In Islam there is a prioritisation on the quality of life rather than a large quan- tity of lives.

• Planned spacing of pregnancies will allow the mother the time and opportunity to suckle and care for each child. The Qu’ran recommends that a mother should suckle her child for two years.

• Undernourished and weak ofspring are more a source of anxiety and struggle than the ‘comfort’ or ‘allurement’ of the parent’s eyes as the Qu’ran intends.

• In Muslim countries that are underdeveloped, have limited resources and are overpopulated, an absence of family planning will result in a weak multitude enduring more hardships, instead of a smaller but stronger and healthier population.

• Contemporary contraceptive methods that temporarily avert pregnancy are analogous to the Islamically sanctioned practice of coitus interruptus (azl) and are thus permissible.

• Sterilisation or any type of contraceptive that would cause permanent infertility are impermissible unless there are exceptional reasons.

• People should not be coerced to stop childbearing.