It is understood from his statement, “before forty days,” that after forty days it is not permissible to expel it, even if the soul has not yet been breathed into it. This is likewise the position of the school, and the issue has three cases:

The first is when it is before forty days.

The second is when it is after that but before the breathing of the soul.

The third is when it is after the breathing of the soul.

As for after the soul has been breathed into it, its details will, Allah willing, be discussed shortly.

As for before forty days, the scholars differ concerning it. The well-known position of the school is that it is permissible: a woman may take medicine that causes the pregnancy to miscarry if it is before forty days. They say that this is because it is a sperm-drop that has not yet become a clinging clot, and it is not known whether it will fail to develop or not. Moreover, a man is permitted to practise coitus interruptus, and this is similar to coitus interruptus.

Some scholars say that once pregnancy has been confirmed, it is not permissible to abort it, even if it is still a sperm-drop. They cite as evidence His saying: “Then We placed it in a secure resting-place” [al-Mursalat: 21]. No one is able to bring this about. The basic principle is that it is inviolable from the moment the womb receives it, and it may not be expelled except out of necessity. The possibility that it may fail to develop is like the possibility of death after the soul has been breathed into it. Once the sperm has attached to the ovum, the possibility that it may fail to develop exists, just as the possibility that it may die after the breathing of the soul also exists. Yet the basic principle is that it remains alive. Comparing it to coitus interruptus is an invalid analogy, for coitus interruptus is prevention, whereas this is removal: coitus interruptus prevents the fluid from entering the womb, whereas this removes the fluid that has reached