Racism in Islam

Racism and our daughter!

Asslamo Allaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,We (Muslims) pride ourselves on the noble and beloved teachings of our Nabi (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) and rightly so. No other prophet was so blessed and so dear to Allah (SWT) let alone another ordinary man.

The revelations on our dear and beloved Nabi (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) revolutionised the globe, purged the hearts of those who accepted him and turned them (Sahaba) into the greatest characters mankind has ever witnessed. We (Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jamaah) consider the noble Sahaba the best of mankind after the prophets and by Allah (SWT) the Sahaba of Nabi (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) deserve our respect. Let me repeat, we don’t love the Sahaba because we are required to, rather we genuinely love, adore and admire Sayyidina Abu Bakr (RA), Sayyidina Umar (RA), Sayyidina Usman (RA), Sayyidina Ali (RA) and every single one of them who had the greatest fortunate of spending even a moment with the beloved of Allah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam).

How we would love to sacrifice everything in our possession just to cast a gaze at the noble face of beloved of Allah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam)? And Sayyidina Abu Bakr (RA) was his friend, confidant, companion and father-in-law! Close your eyes and just imagine the blessed Majlis of the Sahaba (RA) seated around the beloved of Allah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) in the Masjidun-Nabawi ready to sacrifice their lives for him.

Subhanullah!

My point so far is that not only the content of Islam was SUPERB but its (earliest) followers were also EXEMPLARY.

Today, all praise be to Allah (SWT) that we have the content (Shariah of Islam) intact and the same content which lifted the Sahaba (RA) to the pinnacle of humanity can also raise us should we chose to act upon it.
One of the golden teachings of our Nabi (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) is about eradication of racism i.e. no white man is superior to a black man, no black man is superior to a white man, no Arab is superior to a Non-Arab and no Non-Arab is superior to an Arab!

We (Muslims) pride ourselves that Islam eradicated racism and placed Sayyidina Bilal (RA) an emancipated black African slave on equal footing with those of Arab lineage like Sayyidina Umar (RA) or white skinned European descendants like Sayyidina Suhaub Ar-Rumi (RA), we say to new Muslims that brother (or sister) you are now part of our family and Islam eradicated racism 1400 years ago, but do we act upon it?

Our community is rife with racism when it comes to giving our daughters in marriage. Many amongst Pakistanees won’t marry outside of their cast and ethnicity and many amongst the Gujratees won’t marry outside of their cast and ethnicity even those who are apparently practising upon the Sunnah. In fact, those who are practising quote the conditions within the Hanafi Fiqh about “Kufu (compatibility)” that since my daughter is Gujrati or Pakistani the boy although he is religious (and practising) isn’t a good match because they are not compatible.

The fact of the matter is that our Pakistani daughter growing up in London is more compatible with the African Revert Muslim then her cousin back home but we would have none of it and our Gujrati daughter growing up in Leicester is more compatible with the practicing Pakistani then her own cousin back in Surat whom she neither likes nor has any inclination to marry.

Our Nabi (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) gave his cousin , the noble and prestigious Zainab Ibnt Jahsh (RA) to Zayd Ibn Haritha (RA) the emancipated slave to set an example for us and we must realise that our actions have consequences:

“If one whose religion and character pleases you proposes to you, you should marry him. If you do not do so, there will be tribulations in the land and great evil.” [Tirmidhi]

Look at our social problems with Sisters getting older and not finding suitable match and many among those who are married not being happy, could it be because we preferred a cousin or someone from our own ethnicity over a suitable practising brother? Could it be that the tribulations and the great evil about which Nabi (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam)warned us about is upon us?

May Allah (SWT) protect all of us and grant suitable matches for all our Muslim daughters (Ameen) and let us not wreck their lives due to our false pride. 

 

» posted by Muadh_Khan on 10th November 2012

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Bottle-feeding might turn your baby into a sitting duck for a number of diseases, say doctors

 
Posted By Our Correspondent On Sep 1, 2012 (4:36 AM) In Sindh

KARACHI: While most Pakistani parents cannot afford to fork out Rs8,400 to have their toddlers inoculated against rotavirus – which causes most diarrhoea cases – it can be kept at bay by something that doesn’t cost a single paisa: breastfeeding.

At a session on childhood diseases organised on Thursday at the Sheraton Hotel by the public service unit of the Health Awareness Society, doctors banished misconceptions about rotavirus and told the audience how it could be prevented. The virus causes 125 million bouts of diarrhoea in children under five globally – around 85 per cent of the cases occur in developing countries like Pakistan. It kills between five and 10 million children on the planet each year.

The virus damages the intestines and prevents the absorption of essential nutrients and water, leading to dehydration and ultimately, death. Symptoms include vomiting and frequent, loose motions followed by fever. A child might die within a week if the virus is not treated. Children under the age of two can contract the virus several times until their immune system becomes powerful enough to fend it off. Bottle-feeding and poor hygiene were deemed as the main factors behind rotavirus as well as a whole host of other diseases.

Prof. MA Arif, who is associated with the National Institute of Child Health and Aga Khan University Hospital, said that diarrhea is the most common cause of child mortality in Pakistan – a trend found across the globe.

He recalled that back when oral rehydration sachets – popularly known as ORS – were not available in Pakistan, children would be strewn all over the floor of Civil hospital, waiting for some relief against a potentially fatal bout of diarrhoea.

“The disease claimed four lives each day.” He said that though a vaccine is now available to help decimate the incidence of the virus and reduce its severity anywhere between 65 and 80 per cent, even middle-income families are opting not inoculate their children.

Prof. Arif also pointed that children are less likely to fall sick in areas of the city that are relatively cleaner. “There are fewer complaints of diarrhea in Defence and Clifton as compared to Machhar Colony,” he said.

Battling ear infections

While cotton buds are often thought of as hygiene-boosting tools, using them improperly can lead to more harm than good. Dr Salman Matiullah, an associate professor at Dow International Medical College, said that an increasing number of children are being brought to him for the treatment of Acute Otitis Media, an inflammation in the middle ear. Most cases have been caused by the excessively rigorous use of cotton buds.

He said that the disease is the most common bacterial infection in children below five. The most common symptom is high-grade fever. Irritability, crying inconsolably and tugging at the ear are tell-tale signs that a baby has been infected. In such cases, the parents should have their children diagnosed.

The disease can be bacterial or viral bottle-feeding, allergy, a parental history of otitis media and prenatal smoking make babies more likely to catch it. It is also common in children with other medical conditions such as Down’s syndrome.

Dr Matiullah said that mothers should avoid cleaning their babies’ ears with cotton buds or putting oil in them. “Children, like adults, have a natural lining that prevents any dirt and even insects from entering the ear cavity.”

The infection can be treated by inserting a ventilation tube in the ear. Earlier, many people could not afford to treat their children as the tubes used to cost up to Rs2,000. But now, they can be imported from India for nearly one-tenth that price. However, more severe forms of the disease necessitates surgery.

Dr Matiullah said that prevention is more cost-effective than treatment. The flu vaccine as well as Xylitol, a sugar substitute found in chewing gums, can prevent it.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 1^st, 2012.

 

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Are we Chasing away the Angels

http://uswatulmuslimah.co.za

Angels of mercy do not enter a house that contains pictures of animate objects. Nowadays, children’s bedding, clothing, curtaining, stationery and toys are all covered with animals, actors, cartoons and characters. The human mind is such that by us continuously gazing at these pictures, an impression is left in our minds. These impressions over a period of time become our thoughts, words and actions. At times we are shocked at our child’s behavior, not realizing that our child is simply imitating a cartoon character who we have introduced the child to. Hours in front of the forbidden television screen adds fuel to the child’s love for cartoon characters and inculcates shameless and disrespectful behaviour in him/her. We teach our children not to speak to strangers, but we allow a host of strangers to keep our children entertained for hours on end in the form of the forbidden television screen. Thus they learn what the strangers tell them and act accordingly.

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And he spilled the ink pot!

Messed with Blue & Red Ink

Imagine a child going for the first time to his father’s desk. The exciting pens, the pencils, eraser, letter-opener, etc. are all neatly arranged on one side. He begins to explore and investigate the use of each item. In a few minutes the entire place is in a mess. He also turns the inkpot upside down and the ink runs on his fingers, onto the papers, the desk and the carpet. The child obviously had no idea of the consequence of his innocent explorations. Gripped with fear , the child now starts wiping the ink off his fingers on the front of his clothes and he hastily starts wiping the ink off other items using whatever pieces of paper available to him.

Now, what should your reaction be, to this child? Should you scream at him for his innocence? You judge for yourself. Would punishing such a child not be unfair to him? His curiosity got the better of him. He made a mistake. He did not know the reality of what he was doing. Would it not be better to sit with him and explain to him the wrong he has done, the mess he has made and the danger of exploring things on his own?

http://uswatulmuslimah.co.za

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Australian three-year-olds targeted for bogus psychiatric disorders

Australian three-year-olds targeted for bogus psychiatric disorders such as sleeping with the light on
by Mike Bundrant

(NaturalNews) The Australian government and the Australian Medical Association are targeting 27,000 three-year-olds for psychiatric treatment. A new government funded program seeks to treat normal preschool children to discover if they show “signs of mental illness.”

What are the symptoms of mental illness in three-year-olds? Shyness, temper tantrums and needing to sleep with the light on. Yes, folks, I guess even monster in the closet is now a symptom of psychosis. The whole human race must need psychiatric medication.

To squelch concerns about mislabeling normal behavior and medicating the little ones with powerful drugs, Australian Medical Association president Steve Hambleton said the following:

”We have to be careful we don’t medicalise normal behaviour and that’s a real caution with children. There are genuine kids who need extra support to help them integrate into normal kindergartens and classrooms and a lot of the funding for that is driven by diagnoses so there’s a perverse incentive to diagnose conditions like autism. There are kids who need it but we don’t want to make normal kids abnormal.”

But you are doing exactly that, Mr. Hambleton!
When people are evaluated by a family doctor, then referred to a psychiatrist to treat obviously normal behavior, I call it unnecessary medical treatment!

Others affiliated with the program suggest that they do not want to “slap diagnoses on three-year-olds” or prescribe “unnecessary” medication. They claim to merely want to have “more systematic ways of finding kids who are causing difficulties and do something about it.”

The mental health evaluation, though not compulsory, will form part of a check for developmental problems such as hearing, eyesight and allergies, with doctors to receive training before it is introduced in the next financial year.

In other words, there is a massive snow job going on. Anyone with a rational mind can see it.
They say the test is not compulsory, yet conduct it along with tests for allergies, hearing and eyesight, which are compulsory or seen as compulsory.

They claim they don’t want to medicate children, rather to do something about the “difficulties” children cause. “Doing something” in this case means treatment by a psychiatrist. Psychiatrists prescribe medication for a living, folks!

Final insult: Yes, the family doctors doing the initial screening still need to be trained how to do it!
Are there not thousands of qualified mental health practitioners already in place who can evaluate children? Why does the Australian government want to train family doctors to do mental health screenings? Because they want more kids in the medical system! There are many good mental health counselors out there who don’t see the need to medicate problems and would not make bogus diagnoses.

I guess the Australian government doesn’t want to take the risk that “problem” children won’t be medicated. Many real counselors wouldn’t cooperate with the medical agenda. Actually, any good mental health counselor would refuse to evaluate children for made up psychological problems in the first place.

What we have here is a mass funneling of children into the web of the medical association. Caught in this web, families will be educated about the (totally unscientific and unproven) biomedical model. This model suggests that behaviors and feelings are the result of “chemical imbalances” in the brain. These mysterious chemical imbalances, of course, can only be corrected with prescription drugs.

Help struggling children with effective communication skills, not drugs
Healthy communication skills are the first line of defense for the mental well-being of children. I remember once standing on a corner with a group of people, waiting to cross the street. A two-year-old little boy kept trying to step off the curb into oncoming traffic. The parents were yelling at him, “Don’t run into the street! Don’t run into the street!” It wasn’t working. Their arms were full, so they were having a hard time keeping him in place.

After a moment I touched the child on the shoulder so he looked up at me. I pointed to where he was standing and said, “Hey, stay right here.” At that, the little guy stood in place until the light changed. Mom and dad didn’t acknowledge the effort, but the child sure knew what I meant.

This simple intervention told the child specifically what I expected him to do, not what I didn’t want him to do. Telling children what you don’t want is likely to encourage the wrong behavior, like when you order someone to “not think of the color green.”

There are dozens of effective interventions that work like a charm, particularly for children, who are more open-minded and less defensive than most adults. Most parents are unaware how their communication affects kids, however.

Most practitioners, especially doctors, these days are also unaware that developing communication skills is the most effective way to handle most personal and interpersonal problems in life.

In fact, even the deepest psychological problems like schizophrenia have been successfully treated with advanced interpersonal skills.
Legendary mental health practitioners like Milton Erickson, Jay Haley and anthropologist Gregory Bateson devised and successfully worked with models of interpersonal communication in the 1950′s and 60′s that successfully treated cases of schizophrenia (double bind theory), among other severe conditions. Of course, they don’t teach this in medical school.

There is so much that the right skills can do to create lasting change and solid mental health. Is the Australian government and medical association aware of this? Do they care? Apparently not. Their agenda appears to be pharmaceutical in nature.

Mental health is a personal responsibility
Perhaps the ever-widening net of government and pharmaceutical involvement in mental health is related to a general malaise and lack of personal responsibility on the part of people. Learning to handle emotional problems naturally requires time, study and effort. Correcting behavioral problems in children may require parents to acquire better parenting skills and even greater personal character.

Learning to set boundaries, practice compassion, co-parent cooperatively, manage emotions and encourage good physical health and nutrition is a lot of work for parents. Are we too lazy to do all this for our kids?

I hope not, as the alternative is looking pretty grim.

Sources for this article include:

http://sl.farmonline.com.au

http://laingsociety.org/cetera/pguillaume.htm

About the author:
Get the free mini-course taken by more than 10,000 people, Three Soul Stirring Questions That Reveal your Deepest Goals.

Learn more about Mike’s down-to-earth life coaching that comes with a lifetime membership to the iNLP Center online school and receive a free life coaching strategy session.

Mike Bundrant is the host of Mental Health Exposed, a Natural News Radio program, and the co-founder of the iNLP Center.

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How I Increased My Breast Milk Supply – and You Can, Too!

The Economics of Breast Milk Pam Gaulin

When the first drop of breast milk flows out it is a huge relief for moms, both physically and emotionally. As baby grows and her habits change, from how often she eats to how frequently she soils her diapers, breast feeding moms often wonder if their baby is getting enough milk. Before you worry about baby not getting enough milk, rest assured that breast milk for a healthy new mom is produced according to supply and demand, it’s like economics for babies. The more babies breast feed, the more milk you will make.
Before trying to increase breast milk supply, determine that you do need to make more. Feeding eight to 12 times a day is normal, according to La Leche League. It does not mean that baby is not getting enough breast milk.

No Caffeine

While caffeine can stimulate breast milk, it’s not something you want in baby’s system. Babies will not process caffeine as quickly or as efficiently as you. When I was pregnant, I lost my taste for coffee and switched back to my old favorite, black tea. While I was nursing, I did not want to ingest any drink that are known diuretics, which included tea and cranberry juice. I switched to herbal tea and stopped drinking cranberry juice. If you drink caffeinated soda, replace it with water, at least while you are trying to increase breast milk supply.

Drink More Water

I am a big water drinker, but I drank even more water when I was trying to produce more milk. Whenever I breast fed or sat down to use my breast pump , I made sure to have a large glass of water nearby. Your breast milk production won’t be productive if your body is not receiving enough fluids.

Increase Feedings

Another way to increase breast milk supply is to feed the baby more often. For women who are at home with their babies, nurse the baby whenever she requests, to encourage more milk production. Using a hospital-grade breast pump, between feedings, or while you are away from your baby will also help increase breast milk supply. Store pumped milk in sanitary containers and refrigerate or freeze it to help you manage one of baby’s growth spurts.

Take Care of Yourself

Another way I increased my breast milk supply was to take care of myself. When breast feeding the body needs an extra 500 calories. Rather than worrying about baby weight while I was nursing, I supplemented my diet with extra, nutritious calories. Nap when baby naps and sleep when baby sleeps.

Exercise should be kept light to moderate. While walking with baby in a stroller, I would always keep a large bottle of water to replenish any fluids I was losing through sweating.

Two Breasts Are Better Than One

Switching breasts while nursing or pumping is another way to increase breast supply. When the milk flow is slowing down from one breast, switch baby to the other breast, to maximize milk flow from both breasts.

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How to Store and Freeze Breast Milk Proper Steps to Storing Breast Milk

Brandy A

Wash and Sterilize
Everything that comes into contact with the milk should be as clean as possible. Even your hands. So you should start by washing your hand thoroughly, getting the water as hot as you can manage. Next, the bottles need to be sterilized, as well as the containers, nipples, and pumps (if using one). Everything that is needed for feeding baby. Keep in mind that washing these items in the dishwasher is more effective than if you were washing them by hand. The high heat from the dishwasher kills more germs. But washing and sterilizing all the equipment that is needed will help to prevent baby from getting infections.

Storing Breast Milk

Most small babies only drink 2 – 3 oz. at one feeding. Even large babies usually only drink up to 6 oz. at a single feeding. So to prevent waste, you should store your milk in small amounts, such as 4 oz. or so per container.

It’s important that you do not pour warm milk on top of frozen milk. This could thaw it and cause bacteria to grow. You’ll need to chill the milk first before adding it to the already frozen container.

Be cautious that once your baby has fed from the bottle, to NOT reuse it after he’s done with it. Bacteria from your baby’s mouth and saliva will get into the milk and could grow and contaminate the milk in the bottle. You should NOT store and reuse this bottle, it should be discarded within an hour from the beginning time of feeding. Using milk after this hour, or a bottle that has been put back in the fridge after baby drank from it, could cause baby to get sick.

Refrigerated Breast Milk

Breast milk should be chilled after expressed or pumped (unless using it immediately). Whether it is stored for much later use in the freezer or for later in the day in the refrigerator.

Do not put the bottles in the door of the fridge, they can spoil faster, with the door opening and closing and the warm air hitting them repeatedly. You should store the bottles properly so it does not lose nutrients and won’t spoil. Refrigerated bottles should be used within 48 hours, but it is recommended to place the milk at the back of your freezer within 24 hours of being in the fridge.Use fresh milk as much as you can, and keep the frozen milk as backup.

Breast milk, after being stored, may change colors. Sometimes it can look yellowish, slightly brown, or maybe even blueish green. If the milk doesn’t taste sour, or smell bad, the it’s still good. As long as you use it within the time frame. (Fridge = 24-48 hours. Freezer = 3 months)

Remember to always label the container with the date you express the milk, and to use the oldest first.

Freezing Breast Milk

You can freeze breast milk to use for a later date. This will allow you to express more often, and have milk as backup. In case you are away from baby, and someone else has to feed, they can just thaw and warm a pre-made, rather than supplementing with formula. This way your baby does not skip his regular feeding.

It is recommended by doctors to use either glass containers or hard plastic containers to freeze breast milk in. Especially for newborns or sick babies. Although there are certain freezer bags designed for storing breast milk, using plastic bags could deprive your baby of anti-bacterial properties. These properties are needed to help baby fight illnesses. Using plastic bags can cause these cells to stick to the side of plastic bags. It’s best that if your baby is sick or premature, and is taking alot of feedings from pumped milk, you should use the hard plastic or glass containers for storing milk.

Frozen breast milk can be stored and used within 3 months, as long as the temperature is set to below 30°F. Or in a deep freeze, it can be stored up to 6 months at 0°F.

Remember to always label the container with the date you express the milk, and to use the oldest first.

Thawing and Warming

Frozen breast milk will thaw quicker than you would imagine.

To thaw and warm breast milk:
First, run the container, that the frozen milk is in, under lukewarm tap water, while constantly shaking it. Or you could place the container into a bowl of warm water. Pour the thawed milk into the bottle you’re going to use, and continue holding it in the warm water. You’ll want to shake the bottle to ensure an even temperature. Check a few drops on your wrist, you’ll want the milk to be body temperature. If it’s too hot it can scold baby and burn his mouth. If it’s too cold it could cause baby to have an upset stomach.

NEVER heat breast milk inside a microwave oven. The milk inside could get very hot without the bottle feeling hot, it warms unevenly and is dangerous to your baby. Also getting the bottle too hot could destroy the vitamins in the milk. But if you stick with these simple rules and tips, they will help to keep your breast milk fresh and your baby healthy.

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SECULAR EDUCATION IN ISLAM

SECULAR EDUCATION

by: Mufti Zubair Bayat

(Secular education without correct Islamic orientation and education, especially in a kufr educational institution is destructive to Imaan and Deen in the extreme. Generally the people that go through this system cannot escape the effects of this system. It is for this reason that our senior Ulama have always condemned this system of education, past and present. This is the ruling of two senior Ulama about this secular education)
Shaikhul-Hind Hazrat Maulana Mahmood Hasan (R) has remarked:
“If the consequent effect of secular education, which has been generally noticed is that people become Christianized or poke fun at their own religion, and co-religionists or begin to adore the contemporary (British) government, a Muslim had better remained ignorant than get such education.”
- Presidential Address at the inauguration of the Muslim National University, Aligarh
Hazrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (R) says:
“Nowadays the Ulama are being reprehended regarding secular education because they prevent (Muslims) from acquiring it and declare it to be impermissible (na-ja’iz). But I assert on oath that had the consequences of modern secular education not been those which are generally setting in, the Ulama would not have taken exception to it. You should observe what is actually happening. With a few exceptions, almost all the modern secular-educated people are such that they are neither concerned with prayers and fasting nor with any other directives of the Shari’ah; on the contrary, they always go against it and then assert that thereby Islam retrogresses”
- Fazlul-’llm-wal-’Ulama p.8
Again he writes:
“It is a billion times better to be useless and remain in orthodox Shari’ah schools than to be busy in learning secular education; for though there may be no ability and accomplishment (in terms of worldly progress), religious beliefs at least will not be corrupted, there will at least be love for men of religious knowledge. Although one may get the job of a mosque-sweeper, it is better than attaining proficiency in secular-education and becoming lawyers, barristers, etc., whereby one’s beliefs may become corrupted, faith may become shaky and criticisms may stem in respect of Allah, the Prophet (Sallallahu- alayhi-wasallam), the Companions (Radhiallahu-anhum) and other religious elders which is very common; rather a necessary consequence of secular education. The above-mentioned situation is quite clear to a lover of religion; yes, one who is not grieved by losing his religion, he may say whatever he likes”
- Huququl-Ilm p.63-4
(extracted from Fatawa-Rahimiyya v.1/p.16-17 of Mufti Abdur Rahim Lajpuri Sahib)

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Islam and secular education-Destruction of the Ummat

by: Mufti Zubair Bayat

(Secular education without correct Islamic orientation and education, especially in a kufr educational institution is destructive to Imaan and Deen in the extreme. Generally the people that go through this system cannot escape the effects of this system. It is for this reason that our senior Ulama have always condemned this system of education, past andpresent. This is the ruling of two senior Ulama about this secular education)

Shaikhul-Hind Hazrat Maulana Mahmood Hasan (R) has remarked:

“If the consequent effect of secular education, which has been generally noticed is that people become Christianised or poke fun at their own religion, and co-religionists or begin to adore the contemporary (British) government, a Muslim had better remained ignorant than get such education.”

- Presidential Address at the inauguration of the Muslim National University, Aligarh

Hazrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (R) says:

“Nowadays the Ulama are being reprehended regarding secular education because they prevent (Muslims) from acquiring it and declare it to be impermissible (na-ja’iz). But I assert on oath that had the consequences of modern secular education not been those which are generally setting in, the Ulama would not have taken exception to it. You should observe what is actually happening. With a few exceptions, almost all the modern secular-educated people are such that they are neither concerned with prayers and fasting nor with any other directives of the Shari’ah; on the contrary, they always go against it and then assert that thereby Islam retrogresses”

- Fazlul-’llm-wal-’Ulama p.8

Again he writes:

“It is a billion times better to be useless and remain in orthodox Shari’ah schools than to be busy in learning secular education; for though there may be no ability and accomplishment (in terms of worldy progress), religious beliefs at least will not be corrupted, there will at least be love for men of religious knowledge. Although one may get the job of a mosque-sweeper, it is better than attaining proficiency in secualr-education and becoming lawyers, barristers, etc., whereby one’s beliefs may become corrupted, faith may become shaky and criticisms may stem in respect of Allah, the Prophet (Sallallahu- alayhi-wasallam), the Companions (Radhiallahu-anhum) and other religious elders which is very common; rather a necessary consequence of secular education. The above-mentioned situation is quite clear to a lover of religion; yes, one who is not grieved by losing his religion, he may say whatever he likes”

- Huququl-Ilm p.63-4

(extracted from Fatawa-Rahimiyya v.1/p.16-17 of Mufti Abdur Rahim Lajpuri Sahib)

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Surrogacy …Haraam for Muslims

Surrogacy
taken from Islamic Principles on Family Planning, Qasmi Publication (pp.150-153)

Surrogacy involves a woman (the surrogate) agreeing to bear a child, and subsequently to surrender that child to be brought up by a person or persons other than herself.

Surrogacy may be useful where a woman is unable to bear a child, due to severe pelvic disease or she has had a hysterectomy or because she has medical problems (e.g. heart or kidney disease) and pregnancy may seriously threaten her life or health.

The under-mentioned definitions regarding surrogacy have been summarized from The Reproductive Revolution (Singer, P., and Wells, D. Oxford: Oxford University Press 1984).

The most common form of surrogacy is where a couple arrange for a surrogate to undertake artificial insemination using the semen of the male partner. This is called “partial surrogacy”.

Alternatively, a surrogate may have a biological link with the child she bears by virtue of the fact that fertilization was achieved by means of IVF followed by embryo replacement. This is called “IVF and ER surrogacy”. (For instance where a surrogate has blocked fallopian tubes but has no ovulation problems.)

A surrogate-born child may have no genetic link with the surrogate at all. In other words, the surrogate is merely offering her gestation function to an embryo. This is referred to as “fall surrogacy”.

A more unlikely possibility, where the surrogate has no genetic link with the child, is where the commissioning parties also have no genetic link with the child – for instance, where an embryo is donated by anonymous gamete donors. This is referred to as “donate embryo surrogacy”.

Surrogacy can also be classified according to whether or not money is a concern. Where payment is involved, depending on the sort of payment, and to whom it is made, one can envisage at least three different possibilities. The first possible situation arises where a woman agrees to be a surrogate, providing that the commissioning parties will compensate her for all expenses for the conception and birth of the child and any loss of earnings by the surrogate during the period of confinement. This is “surrogacy with reasonable compensation”.

The second possibility is where a surrogate may receive payment besides that which represents a reasonable compensation. This is called “surrogacy for a fee”.

The third possibility is where payment may be made to a party other than the surrogate. An agency may operate on a commercial basis, arranging surrogacy and charging both surrogates and commissioning parties to bring them together and for provision of counselling services. This is called “commercial surrogacies”. (This is one of the reasons why the media often calls surrogacy “baby selling”).

However, money is not necessarily an important part of surrogacy. For instance, a sister may bear a child for her infertile sister, and the whole transaction may involve no payment of money or other rewards. This is called “surrogacy in principle”.

The above-mentioned techniques no doubt allows an infertile couple to have a child who would have the genetic compliment of the husband, if the husband’s sperm is used to fertilize the ovum of the surrogate woman. But, this is where the problem arises – fertilizing the ovum of a woman by the sperm of a man other than her husband can be regarded as an adulterous union. Thus it would be illegal under Islamic Law. Now it may also happen that the sperm and the ovum of the married couple is fertilized in vitro and placed in the womb of the surrogate mother who would be paid for giving birth to the child who would, in that respect, bear the genetic compliment of the contracting couple. Here, it may be pointed out that Islam does permit Muslims to have their children breast-fed by other women. If that is done, then the child would be like the child of the wet-nurse. This means that if the wet-nurse has her own biological children then the child she breast-fed would not legally be permitted to marry any of her own biological children. But, it must be emphasised that this privilege can in no way serve as justification for the surrogate mother. No parallel can be drawn between the wet-nurse and the surrogate mother. The wet-nurse provides the basic nourishment to the already bom child, while the surrogate mother carries the “unformed” child to term and literally gives birth to it.

ISLAMIC VERDICT

Scholars of Islam have pronounced the following fatwa (Islamic verdict) regarding surrogacy:

It is illegal and immoral to introduce into a woman the sperm of any man other than her husband. The formation of the embryo outside the human body will only be permissible subject to certain strict conditions. It will be Haram (forbidden) to form the embryo by the fusion of a woman’s ovum with the sperm of a man other than her husband. It is also not lawful to implant into a woman an embryo developed in a haram way.
Consequently, it will be quite obvious that it is Haram to introduce sperm or embryo into an unmarried woman.

If, in violation of Allah’s Law, either the sperm of a man other than the husband’s has been introduced into an unmarried woman or a Haram formed embryo has been introduced into a woman, the rulings will be as follows:

If the woman is married, the resultant child will legally be that of her husband even if it is confirmed that the sperm used was not that of her husband.
The same ruling will apply if the child results from a haram embryo. Even if the embryo was formed by the fusion of the woman’s ovum with the sperm of another man, the child will legally be that of her husband.
The ‘donor’ of the sperm has no right whatsoever over the child even if prior agreement or contract was entered into to give him the right over the child.
If the woman is unmarried, the resultant child will be illegitimate and would be regarded to be that of the surrogate mother.
Surrogate motherhood is definitely not allowed in Islam due to the fact that many evils may arise from this procedure, which can be listed as follows:

Unmarried women could be tempted into ‘leasing’ their wombs for monetary benefits, which would, in turn, undermine the very institution of marriage and family life.
In order to relieve themselves of the agony of childbirth, married women could be tempted to resort to this technique. Islam abhors such action.
Since pregnancy cannot be regarded as a burden, but in fact it is a blessing, a woman who passes away whilst in the process of delivering, is given the status of a martyr.
A Transvaal (Tzaneen) surrogate grandmother gave birth to her daughter’s IVF triplets on October 1987, which was a result of the South African Government not clamping down on such practices. Can Pat Anthony’s (surrogate mother) action in carrying the children of her biological daughter, Karen, be morally justified? In doing so, she has implanted the sperm of her son-in-law into her womb. Biologically, the surrogate children she gave birth to, would become her daughter, Karen’s, brothers and sisters, and at the same time, would be legally regarded as Karen’s children. Karen in turn would thus be sharing two types of relationship with the same children.
Finally, surrogate motherhood violates the systematic planning of Allah in the normal process of procreation.

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