Artificial Insemination

Question:

My friend has been trying to have a kid for a few years now without any success. He has gone to the doctor who said his sperm count is ok but the they don’t swim fast enough. He would like to know if it is permissible for him to use his sperm and have it injected into his wife’s egg and then put back in. Also, is there a specific dua that he may recite for this situation?

(S. Ali)

Ans:
There is no bar from Shariah point of view on the artificial insemination so long as the sperms are of the husband (and not of any other person) and the eggs are of his wife. However, an extreme care will have to be exercised to ensure that no error takes place in this process. Moreover, it is not allowed in Shariah to acquire sperms of some other male or eggs of some other female to have a baby through artificial insemination. Furthermore, any process involving wife should be through a lady doctor.

(August-2002)