Can a Single Mother Accept Third Party Sperm Donor?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

I am wondering about the ramifications of having a child or children outside of marriage using a sperm donor. Due to unfortunate trauma, I cannot be married to a man or have sex with a man. It’s something I have prayed about for many years and have finally accepted. However, I have always wanted to be a mother. I feel a hole inside myself that I know will only be filled by having a child. I found a Shia fatwa saying sperm could be used by single women(only) because, without the act of sex, it’s not Zina. I also found a sperm bank that allows for the child to find and communicate with the biological family after 18 so they would still have their lineage. So if it’s not Zina, and they still have the connection, why not?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question. I am sad to hear about your situation. However, assign the matter to Allah Most High and His wisdom. As you mentioned, you have tried, and now you accept your situation.

I understand you are willing to accept a sperm donor. However, Islamically, you will have to marry someone to be able to accept a sperm donor. Otherwise, the child will be considered outside of marriage.

Third-Party Donors

Scholars say, see the link below, Islamically, it is not permitted to donate sperm or eggs to third parties, as this would go against the principles of ascribing lineage to the biological parents.

The Islamic Fiqh Academy, and other bodies, including Al-Azhar’s Fatwa Committee, have studied this matter at length. They concluded that artificial insemination is permitted if only the husband and wife are reproductively involved–even if the fertilization itself occurs outside the mother. It is not permitted to use third-party (‘donor’) sperm or eggs, even when either spouse is infertile. Some scholars also emphasize that such procedures should only be used when normal means prove ineffective.

Solution

You will need to accept marriage and find a man who is willing to forgo his rights to intimacy and all the other marital rights to become a sperm donor. Islamically, lineage is only accepted through marriage.

I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. You will receive guidance and direction in sha Allah.

Related Answers

• Can We Donate Eggs or Sperm? – SeekersGuidance
• Love, Marriage, and Relationships in Islam: All Your Questions Answered (seekersguidance.org)
• Etiquette of Marriage: A Comprehensive SeekersGuidance Reader
• Istikhara, The Prayer of Seeking Guidance: The Ultimate Guide – A Reader – SeekersGuidance
• How Does One Perform The Prayer Of Need (salat al-haja)? – SeekersGuidance

Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.