According to the majority of scholars, having children is a natural right of both men and women. It is not permissible for a man to use coitus interruptus or other contraceptive measures against the will of his wife, just as it is not permissible for a woman to use contraception without her husband’s consent.
Dr. Husam al-Din Ibn Musa `Afana, professor of the principles of Islamic jurisprudence at Al-Quds University, Palestine, states the following: Scholars agree that the wife has the right to have children. Should a man use a means of contraception such as coitus interruptus or other (without his wife’s consent), he would cause her harm, and it is well known among scholars that it is forbidden to cause one’s spouse or any other person any kind of harm.
According to the majority of scholars, a man may use coitus interruptus only if his wife agrees to this. Should she refuse, it would not be permissible for him to use it. The same ruling applies to using any other contraceptive device without the spouse’s consent.
Sheikh IbnQudamah Al-Maqdisi said, ” A man is not to use coitus interruptus without his free wife’s consent.” Judge Abu Ya`la said, “According to Imam Ahmad, it is a condition that men seek their wives’ permission when it comes to using coitus interruptus.” And `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was reported to have said, “Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade a man to use coitus interruptus without his free wife’s approval” (Ahmad and IbnMajah). “Besides, the wife has a natural right to have children of her own and her husband’s using coitus interruptus causes her harm; hence, coitus interruptus is not to be allowed without her consent” ( Al-Mughni, vol. 7, p. 298).
Al-Buhuti, a Hanbali scholar, said, “It is forbidden for a man to use coitus interruptus without his free wife’s permission” (KashfAl-Qina`,vol. 3, p. 112).
Al-Hafiz ibn Hajar said, “Three of the main four schools of fiqh (the Hanafi, Maliki and Hanbali schools) agree that a man is not to use coitus
interruptus without his free wife’s consent” (Fath Al-Bari, vol. 9, p. 382). As for the Shafi`i school (the fourth school of fiqh), it is reported that it has two different views in that respect, one of which goes in line with the other three schools.
Ibn Hajar also said, “The righteous predecessors have different opinions with regard to using coitus interruptus. According to Ibn `Abdul-Barr and Ibn Hubairah, scholars agree that a man is not to use coitus interruptus without his free wife’s permission, because the woman has a right to have intercourse to her gratification with her husband and this is not exactly the case with using coitus interruptus” (Fath Al-Bari,vol. 3, p. 382).
Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) was also reported to have said, “The permission of the free woman is to be taken on using coitus interruptus on her husband’s part.”
In fact, there are many reports on the authority of the righteous predecessors that adopt the same view.
For example, `Atta’ was reported to have disliked that a man uses coitus interruptus without his free wife’s permission. He also said, “This (taking her permission in that regard) her right.”
Sa`idibnJubair was also reported to have said a statement to the same effect.
`Ikrimah said, “There is nothing wrong if a man uses coitus interruptus so long as he has taken his wife’s permission in this concern” (MusanafAbdAr-Razzaq, vol. 7, pp. 143-4).
To sum up, the Shari`ah guarantees wives the right [to try] to have children of their own, and thus it is not permissible for a husband to deny his wife that right. Hence, a man must seek his wife’s permission if he wants to use coitus interruptus or any other means of contraception. Should a man use contraception without his wife’s consent, he would be committing a sin, as this is against the teachings of the Shari`ah.