Islam - Dialogue between religious and non-religious beliefs and attitudes - OCR

In this article, learn about how Muslims view attitudes towards abortion and euthanasia.

Key points

• Islam teaches that human life is sacred because it is created by Allah.

• Many Muslims believe that life after death is important because people will be judged by Allah.

• There are various Muslim views on abortion and euthanasia.

An abortion is a way of ending a pregnancy. Abortion is legal in the UK in specific circumstances, which are set out in law.

Beliefs about the value and sanctity of life strongly influence Muslim views on abortion, because human life is seen as sacred and belonging to Allah. The Qur’an states that no one can die without Allah’s permission. This belief strongly influences Muslim attitudes to abortion, as taking life is seen as interfering with Allah’s will.

Islam also teaches that life begins at conception and therefore, that abortion should not be allowed. An exception to this view might be if the woman’s life is in danger since the mother’s life takes priority. According to some scholars, abortion may be permissible in such circumstances, however, situations should be assessed on individual circumstances.

However, for other Muslims abortion may be acceptable before the ensoulment of the fetus takes place. Many Muslims, particularly within the Hanafi, Shafi'i, and some Shi'a schools of thought, believe abortion is permissible before "ensoulment." Therefore for Muslims it is important to understand when life begins and when ensoulment happens. Some believe ensoulment happens 40 days after conception whereas others believe it is at 120 days. This means that the value and sanctity of life may be understood differently, leading to different views on whether abortion is morally acceptable at early stages of pregnancy.

Euthanasia is the act of deliberately ending a person's life to relieve suffering. Euthanasia or assisted dying is currently illegal in the UK (March 2026).

Due to the belief in the sanctity of life principle, most Muslims believe that only Allah has the right to take away life at a time of his choosing.

Most Muslims believe in Al-Qadr and that what happens is all under the control of Allah, including the time of death which should not be hastened by human intervention.

Some Muslims may accept 'passive euthanasia', when any form of treatment to extend a person’s life is withdrawn. In such cases, some may accept this as not interfering with Allah’s will.

Use this flashcard activity to learn key quotes from scripture.