Abortion is Murder, IF...
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From http//www.yuksel.org/e/religion/unorthodox.htm#ABORTION
ABORTION IS MURDER, IF. . .
Edip Yuksel
We know that almost every law has some exceptions, or conditions. For instance, acording to the Quran, the first and second cmmendments, that is, idol worship, is an unforgivable sin IF it is maintained until death after 40 years of life. Killing a person is great offense IF it is not done for self-defense. Similarly, the abortion case also has some conditions and exceptions.
If I had read sister Shakira Karipineni's article on abortion nine or ten months before its publication, I would have agreed with her a hundred percent. However, last summer (1992), some verses of the Quran suddenly picked my attention. After studying them carefully I found out that my position on abortion was not entirely Quranic. My culture and my upbringing had contributed to my position. I found myself in the threshold of a difficult decision. I had to modify my position towards abortion. I had to add an "IF" to my personal conviction which could be summarized in three words "abortion is murder". When I was convinced by the Quranic verses I had no choice but to obey. Later, when I shared my position on the issue at the last year's conference it created a controversy. Dr. Karipineni's article as a well-written reaction, needs an answer.
Life is different than personhood
"Questions, such as when does life begin, have been asked for centuries. . . . , we now have strong scientific proof that life starts at conception." she says, in her article published in the previous issue of Submitters Perspective. In her statement there is a semantic problem. The word "life" was repeated twice, and they have different meanings, or implications. In order to make her statement relevant to the issue, we should substitute the first one with "personhood". I believe that using two different concepts interchangeably tosses us into a fundamental confusion on this issue.
The discussion on abortion centralizes around the vital question, "When can fetus be considered as a person?" Nobody is questioning the life of the fetus. In fact, every single cell of a human has a complete genetic code of a human being. To be a person, obviously, requires more than merely having the proper genetic code.
The Quran clearly distinguishes life from personhood. Life, in the Quran, is "Hayaat", on the other hand, personhood, self or soul is "Nafs". According to the Quran plants and animals have life, but humans have both life and personhood, that is, soul or consciousness. Human soul is the source of consciousness and self-awareness. Thus, harvesting plants or slaughtering animals is not considered "murder". Murder is the act of unjustly terminating the relationship between body and soul (conciousness).
The difference between life and personhood is explicitly explained by the Quran
"God takes the souls (al Anfus) at their death, and also those that do not die during their sleep. He keeps back (the soul) of those on whom He has decreed death, . But the rest, He sends them (to their bodies) for a predetermined interim. In this there are lessons for people who reflect." (3942)
We learn that in sleep our soul, or personhood (Nafs) is temporarily taken away. We learn that life is entirely different than personhood. Termination of life necessarily results in death, which is the permanent departure of soul. However, if the body is not fatally harmed, life can continue for awhile even after the soul is taken for good. The last moments of Jesus is an example of this unique case.
Here, I have to point another error in the article. She says, "we have a 'life span' (during which we need redeem ourselves). We do not have a 'soul span.' The assigned soul cannot die and is eternal." This statement is not Quranic; it is only a popular expression. Expressions in a particular language cannot be suggested as evidence neither for a scientific argument, nor for a religious argument. People who opposed Galileo benefited from the "sun sets" and "sun rises".
Having life does not necessitate having soul
Some religious scholars prohibited countraception by claiming that human sperm is a candidate for a soul. Their fallacious logic was this God has already assigned life to one of the sperms, thus, preventing its development is a great sin, if not murder. Ironically, sister Shakira's article appears to support such a fallacy. She says "God talks about creating the human from 'clay' or 'dust' and then from a drop. This human already has a soul assigned." The second part of her statement again has nothing to do with the Quran.
The point is Having life or containing the complete genetic code does not require personhood. There is a lot of discussion among philosophers on the definition of personhood. However, there is almost a consensus on defining it as consciousness, which I believe fits the Quranic example stated in 3942, quoted earlier.
Thus, having genetic structure and life does not provide personhood for the embryo. Personhood or consciousness is much more than the sum of its parts.
Quran condemns the killing of new-borns
"You shall not kill your children due to fear of poverty. We provide for them, as well as for you. Killing them is a gross offense." (1731)
Shakira Karipineni, in her article, claims that in the verse above "reference is made to a child without differentiating whether the child is inside or outside the womb." This is another basic error regarding this issue. Verse 1731 clearly states that the reference is to children who are outside the womb, not inside them. Neither the English nor the original Arabic word justify her statements. According to Webster's Dictionary a "child" is a "young human being", and "childhood" is the "period between birth and puberty." Nevertheless, English speaking people can use this word for fetus as in "unborn children."
On the other hand, the Arabic word for child "Walad (pl Awlad)" does not need a dictionary to define, since it is a self-defining word. In Arabic "walada" means to "give birth" and "walad" means "the one who is born." Thus, an Arabic speaker can say that "I will have a 'walad'" or "I am pregnant to a 'walad'", but she cannot say "I'm carrying a 'walad' in my womb".
We must also consider the relevance of this basic commandment at the time of the revelation. If we study the Quran we see that some Arabs were killing their children after birth. When they learned that their newborn children were girls, parents would decide to kill them shortly after their birth.
"Thus, when one of them gets a baby girl, his face becomes darkened with overwhelming grief. Ashamed, he hides from the people, because of the bad news. Should he keep the baby grudgingly, or bury her in the dust. Miserable indeed is their judgment." (1658,59)
There were economical and social reasons for this inhuman behavior. Unending tribal wars, the inter-tribal and international trade had increased the value of boys over girls. Tribal society had created pressure against having daughters. This pressure, combined with individual economical weakness provided a vicious and devilish motivation to kill their daughters, just after birth. This action is expressed with the word "infanticide", not "abortion."
Murdering a soul is a gross crime
"Because of this, we decreed for the Children of Israel that anyone who murders a soul who did not commit murder or horrendous crimes, is as if he murdered all the people. . ." (532)
Killing a person (al Nafs) without justification is the greatest crime after idol worship. The life of a soul (person), believer or disbeliever, black or white, young or adult is sacred. If the evolving creature is considered as a person, then the verses condemning the "killing of person (al Nafs)" will entail abortion. This is the only relevant Quranic argument regarding abortion. However, an important question will remain unanswered when can we consider the evolving creature in the uterus as a human or a person? Just after conception, or after the first trimester, or after delivery?
Soul does not appear with conception
According to the Quran "a new creature" is created after certain stages of development. Here are two verses that summarize this evolution
"O people, if you have any doubt about resurrection, (remember that) we created you from dust, and subsequently from a tiny drop (sperm), which turns into a hanging (embryo), then it becomes a fetus that is formed or unformed. . . (225). Then we developed the drop into a hanging (embryo), then developed the hanging (embryo) into a bite-size (fetus), then created the bite-size (fetus) into bones, then covered the bones with flesh, then produced a new creature. Most blessed is God, the best Creator." (2314)
The later verse, in particular, gives more detail about the stages of creation in the uterus. From the above two verses we get a very clear picture of those stages
- Sperm
- Embryo
- Bite-size fetus (approximately two inches)
a. Formation of bones
b. Formation of flesh - Finally, a new creature
It is obvious that "a new creature" does not come into existence with conception. Embryo, as an evolving biological organism, is not considered as a person. After a certain point in fetal stage soul (personality) emerges.
When is the time of that crucial point?
Verse 4615 tells us that the total period for both pregnancy (Haml), and nursing (Fesaal) is 30 months.
"We enjoined the human being to honor his parents. His mother bore him arduously, gave birth to him arduously, her bearing him and until his weaning takes thirty months. . ." (4615)
Verse 2233 tells us the MAXIMUM nursing period as two FULL years, that is, 24 months.
"Divorced mothers shall nurse their infants two full years, if the father wishes to complete the nursing . . ." (2233)
Therefore, from the above two verses we learn that the pregnancy period for a person is 30-24 = 6 months. We know that a normal pregnancy period is approximately 9 months, or more accurately 266 days or 38 weeks. (Rules and examples are based on normal or common cases.)
In order to find the precise time of evolving fetus to person, we should express pregnancy period in terms of days 6 months are equal to 180 days. Thus, the period of pregnancy that is not considered as bearing soul is 266-180=86 days. Therefore, under cross-light of the Quranic verses we may conclude that the fetus does not have soul, or personhood until 86 days after conception.
This Quranic information about the process of creation, I believe, is a mercy from God Almighty who knows the trauma and dilemma of victims of rape and incest.
DISCUSSIONS ON THE TOPIC
If a human does not have soul (al Nafs) while he or she is sleeping, then, according to your argument, the killing of a sleeping body should not be considered murder!
This is one of the objections that can be raised against my argument. At least, there are two important differences between a sleeping person and a sperm or an embryo or an early fetus 1) A sperm or an embryo or an early fetus does not have soul yet, but a sleeping body has already a soul. This difference is similar to a property which has a landlord on vacation versus land which is nobody's. Their legal status is different. You can stake a claim on the latter, but not the former. 2) A sleeping person is a member of society. Throughout his life he has gained relationships and responsibilities.
A furious article was written as a response to my speech. The author labeled my position as "irresponsible, immature and irrational." He condemned me to hell frequently without mentioning my name. I will not mention his name either. I hope that he is not under the delusion that he has the privilege of judging and condemning people. I will not reciprocate his style. Here are some objections raised by the angry author, followed by our reply
"Abortion is murder, and is clarified by God telling us in 2228 and 654 that the first three months of pregnancy are so important that a divorced woman will have to change her life plan if she found herself pregnant."
This objection has several problems. First, those two verses, by any means, do not conflict the permission for abortion before the first trimester. Those two verses and a limited permission for abortion can be the premises of a valid argument. The importance of something does not necessarily make that thing sacred.
For instance, compare the claim above with the following statement "wasting man's seminal fluid through contraception is prohibited, and is clearly clarified by God telling us in 5345-46 that the man's seminal fluid is so important the baby's gender and his or her entire life depends on." Obviously, this is not a logically valid argument. Similarly, there is no deductive link between the importance of pregnancy and the prohibition of abortion.
Second, the aforementioned verses state the right of husbands. Thus, we may infer that abortion cannot be permitted without the husband's consent.
"You murder somebody you murder a body not a soul, because soul does not die. So, abortion has to do with killing the body not killing the soul and there should be no argument as to when the soul enters the body."
Who says that the soul does not die? Is it another new hadith? This statement contradicts many of the Quranic verses. For instance
"Every soul (Nafs) is destined to taste death, and you receive your recompense on the Day of Resurrection. . ." (3185)
The word "Nafs" (soul) occurs in plural form "Anfus" in the verse describing the similarity and difference between sleep and death
"God takes the souls (Anfus) at their death, also those that do not die during their sleep. . ." (3942)
Therefore, "soul does not die" is simply a wrong statement.
"Again the lack of guidance and lack of grasp on the Arabic language led some to misunderstand the expression "your children" (in 6151). The reference here to "your children" is used by the Arabic speaking people for both who are inside the womb and outside."
It is easy to check this claim. A brief survey among Arabic speaking people will show that the word "Awlad" (children) is never used for the fetuses inside the womb. In order to conduct this survey objectively, they should not be briefed about the argument, to prevent a biased response. Furthermore, both the Quran and modern Arabic dictionaries reject this claim. Arabic speaking people use "Ganin" (The covered one) for fetus. The Quran uses the plural form of this word, "Aginna" in 5332. The Quran also uses several descriptive words corresponding to the stages of fetus "Alaqa, Mudga." In a broader term, fetus is "Haml" (load, burden), as in the following verse
"That day a nursing mother will discard her infant, and a pregnant woman will bring forth her fetus (haml). . ." (222)
"In Arabic, the verb "Walada" means to give birth, the word "Maolood" is the one who is born, and God used it in 3133. But the word "Awlad" is another derivative of the root word "walada" and does not only mean "the one who is born." In Arabic the word father Waled is derived from the same root word "Walada," but the father does not give birth."
Here, a wrong statement is being sandwiched between two correct statements. The word "Awlad" (born children) as the plural form of "Walad" (born child) means only "the one who is born." As I suggested before, you can examine it yourself. To verify the meaning of a single word, you don't need to be an expert on Arabic.
As for the word "Waled", we need a little bit the knowledge of linguistics. First, this word does not simply correspond "father". The equivalent of father is "Ab". You can use the word "Ab" (father) in relation to fetus. For example, you can ask a pregnant woman "who is the father (Ab) of your baby?" However, you cannot ask an Arabic speaking pregnant woman "who is the "Waled" of your baby?" We must keep in mind that a person becomes "Waleda" (the one who gave birth) or "Waled" (the one who caused the birth, or, the one who begot) after the birth of their child.
For instance, verse 222 refers to the one who "brings forth or aborts her fetus" as "a pregnant woman", not as "one who gives birth, or mother" i.e., "Waleda". Both the word "Waleda" (mother) and "Waled" (father of a born child) is ascribed to people after they have born children. Thus, you cannot claim that you are a "Waleda" or a "Waled" if you don't have a baby outside the womb.
In brief, the word "Waleda" is used for the mother because she "gave birth", and the word "Waled" is used for the father because he "caused the birth". Besides, there is a unique aspect of Arabic language which creates words such as "Abawayn" which literally means "two fathers", but is used for parents.
"The confirmation of the meaning that the word "Walad" or "Awlad" is used by God for the children to be, comes from 347 "She said, 'My Lord, how can I have a son when no man has touched me?' He said, 'God thus creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He simply says to it 'Be' and it is.' " In this verse, Mary uses the word son "Walad" for the son to be, and he was not born yet."
Well, this verse is not about the fetus. It is a PROPHECY about a son to be. Thus, it is very appropriate to inform him with the word "Walad". In that verse God informs Mary that she will give birth to a son.
A question for further research
Please notice the different implication of these two statements
- The one WHO is inside the womb
- The one WHICH is inside the womb
In Arabic, the pronoun "Man" (who) is used for persons, such as humans, jinns and angels. The pronoun "Ma" (which), however, is used for non-persons, such as animals, plants, and stars. "Ma" is also used for the mixture of both categories. For instance, the whole living creatures can be referred with "Ma."
The question Which pronoun does the Quran use for the fetus? You may check 2228; 335.
Summary
- Quran condemns the action of child killing after birth (6151; 1731).
- Killing a person is a great sin (532).
- Having life is different than having a soul (3942).
- Embryo, as an evolving biological organism is not considered as a person. After a certain point in fetal stage soul (personality) emergs and a new person is created (225; 2314).
- Embryo is NOT considered as a "person" before 12 weeks in the uterus (4615 and 2233).
Conclusion
Abortion is murder IF it is committed after the first trimester unless the mother's life is in danger. I do not recommend or even suggest abortion; but I believe that it should remain an option especially for the victims of traumatic circumstances, such as rape or incest.
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For instance, acording to the Quran, the first and second cmmendments, that is, idol worship, is an unforgivable sin IF it is maintained until death after 40 years of life. .
Nice topic Edip. But the above if possible could you clarify as I have come across this before as I used to believe the die before 40 year=lower heaven until I realised the mistake that it is not quranic at all. Please could you provide your argument to back this up within this topic or a separate topic when you get the chance.
PEACE
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Dear Edip Yuksel,
"We know that almost every law has some exceptions, or conditions. For instance, acording to the Quran, the first and second cmmendments, that is, idol worship, is an unforgivable sin IF it is maintained until death after 40 years of life."
I do not know about this time limit of 40 years.
The Quran is telling us that to worship idols is un-forgivable, but that the definition of idol worship is not ours to make.Would you kindly give your comments on this?
Best regds
Ali Omar
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Dear Ali Omar and 2Pac
Verse 4615 implies that a person should repent from his sins at age 40, which is described as the age of RUSHD, that is maturity.
Merciful God has given us 40 years to make up our minds. Since, we are expected to question the religion of our parents and friends, it does not make sense to believe that a teenager will go to Hell if he does not discover God alone.
Those whith shallow thinking have always demonstrated knee-jerk reaction to this issue and I had many detailed discussion on it. Currently, I do not have access to my macintosh computer, which contains many of my correspondance on this topic. I do not have much time now. I wish I colud collect and publish my correspondance on this and other issues someday.
Peace;
Edip -
Dear Edip Yuksel,
I find a number of verses in the Quran telling about the irreparable sin to die as disbelievers, but not that you are not forgiven if you reach the age of, let?s say, 41 before you change your ways?
I rather understand it such that at the age of 40, a human should, normally, have acquired sufficient knowledge to enable him/her to understand that he/she ought to submit to God.
Otherwise, there is no hope for a sinful human being after the age of 40, whereas a human being may live a sinful life until that age, and I have difficulties believing this.Best regds
Ali Omar
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Dear Edip Yuksel,
I find a number of verses in the Quran telling about the irreparable sin to die as disbelievers, but not that you are not forgiven if you reach the age of, let?s say, 41 before you change your ways?
I rather understand it such that at the age of 40, a human should, normally, have acquired sufficient knowledge to enable him/her to understand that he/she ought to submit to God.
Otherwise, there is no hope for a sinful human being after the age of 40, whereas a human being may live a sinful life until that age, and I have difficulties believing this.Best regds
Ali Omar
Look..if you're leading a very sinful life, then God might as well let you live to the age of 40+. It's that simple. God determines the end of our lives.
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peace
What if the age of "rushd" is dependent on the person?
I don't see how a set number could be this as if so then prehaps the Quran would have used the set number instead of the word "rushd" -
peace Edip,
NB
AQ = Al Quran
rushd = sound judgement
shudud = physica maturity (adolescence to adulthood)Verse 4615 implies that a person should repent from his sins at age 40, which is described as the age of RUSHD, that is maturity.
I'm not sure if you still hold this view or not, but it is definitely incorrect.
Where is age 40 described as age of "rushd"? Nowhere in AQ does it say this. Not only is this disproven by AQ, to say so would be illogical, as no-one suddenly becomes "rushd" at a certain age. I assume you meant to say "shudud"? But even so, this would be incorrect also, as "shudud" is the period from adolescence to adulthood. A person can be in the period of "shudud" but not have "rushd" as proven by AQ. As a side note, that is likely why no specific age of marriage is given in AQ.
To see the evidence, see the following article
http//misconceptions-about-islam.com/muhammad-married-young-girl.htmAQ often discusses archetypes, and 4615 is no different, unless we accept every 40yr old says this or has children, or everyone will say XYZ when in heaven, or when in hell, as AQ often examples.
In my humble opinion, the archetype discussed in 4615 is one who has reached parenthood themselves, and thus is becoming or is reflective of their own parents/parenthood, a person who is becoming or is now appreciative, and wants what is best for all, who came before him and who comes after him, i.e. a believer is one who wants for himself what he wants for others or preferences others . It is common to become reflective midway through one's life, and I believe this is fairly well documented.
That is all this verse is about, not some sort of magical age that gives someone a free pass if they die before it. This notion can be refuted by AQ, if you accept an orphan can receive wealth before 40, because to receive their wealth they must have "rushd", thus if a person has "rushd" then how can one imply it's still not enough "rushd" and God has given us until 40? This is logically inconsistant. Interestingly, this may imply anyone who dies without "rushd", I am assuming pre-puberty going by AQ, they would end up in heaven, same as the mentally incapable etc. I have not studied this as I just thought of it now but it seems logically consistant. -
@ Edip
First of all I want to praise Edip for his excellent article. It is Quranic and it doesnt just reflect emotions and personal opinions about abortion as I have seen from other articles.
@ Wakas
Let me give you a possible translation of a part of 4615...
"Until he has attained his maturity (ashudan), that is (wa), when he has reached the age of 40".
The thing I did was to take the "wa" as an explanation and not as an addition.
ashudan = maturity
From PRL
Shiin-Dal-Dal = to bind tightly, strap, strengthen firmly, run, establish, make firm, hard, strong, be advanced (day), be intense. ushdud - harden, strengthen. shadiid (pl. shidaad & ashidda'u - great, firm, strict, vehement, strong, violent, severe, mighty, terrible, stern, grievous, miserly, niggardly. (adj. of the forms fa'iil and fiaal are used indifferently for both m. and f.) ashuddun age of full strength, maturity. ishtadda (vb. - to act with violence, become hard.
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From http//www.yuksel.org/e/religion/unorthodox.htm#ABORTION
Abortion is murder IF it is committed after the first trimester unless the mother's life is in danger. I do not recommend or even suggest abortion; but I believe that it should remain an option especially for the victims of traumatic circumstances, such as rape or incest.
The taking of any life must be murder. But having said that I agree that abortion should be an option, but only for the mother, if giving birth will endanger her life or other traumatic circumstances.
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So really then According to your Article, and the Quran as you have posted...
You basically can get pregnant Millions of times and have as much Abortions as you want.
http//i138.photobucket.com/albums/q270/rickrivero305/tri.jpg humm.......I dont know man, it looks like a baby in there....whether or not it has a "Soul" or is By Definition in Webesters "A Child"..>I guess Id consider it a child.
So the Technically, If Someone was to Assault a Pregnant woman and Kill her Embryo, then Technically he didnt Kill her baby and is Innocent of Child Murder.
He then is really only guilty of Battery (physical assault).So then Technically, a Woman can smoke Marijuana and or Tobacco (depending on your View of the Quran on smoking) wile she is in her 1st Trimester.
So then Technically, a woman can just go happily get 27 abortions if she wanted to?Here is my new Question then...
If the Woman was NOT raped and was NOT subject to Incest...Can she still have an Abortion because of Fear of not being able to Have Financial Funds to take care of her soon to be baby?
I mean, in the Ayat, It Specifically says, "For Fear of Poverty"....So if the reason why she was having an abortion was because of "Fear of Poverty" does this make her Guilty?
I mean, Statistically, It would seem that MOST Abortions that Happen these days are because of Fear of Poverty...wile Rape and Insect are Present but are a Minority.
Just a thought !
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Interesting... every time I read 4615 I was a bit confused, thinking - pregnancy is not 6 months... this makes perfect sense. Also it seems like the heartbeat is heard very easily/strongly around that time as well.... and the risk of miscarriage is much less at that point.
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Killing a baby because it's unborn and doesn't have a soul is like killing a man and saying - he would've died eventually.
bravo
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Peace
On 2314 - I had misplaced this quote and had been looking for it for ages! Thanks for providing it. I had been attempting to verify whether the bones develop first followed by the skin.
However, most embryology text books to not go into such chronological detail, but merely go through the development different systems (neurological, urogenital etc.).
However, something I found today may well show that the Quran was right
http//www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/development/prenataldevelopment.shtml.
I am not sure about your subtraction method yet, but the Quran is clear that after flesh has formed than the creation is now a creature. Once I get the subtraction method, it will be interesting to compare how the two dates are aligned (scientific knowledge v Quranic).
Roshan
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Brother Edip,
Is there any evidence that an unborn baby gaine personhood 3months prior to birth? I will say no.
And the merciful lord say, the god brought you from the womb of your mother while you do not know anything. Meaning we only become conscious after delivery.
Abortion therefore at any stage is not murder.
THINK ABOUT IT.ZUBAIRUS.
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Well, we know from the Qur'an that the baby develops in stages. It is not just given a soul from the moment it's a clot of blood.
We all used to be clots of blood. Imagine if any of us here were aborted. Or imagine if out of all the babies aborted one of them would've cured a deadly illness. OR if one of your soul mates were aborted a long time ago? - Bye bye love of your life -[ .
I'm not saying I would lose my mind and go berserk if someone was to have an abortion but it saddens me.
And if a person don't feel like having safe sex, and they end up pregnant, they should live with the consequences. Too bad you can't abort an STD, right .But of course my opinion isn't final. If for instance a 13-year old girl would become pregnant I guess she should have an abortion if the baby is really really tiny - although I don't see any reason for a 13-year old girl to do the nasty-nasty.
And considering one of earths many problems is overpopulation. But that's another issue - ppl shouldn't have too many babies.
Or if they find out that the baby in any way has any kind of problem or difference before birth - I mean you wouldn't want a child to go through life feeling not normal... or is it cruel of me to say so?Well that's only my personal opinion - every women with an unplanned pregnancy knows herself the best and whether she feels it's a good enough world to bring a child into or not.
Peace!
