are in, particularly in the U.S. As a Muslim, how do I vote on this issue? Do I go with pro-choice or pro-life candidates. B/c this is what we are facing in real life.

[@LoyalMinion]

Pro life why is that even a question

[@Jibril_Abdulkadir]

@@LoyalMinion the pro life people are the Christian’s who hate muslims just saying

[@fatimabhatti13]

@@LoyalMinion but if it’s pro life…that would take the option of abortion away completely…even in the situation that a woman is getting an abortion after 120 days to save her life, since the mothers life is prioritized, wouldn’t you agree?

[@hayaalany9796]

Facing the same dilemma:(

[@traditionalateliers]

The choice of the individual is eroded with pro life .. I would lean to choice as that is also a default in Islam .. leave the conscience of the adult female to face the Creator in light of her decision but it must be accepted that her decision is her right.

[@aysenurylmaz1448]

can you add english subtitles i want to translate my own language in the settings

[@alhashmy1310]

R u turkish?

[@bushra29430]

shaykh hamza yusuf as in the shaykh who runs zaytuna?

[@najahanna3160]

May Allah bless you

[@birhanacademy]

Jezakallahu Kheir my only suggestion i mostly see this in Muslim owned channels our sister was given the opportunity after 21 minutes exactly that is a long time and does't give good impression to the program.. Jezakallahu Kheir

[@nazajalal8094]

May God give us clarity 🤲

[@moussambmohamedoussein4934]

A link for the article?

[@YaqeenPodcast]

Salam - you can find the article here: yaqeeninstitute.org/read/paper/islam-and-the-abortion-debate

[@shuddup3618]

the worth of a human being isn’t dependent on how much the mother wants it. it is always valuable and deserves the right to live.

[@R2d2..]

In Islam it’s literally like that … but the woman health comes first bc she’s the one carrying that fetus. Are u female ?

[@R2d2..]

Oh wait I’ve just seen your background picture …the art with Adam and god painted by Michelangelo… Yea you’re not even Muslim bc otherwise you wouldn’t use a picture of an art picture that painted ,,god”

[@R2d2..]

When does life start ? : 7:15

[@shuddup3618]

@@R2d2.. can you do me a favor and like not shit your pants over a painting? thanks.

[@deuteronomy6411]

@@R2d2.. Science states at conception everyone knows this

[@akhivek1987]

Whatever is planted in a woman is moving? So it must have a life in it. A critical distinction between life and Ruh need to be made. The prophet talked about Ruh not life. Allah knows better. Great lecture mashaAllah.

[@zafanger]

as a human, you are made of body and ruh and when the ruh leaves the body definitely we call that death. dead person is body without ruh. After 40 days of conception ALLAH put ruh in the foetus.

[@bintumohamed2168]

What about if the mother has many c section and doctor recommended no have another pregnancy Can I terminate in one month pregnancy

[@abdouabdel-rehim8537]

I think we need to be careful about saying that we check if the baby will have severe deformity and decide. I am not a scholar but just wanted to say we need to be careful

[@bilalaslam6590]

How to calculate 120 days? Medically they calculate it from first day of last period.

[@Taslimbanu]

At 6 months of pregnancy I got a complication and drained liquor the scan showed severe oligohydramnios, being a medical student I knew that my baby will have a lot of complications and can also die intra uterine. I was advised to terminate the pregnancy as the lungs won't be developed and baby will have long term complications. My concern was my baby and yeah I was feeling my baby moving and the thought of it dying in my womb slowly because of v little liquor was haunting and I went ahead with termination. At that time I didn't know that termination is not allowed. After learning that termination is not allowed, I since then am feeling v bad. Pls advise

[@robotnitchka]

You didn't know. It's not haraam if you didn't know what you were doing. You didn't do it on purpose.

[@saritasarit]

One point that I think it is important is that when the life of the mother is at risk she has priority over the life of the child BUT nowadays we have means to save them both. We could remove the child from the womb and still try to save the child even if the possibility is very low, I think it would be better than outright give it 0 chances of living.

[@RO-wn1dg]

Yeah I think the issue that needs to be underscored is that in the US the moves aren’t simply to restrict abortion but to all but eradicate it completely. And that seems completely contrary to the Shariy’ah, not least because it puts the lives of so many women at risk and that falls under the case of saving the mothers life. Does it not seem then, speaking from the perspective of how we should respond to this, if the direction is towards total criminalization - should we not be speaking out again these moves? Because, of course, standing against these dangerous developments doesn’t mean we necessarily support unfettered abortion just for the sake of it. The fiqhi position doesn’t actually seem too different to what a lot of pro-abortion countries legislate.

[@reembagadi7875]

The fiqh doesn't seem different to what most pro abortion countries legislate?????? Emphasize

[@RO-wn1dg]

@@reembagadi7875 what I mean by “not too different” (not the same as “not different”) predominantly is 1. most countries in which it is legal have a very similar limit on when it can be carried out (around 17 weeks, which is 119 days), 2. many have similar caveats (relating to health and well-being of mother and foetus), and 3. they also have the allowances above that limit in extreme circumstances of where those lives are at risk. Of course, it’s not the case the world over, yes a lot of Europe and the US have much broader allowances for what constitutes a valid reason and time limit. So I’m not saying it’s the same. But the above mentioned similarities are what I was thinking of

[@yassine4982]

@@RO-wn1dg when does life begin? and is abortion and killing a human life really a part of the sharia? when did abortion came to be? don't we have now better medical equipment and procedure than before? C-section delivery? in-vitro ? there is no excuse for killing babies. you save the mother and the baby both.

[@RO-wn1dg]

@@yassine4982 except, in cases where abortion would be allowed under the shariy’ah, if it isn’t carried out you don’t save both lives. You lose at least one, potentially both. Hence the phrase “medical necessity”. The whole argument is about whether an embryo or foetus is a baby. If you believe it is, that’s fine. But you must recognise the majority of the public don’t. And the scholars make the distinction before and after Allah imbued the embryo with the nafs. It is dishonest and harmful to push this conservative agenda that stigmatises cases of medical necessity by employing emotional blackmail through phrases like “killing babies”. You think those carriers want to undergo the brutality of a termination? Of course not. Allah guide us

[@yvonnehorhager1238]

At 19:18, what if the husband says he can’t go through this, he can’t be a father right now etc. etc. and pushes u to abortion, would it be allowed in that case ?

[@munirasalim]

No

[@rahmamohamed1336]

Absolutely not! Divorce him Allah swt provides for baby and mother

[@sherrry100]

And what if the mother isn't ready to go through pregnancy?

[@HiddenAdamO]

👍

[@blergh50]

What's the link to the article they're referencing to?

[@cherryBlossomE7]

In the video description

[@muhsinahabdullah4411]

For Muslim Women: The what project at which website???????????

[@mruun2509]

اللهم صل وسلم وبارك على سيدنا محمد

[@TheFoodSafetyMentor]

The early signs of a brain have begun to form. Even though the fetus is now developing areas that will become specific sections of the brain, not until the end of week 5 and into week 6 (usually around forty to forty-three days) does the first electrical brain activity begin to occur. I go with the 40 day philosophy

[@rzdream]

A person is dead when the heart beats no more. Around 25 days the heartbeat begins: So for me , personally, I think when heart beats life is clearly made. I personally would not want abortions because I want as many kids as Allah SWT wills me to have. I am only saying in my own personal life if I faced this issue this would be my gauge or measure. The scholars rulings are what matters.

[@traditionalateliers]

So how to vote??? If you are in the US

[@ArnoldTeras]

Just vote independent, honestly, I think both parties are very horrible and flawed.

[@miaali6878]

I usually really enjoy Omar’s lectures but I am super disappointed by how little of the spotlight the sister was allowed to have. This is a topic that greatly impacts women and as such she should have been the one leading the discussion and speaking for majority of the time instead of getting short slivers in between Omar’s stance. I do hope he is more mindful of this going forward :/

[@ahmedzakikhan7639]

It is not about Omar's choice or Ali Dawah's choice. The topic is about religion.

[@fuadahmed5501]

Typical male conservatism. Using religion to control woman.

[@shirbir120]

did prophet Muhammad commands religion to his wives or the other way around? Let the Islamic scholars lead. Female reference is important but ultimately the judgement is based on the religious leaders, muftis or scholars which are the inheritors of the prophet.

[@robertaplant7753]

Is it 40 or 42 days??

[@traditionalateliers]

I have a question .. does mental well-being come u set the fold of the medical necessities when making the decision?

[@Sai_Saracen]

The legal rulings related to abortion (from an Islamic perspective) is not a one size fit all.. especially after the 1st phase (40 days).. mental well being is a broad issue that includes extremes and thus can only be addressed on case by case basis..it also depends (to a lesser degree) on the tolerance and willingness of the couple/parents as some will want to give it a try even in very extreme mental cases (e.g. maybe after years trying for pregnancy).. this issue cannot be addressed in a vacuum especially with mental health due its variations plus as no one knows the protentional emotional burden or reward in the long-term

[@traditionalateliers]

@@Sai_Saracen thank you . I feel so blessed that my rights are enshrined within my faith .. I’m so disheartened by this dogmatic approach by both sides .. surely as you say it is a case by case situation which ultimately determines whether a decision be made. Also to note that it is a question of conscience btw the mother and her Creator should she decide. It is never easy and she carries that burden but nonetheless, Islam recognises her right to decide. That my friend is awesome

[@anon2916]

@@traditionalateliers no it doesnt, abortion is haram

[@Sai_Saracen]

@@anon2916 and the evidence for your ruling Sheikh Aron?

[@anon2916]

@@Sai_Saracen quran

[@qmommandi]

what about the fact that the sperm is entirely the dna of the man, the egg entirely the dna of the woman, but when fertilized has its own unique dna. It would seem like a unique life would start at that point eg at conception.

[@thestraightpath2909]

اللهم صل وسلم على نبينا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين وسلم تسليما كثيرا إلى يوم الدين

[@OO-mt8rj]

6-8 weeks.

[@ashifhossain4782]

Walaikum Assalam 🇧🇩💕

[@lsour8546]

40 days is just over 5 weeks, which is when most women find out when they are pregnant.

[@aliamacintyre483]

A very narrow window

[@ArnoldTeras]

With all due respect, I am disappointed by so many young Muslim women (at least in America) who refuse to support pro-life, even on KZbin, the first videos are from "Muslim women" who are very positive towards their abortions. It is not just some Christians, but also religious Jews, Zoroastrians, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Baha'i Faith members who are also strongly against abortion. 24 countries completely ban abortion, and 50 others only permit the practice in medical emergencies, so it's not like America is the ONLY country which restricts abortion. In fact, American abortion laws were very lenient even compared with European laws: "Meanwhile, the United States has, overall, more permissive abortion laws than almost anywhere else in the world. It is one of only seven countries - the others are Canada, China, the Netherlands, North Korea, Singapore and Vietnam - to allow elective abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, as The Washington Post’s Fact Checker column has confirmed."

[@EagleEye1104]

Just because other faiths have stricter approaches to women's rights in abortion or other countries restrict their rights due upon them does not mean the Muslim community in America or otherwise should follow suit. We follow the rights Islam gave to our Sisters even if the rest of the Dunya decides to legislate against it. You should not have disappointment against Islam providing the women of our faith agency over their pregnancy, this is the beauty of Islam being relevant across time

[@ArnoldTeras]

@@EagleEye1104 But most young Muslims are pro-abortion only due to peer pressure and Western influence. Most Muslims outside the USA are very against abortion, this is not even debatable, brother...Muslim-Americans are the exception to this stance, not the norm.

[@EagleEye1104]

@@ArnoldTeras I see the point you are making brother, but again the message in the video is that it there is no pro-life vs pro-choice camp in the Islamic approach. There is the period that it is permissible and the period that it is not. As for making it legal, in order for the Islamic approach to be followed by, for example, a Muslim woman seeking abortion...abortion would have to be legal in the first place. Do you see my point?

[@toast8092]

@@EagleEye1104 You can't just have an abortion for the sake of it. There has to be a valid reason for it (being poor or out of convenience are not). As for the permissible or not permissible period that is debatable.

[@RukaiyaBodombie]

Please if a lady is in the abortion process is she obliged to pray

[@aizaanjum6188]

Can someone clarify. To my understanding, female can have an abortion before 40 days depending on if she wants the child or not?

[@ikken5707]

120 days

[@noorjahankareem1234]

Hello, I’m 5 weeks pregnant and I don’t want to keep it. Is it permissible to do abortion?

[@hylianlegends]

It's a one hour video. Watch and read the article they reference.

[@robotnitchka]

​@@noorjahankareem1234 Yes... I hope you aborted it

[@kashmirispakistan]

Did anyone else notice that Suleiman uses the terms "nefariousness", "political suspicion", and "inconsistency" for pro-life baggage but uses a neutral phrase ("philosophical underpinnings") for pro-choice baggage? This occurs at two different points in the conversation. Suleiman is not unaware of the effect of these words. He is clearly sending a message about which side he is on. It is time for Muslims to reject those who play with their minds and are beholden to the liberal camp.

[@RO-wn1dg]

Because the pro-life position seeks total eradication, it puts the lives of so many women at risk (and by extension their foetuses) and that falls under the case of saving the mothers life. Speaking from the perspective of how we should respond to this, then, should we not be speaking out again these moves as it's contrary to the Shariy'ah?

[@girlfromipanema3231]

Politics is more important to them than Islam.

[@girlfromipanema3231]

@@RO-wn1dg false. Most of those in pro-life camp are moderate and allow for exceptions for rape, incest, mother’s life at risk or any severe disability/defect in the child. Pro-choice seek to allow abortion for any reason at all.

[@RO-wn1dg]

@@girlfromipanema3231 I'm sorry, but with respect, that is simply not true. Firstly, just as not all in the pro-life camp are pro-total ban (which I agree), not all in the pro-choice camp seek unfettered abortion. Yes, it's called "pro-choice" because of how polarized the issue is presented in the media, but the positions are more nuanced than those simple labels suggest. For example, I would call myself "pro-choice", and by most people's definitions, I'd imagine they would too. But I don't support unfettered abortion without any reason. And even if we pretend for the sake of argument that the second point is correct (about pro-choicers), the indications from the legislation that has been pushed through the State legislatures are that (a) Some states will indeed seek a full ban (such as Texas), and (b) Many more states will make much narrower exceptions than are allowed under the Shariy'ah. *edit: Alabama, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas have passed Bills of this kind already* Already the situation of clinics closing is showing how the state of uncertainty has led to a de-facto stop in abortions in those question-mark States. It's astounding how many (I'm sure mostly well-meaning) Muslims have taken this opportunity to deride supposed "liberal" Muslims or "politics" without recognizing how their own actions are political and they themselves have been taken for a ride by Conservatives.

[@girlfromipanema3231]

@@RO-wn1dg Point me to your source that Texas will seek a full ban? Actually point me to any source where they are abortion laws that don’t include the obvious exceptions. Also, you do realize that one can simply go to a state that allows it correct? I do not agree with a full ban and I am doubtful anyone does.

[@zubaidasmith4551]

Suleiman says everyone's words except Allah's. What a poet. Alhamdullilah Ummah READ your BOOK and see how clear Allah (swt) makes it. Allahu akbar!!!!

[@Sai_Saracen]

mashallah ur scholar of the book.. so i guess all current and previous scholars wasted their time.. cos every Muslim can be a scholar of the Quraan.. if people of knowledge did not exist then ud have a book like the bible and NOT the preserved Quraan that we have today... so dear "kathie" concentrate on learning to recite the Arabic properly before giving advise on interpretations/Exegesis of the holy book..

[@akhivek1987]

Let it be clear and stop dancing around this issue. Unless there are health consequences to the mother Islam is indeed pro-life. All those speculations were done by juries none of whom had the technology we have today and most of them weren’t medical experts and never were exposed to an ultrasound. This is our problem and we must confine and solve it within our own context. Let stop bringing jurists who no longer can see the advancement in medical field to re-examine their views. We don’t know what a Ruh is but we certainly know if something is moving it must have a life.

[@amalawad4096]

I understood abortion is haram only if the mom’s life is in Danger. Even if it’s rape or deformity she has to keep it. Can you answer this?

[@cherryBlossomE7]

He discussed this within the first 15 minutes. Majority opinion is if its before the 120 day mark it is permissible. Depends on your school of thought too but that's the majority opinion. He specifies if child has severe deformity/medical issues, so you might have to look deeper into that aspect.

[@incrediblehulk8031]

Lets be realistic here. majority of the scholars say life begins after 120 days. So therefore before 120 days you are allowed to have an abortion. Now why is that? Because there is no life to kill at that point, hence scholars say it is only disliked if done for no reason before 120 days mainly cause of the damage to the women an abortion can cause. After 120 days it is haram unless there is danger to the mothers life. So yes you can have an abortion for those reasons provided it is before 120 days.

[@OO-mt8rj]

It’s 40 days.

[@btspavedtheway5874]

So we have to keep the baby if we get pregnant by a rapist ?

[@cookies-pd4pv]

nope

[@Zahra-lc3mj]

No

[@ahmedzakikhan7639]

Not according to the new law. Neither in Quran, nor according to US Supreme Court. But after a certain period, it is Haram. Many of the Islamic values are very much similar to Republican views. Liberal governments have divided Muslims Jews and Christians of shared values.

[@hkkhawaja2829]

Not at all. Allah has much flexibility in Islam for us

[@hkkhawaja2829]

@human being absolutely it is permissible to abort the baby, since there was no legal relationship in the eyes of Islamic law, and it was against will. So yes.

[@kimri123]

In any case, abortion is against God's will and it is murder. Don't misinterpret God's words.

[@yassine4982]

spreading fitna, one video at a time?

[@bentayga2409]

HARAM!! Ya Allah what's the point of this???

[@sidali2590]

Not all the time

[@shuddup3618]

it’s haram bruh

[@BigCC16]

Its not that simple. If an abortion is needed for medical reasons. If someone wants an abortion just because, then you’re right. It haram. Its never that simple. Gotta be nuanced.

[@BigCC16]

@human being I don’t know. Ask someone of knowledge.

[@farhansheikh5031]

@human being No it is not at all allowed Sheikh Omar pointed it out that it terms of Rape Abortion is 100% allowed google it please.

[@ahmedzakikhan7639]

@@farhansheikh5031 Omar is a fraud. He is a hypocrite.

[@TheZeyyyyy]

-someone who went straight to the comment section without watching

[@RukaiyaBodombie]

Please if a lady is in the abortion process is she obliged to pray

[@RukaiyaBodombie]

Please if a lady is in the abortion process is she obliged to pray