Q.1. Some people suggest that the advocacy of birth control, particularly in Muslim countries, aims at reducing their populations and weakening them. They say that it runs contrary to Islamic teachings. Some even say that it is part of a conspiracy against the Muslim world. A number of scholars say that it can only be resorted to in cases of health risks. Please comment.
Q.2. It is said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) defined three parents for a Muslim: His real parents, his parents-in-law, and his teachers. Is this correct?
Saima
A.1. When you look at the international activities concerning birth control, you realize that they are not directed at any group of countries, whether Muslim, Asian, African, Third World, or the like. They are targeted at the world in general. However, Western countries are not targeted, because in most cases, their populations are maintained at the same level, if not decreasing. On the other hand, there is rapid increase in the population of most developing countries, including all Muslim countries in Asia and Africa. Most of these populations are living in poverty, and many families suffer as a result of high birth rate. So, to suggest that there is a conspiracy against Muslim countries in this respect is naïve.
Having said that, I would like to add that birth control is a very complicated issue, with far-reaching effects on society and its future. Therefore, if it is adopted as a national policy, its likely effects should be very carefully studied. There are some clear examples to study. Perhaps the clearest case is that of China which for many years has applied a very strict policy of one child for each family. This has had terrible effects on society, in addition to fulfilling the objective of reversing the rate of population growth. Some of its effects could not have been anticipated. There is an outcry in China nowadays about the problem of obesity among children and youths. This is due to the fact that when parents have one child only, they give that child all the attention, care and love they have. One aspect of this is to overfeed the child. Who could have thought of this at the time when the policy was being considered?
But this is only a side issue. When a family has only one child, that child is often spoilt, and cannot learn the values of partnership and mutual care, which children learn gradually as they grow up together. An only child often grows up unable to trust others, because such children do not have the experience siblings naturally acquire in their home environment.
When you look at Islamic teachings in this area, you find that Islam allows birth control at the individual level, with the only proviso that the method used should be safe for the mother. If people wish to have small families, they may do so. As a national policy, Islam has a different outlook, ensuring the ultimate benefits of society.
A.2. I have never heard of a Hadith to this effect. It is totally unlikely that the Prophet would equate anyone with one’s own parents. In the Qur’an, dutifulness to parents is often mentioned as second in importance to belief in God’s oneness, which raises it to the highest of duties. No one suggests that such dutifulness applies to teachers or in-laws.