Does Islam allow Surrogate mothers?

My Dear Mishmish,

Organ transplants and other treatments you mentioned are all life saving, they are not the same as surrogacy, u understand? Not just to save life but also to relieve pain, of course you can have treatments.

Besides, in emergency or life and death situations , Allah has lifted prohibitions. If a man is is dying of hunger, he is allowed to eat pork. and there are many such examples.

I really sympathise with couples who cannot have children of their own. If i was in this situation, believe me, i would like to err on the side of caution. What if on the day of judgement, we find out out, this was haraam? too late?

Regd. fertility treatments, it is allowed to cure diseases and abnormalities. a "normal" woman can bear children easily but if she has problems , why can't she treat it? She is treating the abnormality. If we believe the argument you give, then siamese twins shouldn't be separated coz they were "naturally" born that way? What about children born with cleft lip? If a man loses his arm in an accident, can he use an artificial limb? If a man is in need of blood, won't he be given another person's blood?

Anyways, Allah knows best...I hope Allah shows us the right path.
jazakallahukhairan.

Assalamu Alaikum Sisters:

At first I was thinking that most of the prohibative arguments used against surrogacy: showing your aura, mixing the sperm, could be used against fertility treatments or invitro fertilization, but then I found this Ayat in the Quran:

58:2 If any men among you divorce their wives by Zihar (calling them mothers), they cannot be their mothers: None can be their mothers except those who gave them birth. And in fact they use words (both) iniquitous and false: but truly Allah is one that blots out (sins), and forgives (again and again).

This would indicate that only the woman actually giving birth to the baby could be considered the child's mother, that would be the surrogate. So, even if you used your own egg and your husband's sperm , you would never Islamically be considered the baby's mother.

Insha'Allah this will help.

Salaams. 

interesting.. minus being a sister you can:

husband can marry a woman as 2nd wife, sleep with her, get her pregnant, after birth and proper waiting period, can divorce, and then he can raise the child with his first wife correct?

Child would then be legitimate?

Hayfa,

I could say, only if the man wants to go to hell.  A man is to only approach his wife in righteousness.  If he's just using her to breed with her and has the intention of divorcing her afterwards.  I would think that wasn't approaching in righteousness. 

However, if he has two wives and only one bears children, isn't is correct the child calls both women "Um?"

As a woman who suffers from infertility, if we were in a situation that allowed such a thing, I would suggest to my husband that we find him a second wife to marry and have children.  Of course, working together we could find someone I would be friends with and he could love.  But, this is not a situation that would work with most women.  Some would be bitter (Like Sarah), others would be competitive...and then there is the risk the husband will favor the fertile wife.  Its a fine line to walk.

Surrogate mothers in most cases are not women who are renting their bodies, they are making the sacrifice of discomfort for 9 months to give life to another persons dreams.  But, given the ayat Sister Mishmish posted kinda solves it the Islamic question.