The preservation of the human species is unquestionably the primary objective of marriage, and such preservation of the species

requires continue reproduction. Accordingly, Islam encourages having many children and has blessed both male and female progeny. However, it allows the Muslim to plan his family due to valid reasons and recognized necessities. The common method of contraception at the time of the Prophetwas coitus interruptus, or withdrawal of the penis from the vagina just before ejaculation, thus preventing the entrance semen. The Campanions of the Prophet engaged in this practice during the period the Quran was being revealed to him. Narrated Jabir, We practiced coitus interruptus during the time of the Messenger of Allah while the Quran was being revealed. In a version transmitted by Muslim, he said, We practiced coitus interruptus during the time of the Messenger of Allah. He came to know about it, but did not prohibit it.

Valid reason for contraception. The first valid reason for employing contraception is the fear that the pregnancy or delivery might endanger the life or health of the mother; past experience or the opinion of a reliable physician are the guides in determining this possibility. Allah Taala says: .... And do not cast into ruin by your own hands... (2:195) .... And do not kill yourselves; indeed, Allah is ever merciful to you. (4:29) Another reason is the fear that the burden of children my straiten the familys circumstances so much that one might accept or do something haram to satisfy their needs. Allah says: .... Allah desires ease for you, and He does not desire hardship for you... (2:185) .... It is not Allahs desire to place a burden upon you... (5:7) Again, fear that childrens health or upbringing may suffer may be valid reason. On the authority of Usman ibn Zayd, Muslim in his Sahih reported that a man came to the Prophet, saying, I practice coitus interruptus with my wife. Why do you do that? asked the Prophet. He said, I fear for her child. The Messenger of Allah then said, If it (the pregnancy of a nursing mother) were harmful, it would have harmed the Persians and the Greeks. Another valid reason is the fear that the new pregnancy or a new baby might harm a previous suckling child. The Prophet termed intercourse with a nursing mother, or rather the intercourse which results in pregnancy while the mother is still nursing her baby, gheelah, thinking that pregnancy would ruin the milk and weaken the suckling infant. Since he was concerned with the

welfare of his ummah, he dissuaded them from what was harmful. Among his personal opinions was the saying, Do not kill your children secretly, for gheelah overtakes the rider and throws him from the horse. Ibn Al Qayyim, in discussing the relationship of this hadith to the one quoted just before it, Do not kill your children secretly...says, The Prophet saw the pregnancy harms the suckling infant in the same way as being throws off the horse harms a rider: it is injurios, but do not to the extent of killing the baby. He advised them to avoid intercourse leading to pregnancy while the woman is nursing an infant but did not prohibit it. He then intended to prohibit it in order to save the health of the suckling child but realized that the resulting hardship to the husband, especially for young ones, would be much injuries to the society. On balancing these matters, therefore, he preferred not to prohibit it. Moreover, he saw that (in) thetwo most powerful and populars nation of his time, (women) suckled their children during pregnancy without his affecting their strength or numbers, and accordingly he refrained from prohibiting it. In our time, new methods of contraception are available which realize the objective intended by the Prophet, that of protecting the suckling infant from any possible harm which may occur due to the pregnancy of its mother, while at the same time avoiding the hardship to the husband in abstaining from sexual relations with his nursing wife. From this point of view, we may conclude that from Islamic point of view the ideal spacing between two children is thirty months, or, if one wants to nurse the baby for two full years , thirty-three months. Imam Ahmad bin Hambal is of the opinion that contraception requires the consent of the wife, because she has the right both to sexual enjoyment and to decide whether or not she wants a child. It is reported that Umar fobade the practice of coitus interruptus without the consent of the wife. This was, on the part of Islam, a noteworthy step forward establishing the right of women in an age in which they had no rights.

Yusuf al-Qardawi. (2001). The Lawful and The Prohibited in Islam. Kuala Lumpur: Islamic Book Trust

According to Abu Sa'id, "The Jews say that coitus interruptus is minor infanticide, and the Prophet answered, 'The Jews lie, for if God wanted to create something, no one can avert it (or divert Him).'"

he good of the Muslims then required that there should be a call for the multiplication of their numbers, in order that they might be able at the time to fulfil their responsibilities in defending the mission of Islam and protecting the true religion of Allah against the power and multitudinous adversaries threatening it. But now we find that conditions have changed. We find that the density of population in the world threatens a serious reduction in the living standards of mankind to the extent that many men of thought have been prompted to seek family planning in every country so that the resources may not fall short of ensuring a decent living for it's people to provide public service for them. Islam, as the religion of pristine nature, has never been opposed to what is good to man. Indeed it has always been ahead in the effort towards the achievement of this good so long as it is not in conflict with the purposes of Allah's law. Family planning, understood by Islam, is not opposed to marriage or to the begetting of children, nor does it's concept imply disbelief in the doctrine of fate and Divine dispensation--for Allah Almighty has bestowed reason upon man to enable him to distinguish between the useful and the harmful, and to help him follow the path that would assure him happiness in this world as well as in the world to come.