Artificial Insemination

Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {And Allah has made for you from yourselves mates and has made for you from your mates sons and grandchildren and has provided for you from the good things. Then in falsehood do they believe and in the favor of Allah they disbelieve? } [Quran 16:72]. Allaah The Exalted also Says (what means):{He gives to whom He wills female [children], and He gives to whom He wills males. Or He makes them [both] males and females, and He renders whom He wills barren. Indeed, He is Knowing and Competent. } [Quran 42: 49-50].

In addition, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "Marry women who are loving and very prolific, so I will outnumber all other nations through you." [Abu Daawood and An Nasaa'i]

Continuous reproduction is of a great importance in the life of man in order for him to preserve his existence and perform his mission of constructing the earth. Nevertheless, one of the spouses – or both - may suffer infertility which deprives them from having righteous offspring.

Science discovered artificial insemination as a means to treat infertility in the husband or wife and in the case of a delay in pregnancy in a number of cases, including:

- The blockage of the fallopian tubes extended to the two sides of the uterus or the absence thereof.

- The presence of antibodies in the secretions of the cervix and vagina.

- Low sperm count in men.

Forms of Artificial insemination:

There are various forms of artificial insemination. However, they are divided into: permissible according to the restrictions set forth by Islam or impermissible for contradicting the principles of the Islamic Sharee'ah. These forms can be presented as follows:

The Permissible Forms Include:

- Taking the sperm specimen from the husband and injecting it into the uterus of his wife by way of internal fertilization.

- Taking two samples; one from the semen of the husband and the other from the ovum of the wife. They are fertilized externally in a test tube. Then, the embryo is implemented in the uterus of the wife, the owner of the ovum.

Impermissible forms Include:

- Inserting the semen of a certain male, who is known to the doctor but unknown to the married couple, into the uterus of a woman. This is after having taken her consent and the consent of her husband provided that the donor shall not know to whom his semen will be given.

- Collecting the semen of many men and donating them to the sperm bank. Then, it is used to fertilize the woman who requests fertilization.

- External fertilization in a test tube between the sperm of a man and an ovum of a woman who is not his wife and this man and woman are referred to as donors. Then the embryo is implemented in the womb of another married woman who desires to give birth. This applies in cases of barren wives as a result of problems in the ovaries but a healthy uterus as well as in case of barren husbands.

Regulations of Artificial Insemination:

Jurists have set forth a number of regulations that protect the individuals, the family and society, such as:

- Taking extremely intense precautions in assuring that the ovum is not confused with other fertilized ova. 

- The husband or someone he trusts shall attend the process of insemination from the point of taking the sperm and the egg until inserting them into the woman's uterus. 

- Recording the data of the process in full in order to avoid any circumstances that may lead to intermixing of lineages.

- Affirmation of the professional and ethical integrity of the physicians and medical staff who perform the process of insemination.

The issue, from the very beginning, should be enveloped by faith in fate and divine decree as Allaah The Exalted Says (what means): {He gives to whom He wills female [children], and He gives to whom He wills males. Or He makes them [both] males and females, and He renders whom He wills barren. Indeed, He is Knowing and Competent.}[Quran 42: 49-50]. -islamweb.net