by, Atef A.Khalifa, MD and Charlene Strickland,
RN
[Muslims, Christians and the need for interfaith
sharing]
Christians in the western prolife community may have
noted the many instances in which Muslim and Catholic countries are united
on the abortion issue in international politics. To assume that the predominate
religions of these countries are morally conservative as an explanation for
this alliance is only a glimmer of the knowledge needed to understand this
common value. Christians and Jews are familiar with the sacredness bestowed
upon human life by God their Almighty Creator, the commandment against killing
another person, and the gift we poses of an eternal soul hoping to go to
heaven in a resurrected body on the day of judgment. Christians in the United
States educated by the media may be unaware that they also share a religious
foundation with Muslims. This article is an attempt to explore the different,
yet confirming perspectives of Islam on abortion, as well as shed some light
on its basic message.
I.
What is
Islam?
Islam is not just a name, it is a term that means
"submission to the will of God," and a Muslim is a submitter or "one who
submits his will to God". "Submission" is the religion whereby we recognize
God's absolute authority, and reach an unshakable conviction that God alone
possesses all power; no other entity possesses any power that is independent
of Him. The natural result of such a realization is to devote our lives and
our worship absolutely to God. This is the first commandment in all the
scriptures, including the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Final
Testament (the Quran):
Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is One
God!
Therefore you shall adore the Lord your
God
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
[Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Luke 12:29-30, Quran 3:18]
Muslims believe that God is one and the same for
all human beings, irrespective of what each group calls Him, and accepts
all messengers and all prophets sent by God (Quran 2:136). The following
verse demonstrates an affirmation of messages prior to the Quran, as well
as shows the call for unity amongst all believers in God: "Surely, those
who believe, those who are Jewish, the Christians, and the converts; anyone
who (1) believes in GOD, and (2) believes in the Last Day, and (3) leads
a righteous life, will receive their recompense from their Lord. They have
nothing to fear, nor will they grieve." (Quran 2:62).
While some Christians
and Jews think of the God of the Muslims as "Allah", it is a wrong understanding
as Allah is the Arabic name for "God". Christian and Jewish Arabs also call
God Allah. Muslims do not consider God as an exclusive deity to any particular
group or religion, but rather He is the only One and same God for everyone.
Muslims consider Abraham the founder of Islam, as their holy book, the Quran
teaches (Quran 22:78). Abraham received all the rituals of Islam: the contact
prayers (prayers to make contact with God by reciting specific words of His
five times a day), the obligatory charity (2.5% of income), the fasting
(Ramadan), and the pilgrimage (Hajj). The prophet Muhammad was commanded
to follow the steps of Abraham (Quran 16:123). The annual pilgrimage to Mecca,
Saudi Arabia, is only mandatory for those Muslims who can afford it (physically
and financially). The days of the pilgrimage are spent in commemorating God
and performing certain rituals inherited from Abraham. The pilgrimage is
also a reminder of the life, struggle, and sacrifice of Abraham when he lived
in this area. Abraham built a house of worship in Mecca, which is the focal
point of the annual gathering of the pilgrims. The site of that house of
worship, called Kaaba, had been maintained by descendants of Abraham, although
at the time of Muhammad it had become corrupt and paganized.
Catholics may
have noted that a publicized goal of Pope John Paul II is to personally retrace
some of the steps of Abraham. Abraham’s son Ishmael was a teenager when
he and his mother were sent away by Sarah to live on their own (Genesis 16
&17). But Ishmael and Isaac together buried Abraham (Genesis 25:9) indicating
a long term relationship between the two and opportunities for indoctrination
in the religion founded by Abraham. Ishmael’s daughter Mahalath married
Abraham’s grandson Esau (Gen. 28:9). Other children of Abraham by other
wives and concubines are listed in Genesis 25. The message of Jesus and Muhammad
was that this one true God was for everyone, not just those engulfed in sibling
rivalry. The prophet Muhammad brought a religion of common foundation with
the Judeo-Christian religions to parts of the world that might not have ever
been touched by Christianity.
Muhammad is viewed as a prophet, just a man in service
to God like other Biblical prophets. Some view him as the paraclete or helper
prophesied by Jesus in John 14:16, 14:26, 15:26, 16:7 -15 . Muhammad delivered
to his community the words given to him by the angel Gabriel. These words
were recorded in Arabic in a book called the Quran and are considered the
actual words, teachings and instructions of God. Arabic is still a current
language, therefore, the Quran can be translated with integrity, although
some variations in the English translations exists. The Quran reaffirms much
of what is found in the Bible about the Oneness of God and the need to worship
Him alone. Some historical details differ, such as the Virgin Mary giving
birth to Jesus the Messiah under a date palm tree, rather than in a stable.
Jesus’ triumph over the crucifixion and accession into heaven unfolds
differently as well. The message in Quranic theological applications and
interpretations differ from those of Paul and the later church. Muslims believe
that the law of the Quran is the same law given to Abraham and all the prophets
who came after Abraham.
Despite the call in the Quran to have one united
group of Muslims, there are several different Islamic denominations. These
denominations were the result of some Muslims following different theological
writings and leaders instead of following only the Quran. There is also the
influence of local culture and customs on religious practice, so it is hard
to stereotype Muslims. Many Muslim women wear veils during worship because
of cultural influence. Internationally group prayers are partially in Arabic,
although only about 20% of Muslims are Arab. This is similar to the pre-Vatican
II international use of Latin and women wearing veils during mass. What you
hear on the news does not apply to all of them. For instance, one could get
the impression that all prolifers support bombing abortion clinics, as could
one get the impression that all Muslims support terrorism. In actual fact,
any kind of aggression is condemned by the Quran (2:190). The Middle East
conflict did not start until 1947 when Christian and Muslim Palestinians
were expelled from their homes.
The religious practices of a conservative Shiite
Muslim in Iran will differ somewhat from those of a Sunni Muslim in the United
States, but they both accept the Quran as their holy book. The social problems
surrounding abortion are timeless and cultureless; and so, they were addressed
1400 years ago in the Quran, the common scriptures of one the of the
world’s largest religions.
II.
Abortion
“God has made life sacred” (17:33)
is declared in the Quran(The Muslim Holy Book ). It should not surprise us
to find out that the title God chose for the first revelation of the Quran
was “The Hanging Embryo” (Sura 96), not something else such as,
Creation, The Sun, Jesus, Adam, or Abraham. This hanging embryo stage starts
about 6 days after fertilization when the embryo attaches to the inner lining
of the uterus. This chapter swears by the
creation of the human being from this tiny hanging
embryo and the omnipotence of God. The choice of
words for the title emphasizes the
significance
that God puts on this stage of human development.
Killing any person is strongly condemned in the Quran,
especially the killing of children which is
specifically condemned in several chapters. The Arabic word “awlad”
is used in these references which translates to “born and unborn
children”. If God intended to only prohibit post-born children from
being killed, then the word “mawlood” (born children) which is
already in use in the Quran would have substituted the other. But it is clear
that preborn children are also to be protected from murder.
“Say,`Come let me tell you what your Lord
has really prohibited for you: You shall not set up idols besides Him. You
shall honor your parents. You shall not kill your children (awlad) from fear
of poverty. We [“We” is used in the Quran when other entities
like the angels have a role in the process, also "We" in Arabic singular
is used for someone of royal or glorified status] provide for you and
for them. You shall not commit gross sins, obvious or hidden. You shall not
kill any person - God has made life sacred - except in the course of justice.
These are His commandments to you, that you may understand.’”
from 6:151. This is emphasized again in Sura 17 “You shall not kill
any person - for God has made life sacred- except in the course of
justice...”(17:33) and “ You shall not kill your children
due to fear of poverty. We provide for them, as well as for you. Killing
them is a gross offense” (17:31).
Infanticide,
especially of females occurred in Arabia during the sixth century just as
it does in modern day China. In 81:7-10 it says in regards to end times
“When...the souls are restored to their bodies. The infant girl who
was buried alive is asked: `For what crime was she killed?’ The records
are made known.”. God speaks of those who kill their born or unborn
children as “Losers are those who killed their children foolishly,
due to their lack of knowledge, and prohibited what God has provided for
them, and followed innovations attributed to God. They have gone astray,
they are not guided.” (6:140). Now we have the knowledge and no
one has the excuse to kill these innocent human beings.
Knowledge about embryology is detailed in the Quran
to a level that had not previously been documented. To start with, the very
first revelation from God to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel was literally
entitled “The Hanging Embryo” (96). Explaining in more detail
“We create the human being from a certain kind of mud. Subsequently,
We reproduced him from a tiny drop that is placed into a well protected
repository. Then We developed the drop into a hanging (embryo), then developed
the hanging (embryo) into a bite size (fetus), then created the bite-size
(fetus) into bones, then covered the bones with flesh. We thus produced a
new creature. Most blessed is God, the best Creator.”
(23:12-14).
God’s reassurance is given to the people in
“O people, if you have any doubt about resurrection, (remember that)
we created you from dust, and subsequently from a tiny drop, which turns
into a hanging (embryo), then it becomes a fetus that is given life or deemed
lifeless. We thus clarify things for you We settle in the wombs whatever
We will for a predetermined period. We then bring you out as infants, then
you reach maturity. While some of you die young, others live to the worst
age, only to find out that no more knowledge can be attained beyond a certain
limit. Also, you look at a land that is dead, then as soon as We shower it
with water, it vibrates with life and grows all kinds of beautiful
plants.” (22:5).
Some Jews, Christians, and Muslims argue that the
fetus in the first four months does not have a soul and therefore it is
permissible to kill him/her. They do not realize that the soul has nothing
to do with abortion. In abortion you are dealing with the physical body of
the fetus, not its soul. We can not kill the soul even if we try, but we
can separate the soul from the body as is the case in a physical death. Whether
the soul enters the body of the zygote in the first minute of its life (when
it genetically becomes a unique being) or after months of pregnancy is irrelevant
to the abortion issue. Ancient people thought that the fetus became alive
when the mother first felt its move and deemed that to be the time of ensoulment
(sometimes an earlier day for boys then for girls was given). Heart beats
easily heard at 10 weeks using Doppler ultrasound and electron microscopic
pictures at very early development, should rest any doubt as to the need
to use quickening as a marker for ensoulment.
Islam (Submission ) as a religion, greatly elevated
the status of women from the very beginning, but they were strongly denied
any right to choose death for their children in 60:12 “O you prophet,
when the believing women (who abandoned the disbelievers) to seek asylum
with you, pledge to you that they will not set up any idols besides God,
not steal, nor commit adultery, nor kill their children, nor fabricate any
falsehood, nor disobey your righteous orders, you shall accept their pledge,
and pray to God to forgive them. God is Forgiver, Most
Merciful.”.
God shows in the Quran that He cares so much about
the first three months of pregnancy that the issue is addressed in 2:226,
65:4, and 33:49 for women contemplating divorce. Women who get divorced have
an interim of three months before getting married again. This is done mainly
to see if she is pregnant or not, since if the marriage had not been consummated
or she is post-menopausal, then this rule does not apply. If the woman finds
herself pregnant, God then orders her to forget her own wishes and plans
of the divorce and to try her best to reconcile with her husband to keep
the family and to respect the new life created in her womb. If the first
three months of pregnancy were not important, God would have told these women
not to wait, have an abortion, and keep their life plans as they wish. The
matter is no more of just her concern, but it is God’s concern also.
Abortifaciant remedies and techniques were available in those days as were
some contraceptive practices, so we can assume that God’s word still
applies today. God's words, laws and teachings do not change, people
do.
III.
Challenges
In the rare situation
of when the life of the mother is threatened, today’s medically advanced
community should try to save both the mother and the child with aggressive
medical care. Sometimes it is possible to save only the baby and other times
only the mother. These cases deserve our sympathy. A baby, no matter how
young that dies under these circumstances should be treated with dignity
and the family’s allowed to grieve. This approach is psychologically
and spiritually healthier than making the pregnancy “disappear”.
God is merciful.
Rape is often
sited as a justifiable reason for abortion. Women who are victims of rape
should seek medical treatment within the first few days. Sometimes it is
not possible to obtain medical care or treatment is unsuccessful and a pregnancy
results. Pregnancy is not the worse “disease” that can be contracted
through rape, but deadly diseases such as AIDS and Hepatitis can also result.
These woman deserve compassion and support, but killing the baby does not
punish the rapist or unrape the woman. Because of the stigma attached to
rape victims by most cultures, it takes extreme courage for a woman not to
seek abortion. This is a shame on our societies and contributes to a perpetual
ambivalence about abortion.
Out of wedlock
or teenage pregnancies are another difficult issue and has become more
problematic when Muslims integrate into western culture. In most Islamic
cultures young people are raised with a strong sense of knowing that abstinence
until marriage is the only acceptable behavior. Barrier methods of birth
control have long been acceptable, but in no way give license to extra-marital
sexual activity. God is omnipotent. In some parts of the world the sexes
are segregated and there are safeguards to encourage abstinence. Children
do not have to date/experiment as a way to desperately find a spouse, but
have the security of waiting for a formal courtship that they may have had
help from their parents in initiating.
“Those
who cannot afford to get married shall maintain morality until God provides
for them from His grace. Those among your servants who wish to be freed in
order to marry, you shall grant them their wish, once you realize that they
are honest. And give them from God's money that He has bestowed upon you.
You shall not force your girls to commit prostitution, seeking the materials
of this world, if they wish to be chaste. If anyone forces them, then God,
seeing that they are forced, is Forgiver, Merciful.” (Quran 24:33).
In Sura 23:1-7 and 70:29 it reminds us that chastity will be considered on
the Day of Judgment “And they maintain their chastity.
”
Men are encouraged to be chaste “Tell
the believing men that they shall subdue their eyes (and not stare at the
women), and to maintain their chastity. This is purer for them. God is fully
cognizant of everything they do.” (24:30-31). The account of the
governor’s wife trying to seduce Joseph is inspirational
“One
of them said, ‘Do not kill Joseph; let us throw him into the abyss of
the well. Perhaps some caravan can pick him up, if this is what you decide
to do.’ ... A caravan passed by, and soon sent their waterer. He let
down his bucket, then said, ‘How lucky! There is a boy here! They took
him along as merchandise, and God was fully aware of what they did. ... The
lady of the house where he lived tried to seduce him. She closed the doors
and said, ‘I am all yours.’ He said, ‘May God protect me.
He is my Lord, who gave me a good home. She almost succumbed to him, and
he almost succumbed to her, if it were not that he saw a proof from his Lord.
We thus diverted evil and sin away from him, for he was one of our devoted
servants. ...The two of them raced towards the door, and, in the process,
she tore his garment from the back. They found her husband at the door. She
said, ‘What should be the punishment for one who wanted to molest your
wife, except imprisonment or a painful punishment?’ .. When her husband
saw that his garment was torn from the back, he said, ‘This is a woman's
scheme. Indeed, your scheming is formidable.’ ... Some women in the
city gossiped: ‘The governor's wife is trying to seduce her servant.
She is deeply in love with him. We see that she has gone astray.’
When she heard of their gossip, she
invited them, prepared for them a comfortable place... When they saw him,
they so admired him...She said, ‘This is the one you blamed me for falling
in love with. I did indeed try to seduce him, and he refused. Unless he does
what I command him to do, he will surely go to prison, and will be
debased.’. He said, "My Lord, the prison is better than giving in to
them. Unless You divert their scheming from me, I may desire them and behave
like the ignorant ones." His Lord answered his prayer and diverted their
scheming from him. He is the Hearer, the Omniscient.
“ (12:7-35).
Lot is another
example of the consequences of immorality. “Lot said to his people,
‘How could you commit such an abomination, publicly, while you see?
You practice sex with the men, lustfully, instead of the women. Indeed, you
are ignorant people.’ The only response from his people was their saying,
‘Banish Lot's family from your town; they are people who wish to be
pure.’ Consequently, we saved him and his family, except his wife; we
counted her among the doomed. We showered them with a certain shower. It
was a miserable shower upon people who had been warned. “
(27:54-58).
Adoption is permitted
in Islam and even encouraged to take care of the orphans. God pays a lot
of attributes to protect the orphans and watch over their money until they
grow old enough to handle it. For adoption God insists that the adopted child
keeps the name of his family and never change to the name of the adopting
family. This is to keep the family genetically recognized and protected.
Now we know why. If you work in the medical field or read the latest advances
in medicine, you will realize the significance of your family medical history
in predicting, preventing, diagnosing, managing, and treating many disease
including cancer, neurological disorders, psychological problems, growth
abnormalities, blood diseases, stomach, bowel, and colon problems...etc.
The expressions of sorrow you hear from those adopted people who have no
knowledge of their families echoes for months after you treat one case that
could have benefited from knowing about their biological family of
origin.
In 33:5 the Quran
says “You shall give your adopted children names that preserve their
relationship to their genetic parents. This is more equitable in the sight
of God. If you do not know their parents, then, as your brethren in religion,
you shall treat them as members of your family. You do not commit a sin if
you make a mistake in this respect; you are responsible for your purposeful
intentions. God is Forgiver, Most Merciful”. This is further explained
in 33:4 “God did not give any man two hearts in his chest. Nor did
He turn your wives whom you estrange (according to your custom) into your
mothers. Nor did He turn your adopted children into genetic offspring. All
these are mere utterances that you have invented. God speaks the truth, and
He guides in the (right) path.”
Breast feeding
is encouraged especially for adopted babies. When a mother breast feeds her
adopted baby, the relationship of that child to her biological offspring
is permanently bonded. They will not be allowed to marry (4:23) and the level
of socially expected modesty is reduced.
Many Christians,
Jews and even Muslims do not know that polygamy was allowed in Islam ONLY
to take care of the orphans, and not to give a man a second wife for more
pleasure. A man may marry the mother of the orphans if he finds it difficult
for him to take care of both families (4:3), his and the orphans family
separately. Numerous verses implore the responsibility to care for orphans
(and how to preserve their money and their rights), widows, and the poor.
In 107:1-3 it says “Do you know who really rejects the faith? That
is the one who mistreats the orphans. And does not advocate the feeding of
the poor.”
In conclusion,
5:69 & 2:62 of the Quran encourages us with “Surely, those who
believe, those who are Jewish, the Christians, and the converts; anyone who
(1) believes in God, and (2) believes in the Last Day, and (3) leads a righteous
life, will receive their recompense from their Lord. They have nothing to
fear, nor will they grieve.” God’s sovereignty over all of
us and his faithfulness to those who work for righteousness is recorded in
21:91-94 “As for the one who maintained her virginity (Mary), we
blew into her from our spirit, and thus, we made her and her son (Jesus)
a portent for the whole world. Your congregation is but one congregation,
and I alone am your Lord; you shall worship Me alone. However, they divided
themselves into disputing religions. All of them will come back to us (for
judgment). As for those who work righteousness, while believing, their work
will not go to waste; we are recording it.”
Hopefully, you
now have a better understanding of some issues of faith that you have in
common with your Muslim (Submitter) neighbors and may venture into further
dialogue. We all have our differences, but we worship and submit our lives
to the same God.
Biblical translations from
The New American
Bible.
Quranic translations by Rashad
Khalifa.
info@submission.org
