#842: Ruling on Amniocentesis

842. QUESTION:

“Assalamu alaikum, pls what is the Islamic view on amniocentesis”

ANSWER:

Wa Alaykum Salām Warahmatullāh Wabarakātuh.

May Allāh illumine your heart and soul, amīn.

Amniocentesis is a procedure where amniotic fluid is drawn out of the uterus through a needle inserted in the abdomen of a pregnant woman and the aid of an ultrasound tranducer. This is mostly carried out when the woman is within 14 and 18 weeks gestation and is usually carried out for women that fear their progeny may suffer hereditary problems and genetic disorders such as down Syndrome, trisomy and other chromosomal disabilities. The fluid is then analyzed to detect if the fetus has genetic abnormalities, many women abort their babies the second they discover an abnormality in the fetus except if a possibility of treatment is considered feasible.

According to Medical Professionals, amniocentesis have risks accompanied with it such as miscarriage, injury to baby and or mother, preterm labour, etc. However, they don’t resort to amniocentesis until an earlier Ultrasound scan has proven that baby had possibilities of some abnormalities.

I say, and knowledge comes from Allāh Alone, that there is nothing in this procedure that disagrees with Islām in it’s entirety. This is because our Dīn allows for prevention of diseases and it’s cure provided the procedure has been adjudged safe and is to be carried out by a qualified and trustworthy professional.

For this reason, the Imām Al-‘Izz bn ‘Abdissalām – rahimahullāh – said in his encyclopedic work Qawā’idu Al-Ahkām Fī Islāhi Al-Anām:

“Medicine aligns with the Sharī’ah. It was established for the purpose of acquiring the interests of peaceful and healthy (living), and to repel the dangers of ailments and diseases.”

And in the Hadīth of Abū Ad-Dardā’ recorded by Imām Abū Dāwud and Al-Bayhaqī, the Rasūl -salallāhu alayhi wasallam – said:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ أَنْزَلَ الدَّاءَ وَالدَّوَاءَ وَجَعَلَ لِكُلِّ دَاءٍ دَوَاءً فَتَدَاوَوْا وَلاَ تَدَاوَوْا بِحَرَامٍ

“Indeed Allāh sent down the diseases and the cures and assigned for every disease it’s cure, so seek their cures but do not take Harām as cures”

For this reason, the majority of the Fuqahā agreed, as was mentioned by Imām Al-Mubārakfūrī in his Shar’h on Sunan Abū Dāwud, that the use of Cures for ailments was necessary and is Permissible as long as there is no Shar’ī forbiddance in any of what is used and it does not carry any transgressions on the limits set by Allāh.

Then know, may Allāh bless you, that the recommendations of abortion that follows some amniocentesis, is not permissible mostly. And we have treated questions related to abortion in our answers to Q. 387 and 431 on our Telegram Channel. Kindly refer to it.

And Allāh knows best.

Bārakallāhu Fīkum
Jazakumullāhu Khayran.

27th Muharram, 1441AH.

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