0 Abu Sa'id, did you hear Messenger of Allah ﷺ mentioning al-'azl? He said: Yes, and added: We went out with Messenger of Allah ﷺ on the expedition to the Bi'l-Mustaliq and took captive some excellent Arab women; and we desired them, for we were suffering from the absence of our wives, (but at the same time) we also desired ransom for them. So we decided to have sexual intercourse with them but by observing 'azl (Withdrawing the male sexual organ before emission of semen to avoid-conception). But we said: We are doing an act whereas Messenger of Allah is amongst us; why not ask him? So we asked Allah's Mes- senger ﷺ, and he said: It does not matter if you do not do it, for every soul that is to be born up to the Day of Resurrection will be born.  

أَنَّهُ قَالَ دَخَلْتُ أَنَا وَأَبُو صِرْمَةَ عَلَى أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ فَسَأَلَهُ أَبُو صِرْمَةَ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا سَعِيدٍ هَلْ سَمِعْتَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَذْكُرُ الْعَزْلَ فَقَالَ نَعَمْ غَزَوْنَا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ غَزْوَةَ بَلْمُصْطَلِقِ فَسَبَيْنَا كَرَائِمَ الْعَرَبِ فَطَالَتْ عَلَيْنَا الْعُزْبَةُ وَرَغِبْنَا فِي الْفِدَاءِ فَأَرَدْنَا أَنْ نَسْتَمْتِعَ وَنَعْزِلَ فَقُلْنَا نَفْعَلُ وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بَيْنَ أَظْهُرِنَا لاَ نَسْأَلُهُ فَسَأَلْنَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ لاَ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ لاَ تَفْعَلُوا مَا كَتَبَ اللَّهُ خَلْقَ نَسَمَةٍ هِيَ كَائِنَةٌ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ إِلاَّ سَتَكُونُ  

" Allah has ordained whom he has to createuntil the Day of judgment."  

أَنَّهُ قَالَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَتَبَ مَنْ هُوَ خَالِقٌ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ  

We took women captives, and we wanted to do 'azl with them. We then asked Allah's Messen- ger ﷺ about it, and he said to us: Verily you do it, verily you do it, verily you do it, but the soul which has to be born until the Day of judg- ment must be born.  

أَنَّهُ أَخْبَرَهُ قَالَ أَصَبْنَا سَبَايَا فَكُنَّا نَعْزِلُ ثُمَّ سَأَلْنَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ لَنَا وَإِنَّكُمْ لَتَفْعَلُونَ وَإِنَّكُمْ لَتَفْعَلُونَ وَإِنَّكُمْ لَتَفْعَلُونَ مَا مِنْ نَسَمَةٍ كَائِنَةٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ إِلاَّ هِيَ كَائِنَةٌ  

Yes. (I heard) Allah's Apostle ﷺ as saying: There is no harm if you do not practise it, for it (the birth of the child) is something ordained (by Allah).  

قُلْتُ لَهُ سَمِعْتَهُ مِنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ قَالَ نَعَمْ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ لاَ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ لاَ تَفْعَلُوا فَإِنَّمَا هُوَ الْقَدَرُ  

This hadith is reported on the authority of Abu Sa'id with the same chain of transmitters but with a slight variation (of words).  

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ فِي الْعَزْلِ لاَ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ لاَ تَفْعَلُوا ذَاكُمْ فَإِنَّمَا هُوَ الْقَدَرُ وَفِي رِوَايَةِ بَهْزٍ قَالَ شُعْبَةُ قُلْتُ لَهُ سَمِعْتَهُ مِنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ قَالَ نَعَمْ  

There is no harm if you do not do that, for it (the birth of the child) is something ordained. Muhammad (one of the narrators) said: (The words) La 'alaykum (there is no harm) implies its Prohibition.  

سُئِلَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ عَنِ الْعَزْلِ فَقَالَ لاَ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ لاَ تَفْعَلُوا ذَاكُمْ فَإِنَّمَا هُوَ الْقَدَرُ قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ وَقَوْلُهُ لاَ عَلَيْكُمْ أَقْرَبُ إِلَى النَّهْىِ  

Why do you practise it? They said: There is a man whose wife has to suckle the child, and if that person has a sexual intercourse with her (she may conceive) which he does not like, and there is another person who has a slave-girl and he has a sexual intercourse with her, but he does not like her to have conception so that she may not become Umm Walad, whereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: There is no harm if you do not do that, for that (the birth of the child) is something pre- ordained. Ibn 'Aun said: I made a mention of this hadith to Hasan, and he said: By Allah, (it seems) as if there is upbraiding in it (for 'azl).  

فَرَدَّ الْحَدِيثَ حَتَّى رَدَّهُ إِلَى أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ قَالَ ذُكِرَ الْعَزْلُ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقَالَ وَمَا ذَاكُمْ قَالُوا الرَّجُلُ تَكُونُ لَهُ الْمَرْأَةُ تُرْضِعُ فَيُصِيبُ مِنْهَا وَيَكْرَهُ أَنْ تَحْمِلَ مِنْهُ وَالرَّجُلُ تَكُونُ لَهُ الأَمَةُ فَيُصِيبُ مِنْهَا وَيَكْرَهُ أَنْ تَحْمِلَ مِنْهُ قَالَ فَلاَ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ لاَ تَفْعَلُوا ذَاكُمْ فَإِنَّمَا هُوَ الْقَدَرُ قَالَ ابْنُ عَوْنٍ فَحَدَّثْتُ بِهِ الْحَسَنَ فَقَالَ وَاللَّهِ لَكَأَنَّ هَذَا زَجْرٌ  

I reported to Muhammad on the authority of Ibrahim the hadith reported by 'Abd al-Rahmann b. Bishr (the hadith concerning 'azl), where- upon he said: That (hadith) Abd al-Rahman b. Bishr had narrated to me (also).  

عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ بِشْرٍ  

Did you hear Messenger of Allah ﷺ making a mention of something in regard to al-'azl? Thereupon he said: Yes. The rest (of the hadith is the same)  

سَمِعْتَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَذْكُرُ فِي الْعَزْلِ شَيْئًا قَالَ نَعَمْ وَسَاقَ الْحَدِيثَ بِمَعْنَى حَدِيثِ ابْنِ عَوْنٍ إِلَى قَوْلِهِ الْقَدَرُ  

Mention was made about al-'azl in the presence of Messenger of Allah ﷺ, whereupon he said: Why any one of you practises it? (He did not say: One of you should not do it), for there is no created soul, whose creator is not Allah.  

ذُكِرَ الْعَزْلُ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ وَلِمَ يَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ أَحَدُكُمْ وَلَمْ يَقُلْ فَلاَ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ أَحَدُكُمْ فَإِنَّهُ لَيْسَتْ نَفْسٌ مَخْلُوقَةٌ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ خَالِقُهَا  

The child does not come from all the liquid (sermen) and when Allah intends to create anything nothing can prevent it (from coming into existence).  

عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ سَمِعَهُ يَقُولُ سُئِلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنِ الْعَزْلِ فَقَالَ مَا مِنْ كُلِّ الْمَاءِ يَكُونُ الْوَلَدُ وَإِذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ خَلْقَ شَىْءٍ لَمْ يَمْنَعْهُ شَىْءٌ  

A hadith like this has been transmitted by Abu Sa'id from Allah's Apostle ﷺ.  

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ بِمِثْلِهِ  

I have a slave-girl who is our servant and she carries water for us and I have intercourse with her, but I do not want her to conceive. He said: Practise 'azl, if you so like, but what is decreed for her will come to her. The person stayed back (for some time) and then came and said: The girl has become pregnant, whereupon he said: I told you what was decreed for her would come to her.  

أَنَّ رَجُلاً أَتَى رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ إِنَّ لِي جَارِيَةً هِيَ خَادِمُنَا وَسَانِيَتُنَا وَأَنَا أَطُوفُ عَلَيْهَا وَأَنَا أَكْرَهُ أَنْ تَحْمِلَ فَقَالَ اعْزِلْ عَنْهَا إِنْ شِئْتَ فَإِنَّهُ سَيَأْتِيهَا مَا قُدِّرَ لَهَا فَلَبِثَ الرَّجُلُ ثُمَّ أَتَاهُ فَقَالَ إِنَّ الْجَارِيَةَ قَدْ حَبِلَتْ فَقَالَ قَدْ أَخْبَرْتُكَ أَنَّهُ سَيَأْتِيهَا مَا قُدِّرَ لَهَا  

I have a slave-girl and I practise 'azl with her, whereupon Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: This cannot prevent that which Allah has decreed. The person then came (after some time) and said: Messenger of Allah, the slave-girl about whom I talked to you has conceived, whereupon Allah's Messeuger ﷺ said: I am the servant of Allah and His Messenger.  

سَأَلَ رَجُلٌ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَقَالَ إِنَّ عِنْدِي جَارِيَةً لِي وَأَنَا أَعْزِلُ عَنْهَا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِنَّ ذَلِكَ لَنْ يَمْنَعَ شَيْئًا أَرَادَهُ اللَّهُ قَالَ فَجَاءَ الرَّجُلُ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ الْجَارِيَةَ الَّتِي كُنْتُ ذَكَرْتُهَا لَكَ حَمَلَتْ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولُهُ  

A person came to Allah's Apostle (the rest of the hadith is the same).  

جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ بِمَعْنَى حَدِيثِ سُفْيَانَ  

We used to practise 'azl while the Qur'an was revealed (during the days when the Prophet was alive).  

كُنَّا نَعْزِلُ وَالْقُرْآنُ يَنْزِلُ زَادَ إِسْحَاقُ قَالَ سُفْيَانُ لَوْ كَانَ شَيْئًا يُنْهَى عَنْهُ لَنَهَانَا عَنْهُ الْقُرْآنُ  

We used to practise 'azl during the life of Messenger of Allah ﷺ.  

سَمِعْتُ جَابِرًا يَقُولُ لَقَدْ كُنَّا نَعْزِلُ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ  

We used to practise 'azl during the lifetime of Messenger of Allah ﷺ. This (the news of this practise) reached Allah's Apostle ﷺ, and he did not forbid us.  

كُنَّا نَعْزِلُ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَبَلَغَ ذَلِكَ نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَلَمْ يَنْهَنَا