Is embryo is considered a life and wasting any of excess embryo is equal to abortion?

Published as IVF-Disposal of embryos

· 27 Muharram 1435 AH1 min readFatwa 27581English

Question

I had question related to fertility techniqueIVF. In IVF embryos are waste if all of them are not implanted in woman's uterus.

1) Is embryo is considered a life and wasting any of excess embryo is equal to abortion? Kindly advice Islamic ruling on this.

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

An embryo is not considered a life[1], and disposing embryos is not abortion. If possible, the embryos should be recovered from the Clinic and buried.[2]

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Hisham Dawood

Student, Darul Iftaa
Chicago, USA

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

www.daruliftaa.net

References (Arabic / Urdu sources)

[1]

قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ ، حَدَّثَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم وَهُوَ الصَّادِقُ الْمَصْدُوقُ ، قَالَ : " إِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ يُجْمَعُ خَلْقُهُ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا، ثُمَّ يَكُونُ عَلَقَةً مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ يَكُونُ مُضْغَةً مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ يَبْعَثُ اللَّهُ مَلَكًا فَيُؤْمَرُ بِأَرْبَعِ كَلِمَاتٍ، وَيُقَالُ لَهُ : اكْتُبْ عَمَلَهُ وَرِزْقَهُ وَأَجَلَهُ وَشَقِيٌّ أَوْ سَعِيدٌ، ثُمَّ يُنْفَخُ فِيهِ الرُّوحُ..(صحيح البخاري، باب الملائكة)

[2]

وكذا بيع كل ما انفصل عن الآدمي كشعر وظفر لأنه جزء الآدمي، ولذا وجب دفنه كما في التمرتاشي (الشامي،

ثم الطرف يدفن لأن الدفن إماطة الأذى (المحيط البرهاني، الثاين و الثالثون في الجنائز)

و قيل كل ما انفصل عن الإنسان ففيه حرمة الإنسان فيدفن كالإنسان (البريقة المحمودية، الصنف الخامس في آفات اليد)

وروي أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أمر بدفن الشعر والظفر وقال لا تتغلب به سحرة بني آدم اه ولأنهما من أجزاء الآدمي فتحترم (الطحطاوي على المراقي، باب أحكام العيدين)

Answered by
Hisham Dawood
Checked & approved by
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Questions about this ruling, answered only from the archive with sources.

Where scholars differ, it’s safer to take the more cautious view.

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