Peace be upon you, noble sheikh: One of the brothers and his wife want to abort a pregnancy which has reached, as they claim, twenty-eight (28) days because they already have two children and their financial situation will not allow for more than that. What is the ruling of Shari`ah on that? I would appreciate a swift response.

May the peace, mercy and blessing of Allah be upon you also. In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful, All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessing be upon the Messenger of Allah. The basic principle concerning the abortion of a pregnancy within the first forty days of development is to refrain, except when there is dire necessity, clear need or obvious benefit. Fear of providing for the child is not one of those reasons, for verily, the One who creates the child and forms it in the womb is responsible for its provision. After the soul is blown into the fetus, the rule on abortion is that it is strictly forbidden, except in the case when a choice must be made between the life of the child and the life of the mother, according to the testimony of trustworthy, reputable physicians. In such a case, the life of the mother would be given preference since she is the origin. As such, we advise the afflicted couple to give thanks for this blessing and to keep it, unless they find real interests besides the fear of poverty. We ask Allah to grant success to all. And Allah Almighty is more Exalted and more Knowledgeable.