What is the religious ruling on a wife aborting her fetus at the beginning of the second month due to her husband's desire for it, and can a sheikh issue a fatwa permitting abortion in this case?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
The permissibility of abortion depends on the duration of the pregnancy. If the fetus is less than forty days old, abortion is permissible for a legitimate reason or to avert harm. However, if it exceeds forty days but is before the ensoulment (120 days), there is a difference of opinion among scholars regarding the permissibility of abortion. Nevertheless, if the husband orders his wife to abort the fetus, she is not obliged to obey him, as she has a right to the child, and she is not permitted to abort it unless there is harm to her. As for after the ensoulment (four months), abortion is absolutely impermissible.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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Where this answer came from
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 180191
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
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