Did I commit murder? I only aborted the baby due to severe health condition?
ASSALAM OALIKUM!
I wanted to ask you that I commited an abortion ten years ago and now my guilt won't go away. I sincerely am repenting for my sin and asking for forgiveness.
I have done research from different websites which tell me that this is a murder and I will have to pay DIYA or blood money for repentance and I am confused about the amount of money to be given as blood money?
The other thing is when I had the abortion; I wasn't thinking that I am comitting a murder. I am an Arthritis patient and I got scared that I won't be able to take care of the baby!
Anyhow, I now think I have no place on this earth, and am very very remorseful, and can't let go, my health is detirorating day by day, I dont know how to move on!
Please can you answer my questions?
Simi
1 Responses »
Leave a Response
Entries(RSS)
Sister Simi, wa alaykum as-salam,
As you know, abortion is haram in Islam and is a sin. The only exception is when the life of the mother would be put in danger by the pregnancy. The following paragraph is from an article at missionislam.com:
"The only case when aborting a foetus, before or after 120 days, is allowed in Islam, is when a medical situation threatens the life of the mother, leaving only two options, to let either the other or the foetus survive, but not both. Scholars argue that such a case can only be determined by a specialist, trusted and committed Muslim doctor. They argue that the mother can have other children, whereas the child cannot make up for losing the mother. A fatwa (legal ruling) to that effect was issued by the late Dr Mahmoud Shaltut, Shaikhul Azhar (Al-Fatawa, p164).Imam Al-Ghazali discussed this issue in his famous book, Ihya Ulumuddin. Briefly, he asserted that once the semen from a man fertilised an ovum from a woman, and went into the womb of the mother, it was indeed a living entity and should not be intentionally aborted. As the foetus progressively develops in the womb, intentional abortion becomes an even worse sin amounting to killing a living entity. In some schools of Islamic thought, causing a foetus to be accidentally aborted, say by beating a pregnant mother, results in payment of the blood money penalty equal to one-tenth of that paid for mistakenly killing a mature human being."
I'm not your doctor and I don't know the details of your condition. However, you don't seem to be saying that your arthritis would have caused a threat to your life in having the baby. It sounds like you felt incapable of raising the child because of your condition. That is not be acceptable Islamically and is a sin.
As far as the penalty, The European Council for Fatwa and Research, issued the following fatwa:
Indeed, abortion is forbidden in Islam whether it be in the earlier stages of pregnancy or otherwise. The extent of sin incurred varies according to the stage of pregnancy, so that less sin would be incurred if the abortion took place during the early stages, while it becomes increasingly haram (unlawful) as the pregnancy advances. When the pregnancy reaches 120 days old, abortion becomes totally forbidden and is deemed a form of murder that results in compensation becoming liable. This compensation is equal in value to 213 grams of gold, and it is given to the heir who did not participate in the abortion (i.e., brother/sister or grandparent(s), etc., according to the laws of inheritance).
So if your pregnancy was beyond 120 days, you must pay the diyyah or kaffarah. If it was less then 120 days then no payment is required, but you must still make a sincere tawbah.
Let me quote what sister Leyla replied to someone last year:
***
My Sister,
I am sorry that you had to go through this terrible experience. The way to repent is to first of all feel sincere remorse over the sin. You must then remove yourself from the sin and make a sincere promise to Allah that you will never commit the sin again, and ask Allah for forgiveness every time you remember it. It is also good to commit yourself to good deeds and devoting yourself to more Islamic acts and duties such as charity, good deeds, kind words, and good manners.
As well as this, you are likely to go through a grief cycle, as your body and hormones will be informing you of miscarriage, and you will feel a sense of grief and loss. You will experience bursts of anger, sadness and depression and this will wreak some emotional havoc with you for a period of time. Many women feel this way after such an experience, and it may be helpful to you to get in touch with an organisation which helps women recover from abortion.
I know that you are feeling guilty, and that you seek repentance - I would tell you know that Allah is oft-forgiving and most merciful my sister, and that you don't have to prolong your suffering from guilt, and your recovery is important, so do please be kind to yourself, eat well, sleep well, and allow yourself to feel any feelings that come.
Peace,
Leyla
***
Wael
IslamicAnswers.com Editor