A Critical Analysis of the Scriptural Evidence Allegedly Condemning Childbearing and an Elucidation of Its True Meaning

Document Type : Research Article

Author
Ali Ghadrdan Gharamaleki
Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Studies, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
10.30497/qhs.2026.248662.4188
Abstract
Childbearing has consistently been encouraged and valued in Islamic religious sources. Nevertheless, certain scriptural texts appear, at first glance, to discourage having children, thereby creating an apparent tension with other religious evidence. Given the significance of childbearing and population growth, as well as the necessity of resolving apparent inconsistencies within religious texts, a careful examination of the transmitted evidence allegedly condemning childbearing and a clarification of its intended meaning are essential. The principal question addressed in this study is: What is the true meaning of the scriptural evidence that appears to discourage childbearing, and what objections can be raised against interpreting these texts as advocating birth limitation? The study is based on the hypothesis that no genuine contradiction exists among the transmitted texts and that the reports seemingly discouraging childbearing are not, in fact, intended to condemn it. Its primary objective is to clarify the meaning of the relevant religious texts and resolve their apparent inconsistencies through a critical examination of the evidence cited in support of discouraging childbearing. A secondary objective is to remove perceived intra-religious obstacles to promoting childbearing. This theoretical, problem-oriented study, which seeks to contribute to the development of existing scholarship, is based on library research focusing primarily on ḥadīth collections and Qurʾānic exegetical sources. The collected data were subsequently analyzed through textual, rational, and comparative approaches, with particular attention to related scriptural evidence. The findings indicate that the notion that Islamic transmitted sources condemn childbearing stems from an inadequate understanding of key concepts such as balāʾ (divine trial), the conflation of complete causes with preparatory causes, and insufficient attention to the contextual framework of the relevant traditions. Once these considerations are taken into account, it becomes evident that the transmitted evidence in question does not support the condemnation of childbearing
Keywords
conflicting ḥadīths
birth limitation
population growth
childbearing
textual analysis
Subjects
The Holy Qurʾān.
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