Is contraception allowed in Islam?

In principle, yes. The Holy Qur’an forbids family planning for one reason only: out of fear of not being able to feed one’s children.

Many people believe that Islam forbids contraception altogether. That is not true. A married couple may plan the spacing of their children for many reasons, for example the health of the mother. The Holy Qur’an forbids only one single motive, and it names it clearly.

The verse above speaks of the fear of poverty. Someone who does not want children because he thinks they will eat him out of house and home is, at heart, distrusting God. He assumes that God created human beings without providing for them. That does not fit a Creator who plans perfectly.

It is often said that humanity grows much faster than food supplies can keep up. This calculation overlooks something important. Again and again God has opened new resources to mankind, just when they were needed. Coal, oil and later nuclear energy are examples. Hunger also existed in history at times when very few people lived on earth.

Of course there are periods when something becomes scarce. That too has a purpose, because it drives people to research, to share and to manage resources more fairly. The answer is not to have fewer children out of fear.

For a family this means that anyone who uses contraception out of concern for health or for other honest reasons is not acting against Islam. Anyone who does it only out of fear for their daily bread should trust the verse above.