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  

Perhaps he (the man accompanying her) intends to cohabit with her. They said: Yes. Thereupon Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: I have decided to curse him with such a curse as may go along with him to his grave. How can he own him (the child to be born) and that is not lawful for him, and how can he take him as a servant for that is not lawful for him?  

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَنَّهُ أَتَى بِامْرَأَةٍ مُجِحٍّ عَلَى بَابِ فُسْطَاطٍ فَقَالَ لَعَلَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يُلِمَّ بِهَا فَقَالُوا نَعَمْ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَقَدْ هَمَمْتُ أَنْ أَلْعَنَهُ لَعْنًا يَدْخُلُ مَعَهُ قَبْرَهُ كَيْفَ يُوَرِّثُهُ وَهُوَ لاَ يَحِلُّ لَهُ كَيْفَ يَسْتَخْدِمُهُ وَهُوَ لاَ يَحِلُّ لَهُ  

A hadith like this has been transmitted on the authority of Shu'ba.  

عَنْ شُعْبَةَ فِي هَذَا الإِسْنَادِ  

I intended to prohibit cohabitation with a suckling woman until I considered that the Romans and the Persians do it without any injury being caused to their children thereby. (Imam Muslim said: Khalaf reported it from Judamat al-'Asadiyya, but the correct wording is what has been stated by Yahya.)  

أَنَّهَا سَمِعَتْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ لَقَدْ هَمَمْتُ أَنْ أَنْهَى عَنِ الْغِيلَةِ حَتَّى ذَكَرْتُ أَنَّ الرُّومَ وَفَارِسَ يَصْنَعُونَ ذَلِكَ فَلاَ يَضُرُّ أَوْلاَدَهُمْ قَالَ مُسْلِمٌ وَأَمَّا خَلَفٌ فَقَالَ عَنْ جُذَامَةَ الأَسَدِيَّةِ وَالصَّحِيحُ مَا قَالَهُ يَحْيَى بِالدَّالِ  

I went to Messenger of Allah ﷺ along with some persons and he was saying: I intended to prohibit cohabitation with the suckling women, but I considered the Greeks and Persians, and saw that they suckle their children and this thing (cohabitation) does not do any harm to them (to the suckling women). Then they asked him about 'azl, whereupon he said. That is the secret (way of) burying alive, and Ubaidullah has made this addition in the hadith transmitted by al-Muqri and that is:" When the one buried alive is asked."  

حَضَرْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي أُنَاسٍ وَهُوَ يَقُولُ لَقَدْ هَمَمْتُ أَنْ أَنْهَى عَنِ الْغِيلَةِ فَنَظَرْتُ فِي الرُّومِ وَفَارِسَ فَإِذَا هُمْ يُغِيلُونَ أَوْلاَدَهُمْ فَلاَ يَضُرُّ أَوْلاَدَهُمْ ذَلِكَ شَيْئًا ثُمَّ سَأَلُوهُ عَنِ الْعَزْلِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ذَلِكَ الْوَأْدُ الْخَفِيُّ زَادَ عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ فِي حَدِيثِهِ عَنِ الْمُقْرِئِ وَهْىَ { وَإِذَا الْمَوْءُودَةُ سُئِلَتْ}  

I heard Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying this. The rest of the hadith is the same concerning 'azl and ghila (cohabitating with a suckling woman), but with a slight variation of words.  

أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَذَكَرَ بِمِثْلِ حَدِيثِ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي أَيُّوبَ فِي الْعَزْلِ وَالْغِيلَةِ غَيْرَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ الْغِيَالِ  

I do 'azi with my wife. Thereupon Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Why do you do that? The person said: I fear harm to her child or her children. Thereupon Messenger of Allah (way peace be upon him) said: If that were harmful it would harm the Persians and the Greeks.  

أَنَّ رَجُلاً جَاءَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ إِنِّي أَعْزِلُ عَنِ امْرَأَتِي فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لِمَ تَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ الرَّجُلُ أُشْفِقُ عَلَى وَلَدِهَا أَوْ عَلَى أَوْلاَدِهَا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَوْ كَانَ ذَلِكَ ضَارًّا ضَرَّ فَارِسَ وَالرُّومَ وَقَالَ زُهَيْرٌ فِي رِوَايَتِهِ إِنْ كَانَ لِذَلِكَ فَلاَ مَا ضَارَ ذَلِكَ فَارِسَ وَلاَ الرُّومَ