Is a fetus that has not exceeded eight or nine weeks of gestation, and into which the soul has not yet been breathed – according to Fatwa No. 22096 – considered a soul?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
It is forbidden to abort a malformed fetus unless its malformation threatens the mother's life. It is not permissible for a woman to abort what is in her womb, even if it is a zygote into which the soul has not yet been breathed, except out of necessity. Aborting a fetus before the soul is breathed into it, without a legitimate reason such as fear for the mother's life, is a grave sin and clearly forbidden. As for aborting it after the soul is breathed into it, i.e., after one hundred and twenty days, it is unanimously forbidden and considered killing a soul that Allah has made inviolable.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/80440
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 80440
- 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
- Read the full answer on Ftawy