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Does pregnancy without penetration count as zina, and would abortion in such a case be considered taking a life?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is forbidden for a man to touch, kiss, have sexual contact with, or look at a non-mahram woman with lust. This is called zina (fornication/adultery) because it is a prelude to zina. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Indeed, Allah has decreed for the son of Adam his share of zina, which he will inevitably attain. The zina of the eyes is looking, the zina of the tongue is speaking, and the soul wishes and desires, while the private parts confirm or deny all of that." The zina of the eye is looking beyond the first glance with lust. The zina of the tongue is conversing with someone unlawful to him. The zina of the soul is wishing and desiring. All of this is among the inducements to the zina of the private parts. As for the grave zina that necessitates the ḥadd punishment, it is the penetration of the private part into the private part. Whoever commits this must repent, regret, resolve not to return to it, avoid what leads to it, increase in repentance, seeking forgiveness, and righteous deeds, and should hasten to marry to protect himself.

Furthermore, abortion to get rid of a pregnancy resulting from zina is forbidden, and if the soul has been breathed into it, it is considered killing a soul.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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