<Home> <Bioethics> <Obstetrics and Gynaecology> <Sex Preferences>

• You what is in my womb for Your special service, so accept this of me: You are the One who hears and knows all things.  When she gave birth to her, she said: My Lord, I gave brith to a female and God knows best what she gave birth to and the male is not similar to the female.  And I have named her Mary (Mariam), and I commend her and her offspring from the Rejected Devil.  Graciously did her Lord accept her and made her grow in purity and beauty and assigned her to the care of Zakariya.."

• The Arabs in Jahiliya (i.e. the pre-Islamic era) represented a society where female briths were most unwelcome.  Exceptions occurred, but the social code on the whole considered begetting of female child as bad news. The Quran says:

• "And when news is brought to one of them of the birth of a female child, his face darkens and he is filled with inward grief:  With shame does he hide himself from his people because of the bad news about the baby:  should he retain it and endure the contempt or bury it under the dust?!  Ah, how evil was their verdict." (16:58-59).

• Because of their contempt of the female, those pre-Islamic Arabs made a common practice of burying alive their female infants, a practice that Islam strictly prohibited.  In a reference to a series of enormous happenings on the day of reckoning the Quran cites:

• "And when the female infant buried alive is questioned for what crime she was killed" (81-8-9)

• In their argument against God, those pagan Arabs tried to belittle Him by assigning daughters to Him (presumably the angels):

• And they assigned daugters for God-glory be to "Him-and for themselves what they desire (sons)". (16:57)

• It is regrettable that this Jahiliya attitude against the female still lingers on, and it surprises us that even a highly educated person might be dismayed at the news of begetting a daughter. It is more surprising, however, to note this phenomenon in modern communities that raise the banner of equality between man and woman, and at both extremes of the ideological spectrum. In China, where the state posed stringent restrictions in favour of the one-child family, female infanticide has been resorted to in order to have another chance of a further pregnancy that will hopefully produce a baby boy. A World Health Organization publication released in the earIy eighties gave an estimation of 1.2 million female infants killed since the enforcement of the restrictive laws. In a leading western country the same goal is being achieved by more sophisticated and less law-voilating means. After the third month of pregnancy a procedure called amniocentesis is carried out, by which some of the (amniotic) fluid around the fetus is drawn, in which some fetal cells exfoliated from the fetal surface are suspended. These cells are grown in tissue culture and their chromosome complement is studied. If the fetus is of the undesired sex, the law-or loop holes in it-makes it possible for he woman to procure an abortion.

• The Islamic stand on the issue of sex-preference rests on the basic concept that we do not create our children but we just receive them and are entrusted with them. The come through us, but not from us, as Gibr.ln said, and as we enjoy then as a blessing we owe them the responsibilities of parenthood in the same ay as our parents did unto us and their parcnts had done unto them. The preservation of the race necessitates the creation of men and women. .and if it is to be a happy community then it better comprises well-rais d men and women. Whatever God gives, we should receive in joy, gratitude and awareness of our responsibilities.

• "To God belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth.  He creates what He wills.  He bestows females upon whom He wils and bestows the males upon whom He wills.  Or He couples them in males and females and He leaves barren whom He wills.  For He is All Knowledgeable All Powerful." (42:49-50)

• When Islam prohibited that criminal custom of the burial alive of females it was within the context of its concept that men and women were equal even though not similar.  Whatever was enjoined and whatever was forbidden applied to men and women.   Reward for good and punishment for bad were equal to men and women.

• "If any do deeds of righteousness, be they male or female, and have faith, they will enter heaven and not the least injustice will be done to them".
  ( 4: 124 )

• Such a reward will not only be in the hereafter, but during this life as well.

• "Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has faith, We shall give them a good life and bestow on such their reward according to the best of their deeds."( 16:97)

• To reinforce woman's role the Quran someties reortes to repetitive detailing such as in the following verse:

• "For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for patient men and women, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who gard their chastity, for men and women who are much mindful of God, for them God has prepared forgiveness and great reward."

• As a further counter measure against that pre-Islamic faulty attitude the prophet Mohammad repeatedly gave positive guidance recommending females to our tender loving care.  In one hadith (saying of the prophet) he teaches: (Ibn Dawood and Al-Hakim)

• A number of other hadiths have been reported in which the prophet relates that a parent kind and loving to daughters would be in such proximity to the prophet in heaven as the proximity of his index and middle fingers.  

• Islam also has different views from current Christianity on the legend of Adam and Eve and the original sin.  Eve did not tempt Adam to disobey God but Satan tempted both to eat from the forbidden tree.  Driven out of heaven, God inspired Adam to repent and Adam was forgiven.  Man came to earth unburdened of the aftermath of the originl sin and generations are not stigmatized by inheriting it.  We do sin but we do not inherit them.  We are endowed with God's guidance and with the built-in power to reason and to make a choice and this is the only legitimate basis for accountability, and in Islam accountability is personal.

• "Every soul draws the meed of its acts on none but itself: no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another: (6:164)

• "Who follows the guidance indeed follows it for his own benefit.  Who goes astry does so to his own loss.  No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another.  Nor would we visit with Our wrath until We had sent an apostle."  (17:15)

• "Nor can a bearer of burdens bear another's burden.   If one heavily laden should call another to share his load, not the least portion of it can be carried by the other even though he was a near relative"  (35:18).

• When we sin it is by perosnal shortcoming and not by inevitable inheritance.  When our conscience aches we address our repentance directly to God without mediation of athird party (there is no clergy in Islam).  My sin is my perosnal responsibility and my salvation rests in God's acceptance of my hones repentance.   To repent after sinning is an act of goodness, and God say in the Quran:

• "Indeed God loves who repent to Him constantly and He loves those who keep themselves pure." (2:22).

• The concept of vicarious sacrifice to atone for sins committed by others is not an Islamic concept.  Jesus is highly revered in Islam, he is described as:

• "Christ Jesus the son of Mary was an apostle of God and His Word that He bestowed on Mary and a Spirit proceedings from Him" (4:171) but the concept that he was killed on the cross in settlement of sins of people was refuted by Islam.

• Multiple reference was made in the Quran to the issue of Adam and Eve, the following is an illustrative example denoting that God had chosen the human race for His vicegerency on earth, then declared His intention to the angels who were taken by surprise.  His fitting of Adam with the complex human attributes that made him superior even to the angels, the prelude of sin and forgiveness and the colonization of earth by Man:

• "Behold. Your Lord said to the angels:  I am enstating a vicegerent on earth.  They said:  Will you place therein on ewho will make mischief therein and shed blood whilst we do celebrate Your praise and glorify Your holy Name?  He said:  I know what you know not.  And He taught Adam the nature of all things then He placed them before the angels and said:  Tell me the nature of these things if you are right.  They said:  Glory to You... of knowledge we have none save that You have taught us verily it is You who are perfect in kinolwedge and wisdom.  He said:  Oh Adam! Tell them their nature.  When he had told them.  God said:  Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of heaven and erth and I know what you reveal and what you conceeal?  And behold:  We said to the angels:  Bow down to Adam.  And they bowed down save for Iblis he refused and was haughty and was of those who reject the Faith.

• We said:  Oh Adam dwell you and your wife in Paradise and eat of the bountiful things therein wherever you wish, but approach not this tree or you have transgressed.

• Then did Satan make them slip out of it and get them out of what they had been in.  We said:  descend all of you (people) with enmity between yourselves on earth will be your dwelling place and your means of livelihood for a time.  Then Adam received some Words from his Lord and his Lord forgave him, for He is the most Forgiving, most Merciful.

• We said: get down all of you from here, and if as is sure there comes to you guidance from Me, whosoever follows my guidance, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.  But those who reject Faith belie Our sign, they shall be companions of the fire, they shall abide therein." (2:30-39)

• The assumed role of Eve in tempting Adam into disobedience and the concept of the inheritance of (original) sin seem to have caused woman to be wronged over a long period of Church history, so much so that centuries ago comprehensive ecclesiastical congresses were held to debate whether Woman had a soul or not and brand her of being a lowly creature and an indespensible evil.  Current attitudes are a great departure from old ones, but it seems that for many people old ways have been more tamed than eradicated.

• And now we seem to be at the gates of scientific pre-pregnancy sex-selection.  Different characteristics of X bearing and Y bearing sperms have been studied and put to application for separatingsemen to Y-rich and X-rich portions and using these for artificial insemination.  The practice is fairly established in animal husbandry, and available data denote that it will not be long until it can be applied in human reproduction.

• So far God's plan (Nature) has seen to it that on the whole almost equal numbers of men and women are available at the time of pairing off after puberty.  Given the constantly observable predeliction towards male progeny (remarkably accentuated in manycommunities), would tampering with this natural achievement disturb the human balance in favour of an excess of the male sex?  And what would be the social and moral and ecological sequelae thereof?  The issue cannot be oversimplified by claiming that most families will do with two children, the sex of the first to be decided by Nature and another of the opposite sex to be ordered at the doctor.   While this might go well with an English family, some Arab family might wish for ten boys and no girls, while most Chinese families would decide on a boy for their only child!  Perhaps one shortcoming of modern science is that it lacks a built-in mechanism to study and anticipate the far reaching implications of its achievements and perhaps censor or antidote them when necessary.  Whenever a new scientific discovery is made it is promptly rushed into the realm of applied technology, and short-term gains take the upper hand over long-term results.

• When the first atomic bomb was dropped over Hiroshima, Oppenheimer the father of atomic bomb said: "This day physicists have fallen into sin".  One wonders what is in store for reproductive medicine!