Gender of baby before birth?

[Surriya]

Assalamu 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

When a woman is due to give birth to a baby, are we allowed to ask the gender of the baby before it is born?

JazkhAllah

[Imam]

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

Assalamu 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,


Jazakallah for your question dear sister.


Allah the Almighty is the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth. It is He who guides people, and He who misguides.


As far as the Qur'an al hakeem is concerned, there is nothing in there that states that a person is not allowed to seek through scientific research, whether the baby shall be a girl or a boy. It would be more appreciable, through the modern apparatus that we have, to see rather, whether Allah the Almighty has instilled within us, or created in us a girl or a boy.


Similarly, the hadith does not say that we are not allowed to see whether the gender of a baby is a girl or a boy. For if it did, it would have clearly, been established. It is however stated in the Qur'an al kareem:

'We created you from dust, then from a drop of water, then from the clot of blood, then from a piece of flesh, fashioned and unfashioned, so that we may manifest to you , Our signs.'


This verse, which is verse number 5, of Surah al-Hajj, makes clear the process in which a child is born. In that it starts off as dust, then water, then blood, then flesh.


At this stage, some of the ahaadith have stated that when the child is five months old, it has a soul blown in to it. It is possible, that this is the stage when Allah the Almighty decides, whether the child is going to be a boy or a girl. Because the hospitals, take the x-ray/photo of the child, after five months, then obviosly it has already been decided by the Almighty whether it is a boy or a girl, however, this does not restrain us from finding out after that five month period, as we would not have a chance in knowing.


It is therefore permissable to know, or even find out whether the gender of a child will be a boy or a girl, given todays scientific technology, that does not in anyway contravene the Qur'an al kareem, or the Sunnah.


May Allah give us all blessings, in our lives, wealth, families, faith, honour, knowledge, ages, and businesses. (Amin).



Wallahu A'lamu Biththawaab


M. Waseem Ashrafi