Someone may say: “I would like my wife to remain youthful, so I do not want her to bear children.”

We reply: There is nothing wrong with this aim, but bearing children—or having many children—is better than that.

If someone were to say: “I want to space out the births, meaning that I want my wife to give birth once every two years,” is this permissible or not?

The answer is: There is nothing wrong with it. The Companions would practise coitus interruptus during the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ (1), and there is no doubt that coitus interruptus generally prevents pregnancy.

Without a Mother

His statement, “without a mother,” means that he should choose a woman whose mother is not alive, since her mother may perhaps turn her against him. Glory be to Allah—this is superstition. If you reflect on reality, you will find that most women have mothers, yet their mothers have not corrupted them, and all praise belongs to Allah. Indeed, it is rare for a mother to do so.

Likewise, we should say: a husband without a mother, because some husbands’ mothers turn them against their wives. How many a mother has become jealous of her son’s love for his wife, then sought to drive a wedge between her and her husband. Since this is the case, we should not say that he ought to choose a woman without a mother. Rather, we should say that he should choose a woman whose mother is righteous. As for saying, “without a mother,” this is questionable, for among mothers are those who are a source of goodness for their daughters and their sons-in-law.