Ensoulment is the moment Allah places the soul into the developing foetus. Many Muslims believe the foetus becomes a full human person at ensoulment.

What do most Muslims teach about abortion after ensoulment?

Most Muslims teach that abortion after ensoulment is forbidden because it takes a human life. The main exception is when the mother's life is in danger.

Why is the mother's life given priority in Muslim teaching?

The mother is an established life with duties to her family. Scholars apply the principle of choosing the lesser of two harms.

How do Sunni schools of law differ on abortion before ensoulment?

Some Hanafi scholars allow abortion before 120 days for serious reasons, such as severe disability. Many Maliki scholars forbid abortion from the moment of conception.

Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B 1RB0

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Islam: Matters of Life and Death

Muslim attitudes to abortion

3 things to know
Paper 1

Overview

Ensoulment and when most scholars place it, the foetus in Sahih al-Bukhari 55:549, the mother's life, Sunni schools and Shi'a scholars, Surah 6:151, the Abortion Act 1967, and Humanist and situation ethics arguments.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

What is ensoulment?

Key term

What does Sahih al-Bukhari 55:549 teach about the development of the foetus?

Key term

When do most Muslim scholars believe ensoulment happens?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
What is ensoulment?
Model answer
Ensoulment is the moment Allah places the soul into the developing foetus. Many Muslims believe the foetus becomes a full human person at ensoulment.
2
What does Sahih al-Bukhari 55:549 teach about the development of the foetus?
Model answer
Sahih al-Bukhari 55:549 describes the foetus developing in stages of forty days each. An angel then writes its destiny and the soul is breathed in.
3
When do most Muslim scholars believe ensoulment happens?
Model answer
Most scholars place ensoulment at 120 days, adding the three forty-day stages together. Some scholars read the hadith as placing it at forty days.
4
What do most Muslims teach about abortion after ensoulment?
Model answer
Most Muslims teach that abortion after ensoulment is forbidden because it takes a human life. The main exception is when the mother's life is in danger.
5
Why is the mother's life given priority in Muslim teaching?
Model answer
The mother is an established life with duties to her family. Scholars apply the principle of choosing the lesser of two harms.
6
How do Sunni schools of law differ on abortion before ensoulment?
Model answer
Some Hanafi scholars allow abortion before 120 days for serious reasons, such as severe disability. Many Maliki scholars forbid abortion from the moment of conception.

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