Islam and abortion

Muslim views on abortion are shaped by Hadith (the words, actions, and the silent approval of the Islamic prophet Muhammad as transmitted through chains of narrators), as well as by the opinions of legal and religious scholars and commentators. The Quran does not directly address intentional abortion, leaving greater discretion to the laws of individual countries. Although opinions among Islamic scholars differ over when a pregnancy can be terminated, there are no explicit prohibitions on a woman's ability to abort under Islamic law.

Each of the four Sunni Islam schools of thought – Hanafi, Shafi‘i, Hanbali and Maliki – have their own reservations on if and when abortions are permissible in Islam. The Maliki madhhab holds "that the fetus is ensouled at the moment of conception" and thus "most Malikis do not permit abortion at any point, seeing God's hand as actively forming the fetus at every stage of development." On the other hand, some Hanafi scholars believe that abortion before the hundred twenty day period is over is permitted, though some Hanafi scholars teach that an abortion within 120 days is makruh (disapproved, i.e. discouraged). All Islamic schools of thought agree abortion is recommended when the mother's life is in danger, because the mother's life is paramount. Sahih al-Bukhari (book of Hadith) writes that the fetus is believed to become a living soul after 120 days' gestation.

In Shia Islam, abortion is "forbidden after implantation of the fertilised ovum." The leader of the Iranian Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini declared that shari'a forbids abortion without any reason "even at the earliest possible stage" a position shared by other Shiite scholars.

American academic Azizah Y. al-Hibri claims that "the majority of Muslim scholars permit abortion, although they differ on the stage of fetal development beyond which it becomes prohibited." According to Sherman Jackson, "while abortion, even during the first trimester, is forbidden according to a minority of jurists, it is not held to be an offense for which there are criminal or even civil sanctions."

In the 47 countries of the world with Muslim-majority populations, access to abortion varies greatly. In many, abortion is allowed when the mother's life is at risk. In 18 of the countries, including Iraq, Egypt and Indonesia, this is the only circumstance where abortion is permitted. In another ten countries it is allowed on request. Mauritania prohibits abortion under any circumstance. In others, abortion is permitted under certain circumstances besides preserving the mother's life, such as preserving her mental health, cases of foetal impairment, incest or rape, and social or economic reasons.