The Qur'an and Abortion - Part One
The Supreme Court recently decided to overturn Roe v. Wade and set in motion a variety of reactions and law changes. One of the discussions that always come about is "the religious position" on abortion. I put that in quotes intentionally because I believe that people think that being affiliated to one of the major monotheistic religions in America (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) makes you automatically opposed to abortion.
Simply, I don't think there is, nor should there be one "religious position". I am not a woman or a doctor, so I don't think it is my place to say whether abortion is moral or not. I think those most affected by it should be able to consult their own conscience. I think theologians who may never have to deal with this issue on a practical level, and who tend to be mostly male, should not have the final say. So this in no way is a fatwaa (Islamic verdict) one way or the other. I just want to present some thoughts from the Qur'an for those who might assume the Qur'an automatically prohibits abortion. I don't think it does.
1. One of the main questions in the religious debate around abortion is: When does the soul enter the unborn fetus? So the development of a human being is thought of as beginning in the material world, and then later the spiritual element is placed into it.
2. I believe that the Qur'anic perspective is exactly the opposite. My understanding of the Qur'an is that all human beings have already existed on a metaphysical (beyond material) level. Allah says:
2. I believe that the Qur'anic perspective is exactly the opposite. My understanding of the Qur'an is that all human beings have already existed on a metaphysical (beyond material) level. Allah says:
"And when your Lord took from the backs of the children of Adam, their
offspring, and made them testify against themselves: 'Am I not your Lord?' They
said: 'Certainly, we have testified...' " 7:172
3. That is so beautiful! Perhaps we need to reframe what it means to be human in order to think about the issue of abortion from a Qur'anic standpoint. We are embodied souls. We do not begin as material beings only to be given souls later. We begin as souls only later to be given a body. The true you is not your body.
4. Perhaps this is why when Allah speaks of the time of death He uses the term "tawaffi", which means: "... take one's full share..." (The Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic) He says: "Allah takes the souls in full (tawaffi) at the time of death, and those that do not die at the time of sleep..." 39:42 He takes back to Him what He originally gave you. He says about Jesus: "When Allah said: 'Oh Jesus, I am going to do tawaffi of you, elevate you to me, and purify you from those who kafaroo (cover and hide the truth)..." 3:55 In other places He says about Jesus He is "...a spirit from Him..." 4:171 Could it be that part of the tawaffi, elevation of him to Him, and purification of Jesus was removing him from the physical form and returning to his essence as a ruh (spirit)?
5. This interpretation reminds me of some ideas in philosophy where they speak about ideal forms. Simply, the ideal form of something, say justice, is its most complete form. When it is employed in our material world, that is only a shadow of its true meaning. In the same way, our ideal form is the nafs (soul). When we exist in this body, that pollutes our true form to a degree. Hence, when Allah did tawaffi of Jesus, elevated him to Him, and purified him from those who kafaroo, it is possible that He was purifying him from the material body?
6. What does this all have to do with abortion? We are attempting to understand what it means to be a human being according to the Qur'an. Qur'anically, based on the above discussion, I believe we are asking the wrong question. The question is not, When does the soul enter the fetus? The real question is, when does the soul become embodied in this world. On the surface this seems like basically the same thing. I think there is a very subtle distance.
7. The difference is we are asking the question from a different perspective. In starting the discussion from the side of the soul instead of the material fetus, we are simply saying that even if the fetus ceases to exist, the soul, the true entity, is still existing. Allah has taken it back and collected it. This doesn't end the discussion, of course. It doesn't answer the question as to when it is allowable to terminate someone's physical existence. Allah says: "...and that you do not kill a soul that Allah has forbidden, except by what's true, accurate, and right..." 6:151 Much more needs to be discussed. The above points just simply shift our perspective.
8. The following ayah helps us:
"...for certainly we have created you from dust, then from a sperm drop, then from a clinging thing, then from a piece of flesh, partially formed and unformed, IN ORDER THAT WE MAY CLARIFY TO YOU, and we establish in the wombs whatever we will..."
22:5 Notice that the ayah interrupts the birth process at the point when it is PARTIALLY FORMED AND UNFORMED. Then, we are told at that point, IN ORDER THAT WE MAY CLARIFY TO YOU. What about this stage in the process clarifies things to us? Notice after this is when He says AND WE ESTABLISH IN THE WOMBS. So, could this stage of the process be talking about what is known as spontaneous abortion? The body naturally aborts the developing embryo a significant percentage of the time, and the mother is usually unaware. Is this what is being clarified?
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