We have seen threads with christians discussing about the pregnant Chibok girls

Some christians have said that the girls should abort the pregnancy. Some say that there should be no abortion. There have also bee suggestions towards having some rehabilitation centres for the girls.


Considering that some of the girls themselves and their families would be muslims, what is the ethical thing to do islamically?





-please, this is a thread for learning. Civility is expected. Thanks.


Rilwayne001, empiree

.

What happened to them was not ethical and as such there is may be no ethical solution. However, each girl should be made to choose whether to keep or abort it.



Oops....not a Muslim oh

NosoChic:
What happened to them was not ethical and as such there is may be no ethical solution. However, each girl should be made to choose whether to keep or abort it.



Oops....not a Muslim oh

It is okay. Thanks for your comment.

It is a very difficult decision and that's why I want to see different perspectives on the abortion/rehabilitation issue

How are you doing mr. blogger?. This is interesting thread and it does need some scholarly input or at least average learned Muslim thoughts.

However, I have to be by my library to respond to this. I'm far from there now. So kindly bear with me.

Empiree:
How are you doing mr. blogger?. This is interesting thread and it does need some scholarly input or at least average learned Muslim thoughts.

However, I have to be by my library to respond to this. I'm far from there now. So kindly bear with me.

No problem. Thanks

incase it makes fp!

In case

My good friend @allnaijablogger.


This a great thread that a student like me have to wait patiently for those who are more learned to make their contributions first.

I'll like to see my brother's contributions on this.

I'll will add mine later today inshaAllah.

AllNaijaBlogger:
Some christians have said that the girls should abort the pregnancy. Some say that there should be no abortion. There have also bee suggestions towards having some rehabilitation centres for the girls.

Em.piree:
I have to be by my library to respond to this. I'm far from there now. So kindly bear with me.

First all, I like to thank you for bringing this up. It should serve as awareness for muslims leaders and organizations in Nigeria. I am of the opinion that various muslim organization should also speak up and even take active role in this terrible situation. I dont think they should leave this for government to handle or any other religious entity for obvious reason.

Now, as for whether it is morally, ethnically and islamically justified to abort the girls pregnancies or not, i have to look in to Islamic sources and opinion of scholar(s) on this. Let me first say that if this whole hullabaloo surrounding Book Haram kidnappings of Chibok girls is true, it is very wrong. They can never justify their loutish behavior in Islam because their is no one waging war on them for their religion(if any). Second, they kidnapped the very same people they "shared" religion with. So how then could they have claimed Islam permits them to enslave young girls. To make matter worse they impregnated these girls. This is simply kidnapping and rape case.


Pertaining to abortion, the basic principle concerning it is that it is unlawful. But, undoubtedly, raping a Muslim woman by an evil enemy is a strong reason for the victim to have an abortion. Moreover, there is nothing wrong with a Muslim woman who has suffered this disaster to keep the fetus without getting rid of it. The clearest Qur’anic command on this issue is in {2:228} If they believe in God and the Final Day, it is not permissible for them to suppress what God has created in their wombs. http://quran.com/2/228 On the basis of this verse, among other evidence, most Muslim scholars concluded that abortion is unlawful except in some very narrow exceptions. A clear majority of the scholars considered abortion to be a destruction of life and a serious offense against life, and therefore, a major sin.


Some scholars, however, were of the opinion that abortion is permissible up to a certain point some arguing that abortion is permissible up to 40 or 42 days (this is the position of some Shafi’i jurists) or up to 120 days (the position of some Shafi’i and Hanafi jurists). But most of the jurists who argued for the permissibility of abortion (whether under the 40, 42, or 120 day rule) also contended that unless justified by a health necessity, abortions are reprehensible or disfavored (makruh).

I want to stress that the crux of the matter for the jurists who did allow abortion centered around the issue of when or at what point the embryo becomes a human being or is endowed with a soul. Different jurists relied on or were persuaded by different kinds of evidence, but fundamentally, it is this belief about when an embryo or fetus becomes a human being or can be said to possess life that justified the different time limits (whether 40, 42, or 120 days).

I must tell you that, personally, I am not persuaded that there is any clear yardstick or solid basis upon which one can confidently conclude that life begins after 40 or 42 or 120 days. It seems to me that once conceived an embryo, fetus, or whatever it is at a particular stage development, enjoys a right to life or more precisely, a right to the potential or opportunity of life, and that this right should not be interfered with unless there is a compelling necessity to do so. It does seem to me that the majority position banning abortions (except in a set of limited circumstances) is better supported and is more consistent with the Qur’an and Sunna and Islamic ethics.

There are some jurisprudential precedents in favor of the permissibility of terminating a pregnancy in cases of hardship that did not rise to the level of health necessity as long as the termination took place within the first 120 days (for instance, in cases of rape, pregnancy of minors etc.).

In my view, and according to most jurists, abortions under these circumstances still would be unjustified or unlawful. As I am sure you know, God instructs us not to kill our children out of fear of poverty. We ought to pray that God help us provide for our families and to present us with whatever is best. God teaches us to accept God’s judgment in our lives with a level of serene humility, while reminding us that we may want something very badly but ultimately God knows what in fact prove to be in our interest or against it. This is why God says: you may dislike something intensely but God makes it a great source of goodness and blessing in your life.

Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi once said in his fatwa:

“Many Muslim women have become a target for the scavenging wolves of humanity, who do not fear Allah or any deterrent. Any woman who, despite doing her utmost to resist these thugs and their ilk, is raped is not guilty of any sin, for the situation is beyond her control, and anyone who is forced to do something is not guilty of sin,...."

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Allah has forgiven for my Ummah their mistakes, what they forget and what they are forced to do.' (Reported by Ibn Majah)

Any Muslim woman who has fallen prey to a rapist will be rewarded for bearing this calamity with patience, if she seeks Allah’s reward for the harm that has befallen her. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said 'No stress or exhaustion befalls the Muslim, nor worry or distress, even a thorn which pricks him, but Allah will expiate for his sins because of that.' (Reported by Al-Bukhari)

Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi also said in his fatwa:

"With regard to abortion, the basic principle concerning abortion is that it is unlawful (haram), as I have clarified in previous fatwas; it is not allowed from the moment of conception when it becomes a new being and is placed in a place of safety, i.e., the womb, even if this being is the result of an unlawful relationship such as adultery......

Undoubtedly raping a Muslim woman by an evil enemy is a strong reason for the victim and for her family to have an abortion, for she will hate this fetus, the result of this iniquitous attack, and she will want to get rid of it. So this dispensation is to be given because of necessity, especially in the first days of the pregnancy. But this case of necessity should be determined by religious scholars, doctors and people of wide experience and wisdom. Otherwise, the original rule (of prohibition) should be applied."

So I gave my thought and opinion of a well known scholar of Islam. I am of the opinion that the girls must have distend by now. This should automatically rule out abortion because it may pose life threatening situation.

On Rehabilitation, I truly wish Muslim organisations across Nigeria should take lead on this even if they have to source from government. Although, I do not trust Nigeria govt for one second in this case of Book Haram. I do not believe those guys are alone. In my opinion, they should keep their pregnancy and give birth. I should be back here later to elaborate on rehab. I just have to take my leave right now.

Empiree:
First all, I like to thank you for bringing this up. It should serve as awareness for muslims leaders and organizations in Nigeria. I am of the opinion that various muslim organization should also speak up and even take active role in this terrible situation. I dont think they should leave this for government to handle or any other religious entity for obvious reason.

Now, as for whether it is morally, ethnically and islamically justified to abort the girls pregnancies or not, i have to look in to Islamic sources and opinion of scholar(s) on this. Let me first say that if this whole hullabaloo surrounding Book Haram kidnappings of Chibok girls is true, it is very wrong. They can never justify their loutish behavior in Islam because their is no one waging war on them for their religion(if any). Second, they kidnapped the very same people they "shared" religion with. So how then could they have claimed Islam permits them to enslave young girls. To make matter worse they impregnated these girls. This is simply kidnapping and rape case.


Pertaining to abortion, the basic principle concerning it is that it is unlawful. But, undoubtedly, raping a Muslim woman by an evil enemy is a strong reason for the victim to have an abortion. Moreover, there is nothing wrong with a Muslim woman who has suffered this disaster to keep the fetus without getting rid of it. The clearest Qur’anic command on this issue is in {2:228} If they believe in God and the Final Day, it is not permissible for them to suppress what God has created in their wombs. http://quran.com/2/228 On the basis of this verse, among other evidence, most Muslim scholars concluded that abortion is unlawful except in some very narrow exceptions. A clear majority of the scholars considered abortion to be a destruction of life and a serious offense against life, and therefore, a major sin.


Some scholars, however, were of the opinion that abortion is permissible up to a certain point some arguing that abortion is permissible up to 40 or 42 days (this is the position of some Shafi’i jurists) or up to 120 days (the position of some Shafi’i and Hanafi jurists). But most of the jurists who argued for the permissibility of abortion (whether under the 40, 42, or 120 day rule) also contended that unless justified by a health necessity, abortions are reprehensible or disfavored (makruh).

I want to stress that the crux of the matter for the jurists who did allow abortion centered around the issue of when or at what point the embryo becomes a human being or is endowed with a soul. Different jurists relied on or were persuaded by different kinds of evidence, but fundamentally, it is this belief about when an embryo or fetus becomes a human being or can be said to possess life that justified the different time limits (whether 40, 42, or 120 days).

I must tell you that, personally, I am not persuaded that there is any clear yardstick or solid basis upon which one can confidently conclude that life begins after 40 or 42 or 120 days. It seems to me that once conceived an embryo, fetus, or whatever it is at a particular stage development, enjoys a right to life or more precisely, a right to the potential or opportunity of life, and that this right should not be interfered with unless there is a compelling necessity to do so. It does seem to me that the majority position banning abortions (except in a set of limited circumstances) is better supported and is more consistent with the Qur’an and Sunna and Islamic ethics.

There are some jurisprudential precedents in favor of the permissibility of terminating a pregnancy in cases of hardship that did not rise to the level of health necessity as long as the termination took place within the first 120 days (for instance, in cases of rape, pregnancy of minors etc.). In a sense, the relevant issue for you is whether poverty, financial need, or career pressures can constitute such a hardship.

In my view, and according to most jurists, abortions under these circumstances still would be unjustified or unlawful. As I am sure you know, God instructs us not to kill our children out of fear of poverty. We ought to pray that God help us provide for our families and to present us with whatever is best. God teaches us to accept God’s judgment in our lives with a level of serene humility, while reminding us that we may want something very badly but ultimately God knows what in fact prove to be in our interest or against it. This is why God says: you may dislike something intensely but God makes it a great source of goodness and blessing in your life.

Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi once said in his fatwa:

“Many Muslim women have become a target for the scavenging wolves of humanity, who do not fear Allah or any deterrent. Any woman who, despite doing her utmost to resist these thugs and their ilk, is raped is not guilty of any sin, for the situation is beyond her control, and anyone who is forced to do something is not guilty of sin,...."

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Allah has forgiven for my Ummah their mistakes, what they forget and what they are forced to do.' (Reported by Ibn Majah)

Any Muslim woman who has fallen prey to a rapist will be rewarded for bearing this calamity with patience, if she seeks Allah’s reward for the harm that has befallen her. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said 'No stress or exhaustion befalls the Muslim, nor worry or distress, even a thorn which pricks him, but Allah will expiate for his sins because of that.' (Reported by Al-Bukhari)

Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi also said in his fatwa:

"With regard to abortion, the basic principle concerning abortion is that it is unlawful (haram), as I have clarified in previous fatwas; it is not allowed from the moment of conception when it becomes a new being and is placed in a place of safety, i.e., the womb, even if this being is the result of an unlawful relationship such as adultery......

Undoubtedly raping a Muslim woman by an evil enemy is a strong reason for the victim and for her family to have an abortion, for she will hate this fetus, the result of this iniquitous attack, and she will want to get rid of it. So this dispensation is to be given because of necessity, especially in the first days of the pregnancy. But this case of necessity should be determined by religious scholars, doctors and people of wide experience and wisdom. Otherwise, the original rule (of prohibition) should be applied."

So I gave my thought and opinion of a well known scholar of Islam. I am of the opinion that the girls must have distend by now. This should automatically rule out abortion because it may pose life threatening situation.

On Rehabilitation, I truly wish Muslim organisations across Nigeria should take lead on this even if they have to source from government. Although, I do not trust Nigeria govt for one second in this case of Book Haram. I do not believe those guys are alone. In my opinion, they should keep their pregnancy and give birth. I should be back here later to elaborate on rehab. I just have to take my leave right now.

.


I usually disagree with you but this time, I just have to commend you on a well presented answer.


From what you wrote, I can see that you agree that the issue is difficult and professional opinions on the matter are very important.


I also agree that muslim organisations should rise up to the challenge and provide facilities for the girls to recover.

I think tbaba1234 has written something about this. I hope he shares it with us.

Rilwayne001:
My good friend @allnaijablogger.


This a great thread that a student like me have to wait patiently for those who are more learned to make their contributions first.

I'll like to see my brother's contributions on this.

I'll will add mine later today inshaAllah.

How far? Your bro Empiree has made a beautiful comment on the issue. Where ya own?

AllNaijaBlogger:




How far? Your bro Empiree has made a beautiful comment on the issue. Where ya own?

I'm good bro.

I don't think there is any more to add to what empire wrote.

I couldn't have said it better.

Rilwayne001:


I'm good bro.

I don't think there is any more to add to what empire wrote.

I couldn't have said it better.

Good.