Ruling on one who says that the poverty of Muslims is because they have too many children
Question

                What is the Islamic ruling, in your view, on one who says that the poverty of Muslims and their weakness and backwardness in the current age is the result of the population explosion and having many children, that outpaces economic progress? What is your advice to someone who believes that?
Praise be to Allah.
	We think that this opinion is wrong, because it is Allah, may 
	He be exalted, who grants abundant provision to whomever He wills or grants 
	it in scant measure. The reason is not the large size of the population, 
	because there is no creature on earth but its provision is granted by Allah, 
	but Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, gives and withholds on the basis 
	of wisdom. 

	Our advice to the one who holds such views is that he should 
	fear Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, and give up this false belief. 
	He should understand that no matter how much the population of the world 
	increases, if Allah so willed, He could grant them all abundant provision, 
	but Allah says in His Book (interpretation of the meaning):

	“And if Allah 
	were to enlarge the provision for His slaves, they would surely rebel in the 
	earth, but He sends down by measure as He wills. Verily! He is in respect of 
	His slaves, the Well-Aware, the All-Seer (of things that benefit them)”

	[ash-Shoora 42:27]. 

	Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) 

	Fataawa ‘Ulama’ al-Balad al-Haraam 
	(p. 1084)

	Undoubtedly calling for restrictions or reductions on the 
	numbers of children one has is contrary to the command of the Prophet 
	(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) who said: “Marry women who are 
	loving and fertile, for I shall be proud of your large numbers before other 
	nations.” Narrated by Abu Dawood (2050); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in
	Irwa’ al-Ghaleel (1784)

	Allah, may He be exalted, has guaranteed provision for all 
	creatures, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

	“And no 
	(moving) living creature is there on earth but its provision is due from 
	Allah”

	[Hood 11:6].

	Opposing population increase, whether by imposing means of 
	contraception or abortion or otherwise, based on the belief that resources 
	are not sufficient for an increased population, or that the interests of 
	humanity dictate reduction in population growth, this is explicitly denying 
	the Lordship of Allah and His care for His creation, and the abundance of 
	His provision. It is akin to the beliefs of the polytheists, who used to 
	kill their children for fear of poverty. Allah, may He be exalted, says 
	(interpretation of the meaning):

	“kill not 
	your children because of poverty - We provide sustenance for you and for 
	them”

	[al-An‘aam 6:151]

	“And kill not 
	your children for fear of poverty. We provide for them and for you. Surely, 
	the killing of them is a great sin”

	[al-Isra’ 17:31].

	The large size of the ummah is one of the blessings of Allah, 
	may He be exalted, for which He deserves to be thanked and He alone deserves 
	to be worshipped. Hence Allah, may He be exalted, tells us that His Prophet 
	Shu‘ayb (peace be upon him) reminded his people of some of the blessings 
	that Allah had bestowed upon them, as he said (interpretation of the 
	meaning):

	“And remember when you were but few, and He multiplied you”

	[al-A‘raaf 7:86].

	The large size of the ummah is one of the means of its 
	strength and victory over its enemies. Hence Allah, may He be exalted, says 
	concerning the Children of Israel (interpretation of the meaning):

	“Then We gave you once again, a return of victory over them. 
	And We helped you with wealth and children and made you more numerous in man 
	power”

	[al-Isra’ 17:7].

	According to a future study about Egypt, Dr Muhammad Sayyid 
	Ghallaab said:

	Population increase has never been a burden, and it is not 
	right to regard it as such in the coming century, for it is what allowed 
	Egypt to achieve progress in all eras.

	According to another study, Dr Mustafa al-Fiqqi indicates 
	that one of the most important factors that allowed Egypt to play an 
	influential role in the Arab world is that it is regarded as the storehouse 
	of human resources.

	Prof Khurshid Ahmad, the expert economist, says: 
	

	In the future, prevalence and power can only be on the side 
	of countries that enjoy an increase in population and at the same time are 
	advanced in various scientific fields. There is nothing that could enable 
	the Western nations to maintain their international dominance and leadership 
	apart from trying to support the movement that promotes population control 
	and contraception in Asia and Africa. For that reason, the Western countries 
	today are striving their utmost to increase their own populations, but at 
	the same time they are resorting to the best media and propaganda methods 
	that they have in order to support the population control movement in Asian 
	and African countries.

	He also said:

	How true are the words of Organski [an American thinker] who 
	said: In the future, power will only be on the side of the camp that has the 
	greater number of people.

	He also said:

	It is obvious to the student of history that population size 
	is of fundamental political significance. Therefore every civilisation or 
	superpower has focused its efforts on increasing its population during the 
	stages of its rise and development. Hence the well-known historian Prof. 
	Will Durant regards having a large population is one of the most important 
	means of civil progress. Prof Arnold Toynbee also regards increasing the 
	population size as one of the most important challenges to be met in order 
	for any human civilization to exist and progress.

	In order to avoid any misinterpretation of what is stated 
	above, we should note that population increase on its own is not sufficient 
	to achieve progress, establish a civilisation and prevail over the enemy. 
	Rather it is an essential means of achieving that, but it is not the only 
	means, because it should be accompanied by a strong education system, sound 
	upbringing of the new generation, the establishment of justice and security 
	in society, and fighting corruption, and –  over and above all of that – 
	faith and piety. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the 
	meaning):

	“And if the 
	people of the towns had believed and had the Taqwa (piety), certainly, We 
	should have opened for them blessings from the heaven and the earth, but 
	they belied (the Messengers). So We took them (with punishment) for what 
	they used to earn (polytheism and crimes, etc.)”

	[al-A‘raaf 7:96].

	The voices of the enemies of Islam have begun to cry out, 
	warning against the large numbers of Muslims, and saying that this is one of 
	the main dangers that threaten them.

	In a book entitled Changes in the Geography of the Middle 
	East by Prof. Arnon Soffer (1984 CE) – which is a textbook in the Jewish 
	state that is regarded as a reference work for specialists there – the 
	writer states that the high population increase in Egypt is of concern to 
	Israel, because of the possibility of establishing a strong army.

	On 19/1/1988 the Daily Telegraph newspaper published 
	an article entitled “The Population Time-Bomb in the Mediterranean Basin”, 
	in which the author discusses this issue that gives the West sleepless 
	nights, namely the great population increase in the countries to the 
	south-east of the Mediterranean, and the population decline of the countries 
	to its north. The article quotes a report of the United Nations Environment 
	Program which states that two-thirds of the inhabitants of the Mediterranean 
	in the nineteen-fifties were European, in countries extending from the 
	Straits of Gibraltar to the Bosporus, but this picture will be reversed by 
	2025, when the Mediterranean will become an Islamic – if not Arab – sea.

	This article indicates, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that 
	the one who propagates the issues of population control and restricting 
	population increase among the Muslims, and supports all activities that are 
	striving to achieve that under many slogans, such as family planning, social 
	planning and so on… We say that the one who supports that is only serving 
	the enemies of Islam and the Muslims and is working in their interests, 
	whether they are aware of that or not.

	Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

	As for the view that supports population control, this is 
	undoubtedly one of the plots of the enemies of the Muslims, who want the 
	Muslims not to increase in number, because the very idea scares them, for 
	the Muslims will become self-sufficient and will not need anyone else; thus 
	the Muslims will be able to produce their own food and establish their own 
	businesses, and that will lead to improvement in the economy and serve other 
	interests and aims. But if the Muslims remain few, they will become 
	humiliated and will need others in everything. End quote.

	Tafseer Soorat al-Baqarah 
	(2/88)

	Finally, we need to increase the population, along with 
	Islamization of development plans, Islamization of regulations, and 
	Islamization of laws, in addition to benefitting from modern sciences. 

	For more information, please see the book Harakat Tahdeed 
	an-Nasl (Birth Control Movement) by Abu’l-A‘la al-Mawdoodi (Maududi) (p. 
	178-186); Majallat al-Bayaan (issue no, 11/107, 191)

	And Allah knows best.