Coitus interruptus (azl) and the permission for it

Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We used to practise 'azl while the Qur'an was being revealed, that is, no prohibition of it came. ('Azl means withdrawing from the private part during intercourse at the time of ejaculation and ejaculating outside.)

Kharijah bin Zayd said: Sayyiduna Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) used to practise 'azl with a slave woman of his.

Ikrimah said: Sayyiduna Zayd and Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with them both) used to practise 'azl.

Amr said that Isma'il al-Shaybani married the wife of Sayyiduna Rafi' bin Khadij (may Allah be pleased with him) after him. She told Isma'il al-Shaybani that Rafi' bin Khadij used to practise withdrawal ('azl), or that he practised withdrawal because of sores she had, so that she would not have to take a ritual bath.

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said regarding the verse of the Holy Qur'an, "Your wives are a tilth for you" [Al-Baqarah: 223]: Whoever wishes to practise withdrawal ('azl) may do so, and whoever does not wish to, need not do so.

Yahya bin Abbad said that Sayyiduna Khabbab (may Allah be pleased with him) used to practise withdrawal ('azl) with his slave-women.

Amir bin Sa'd said that Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) used to practise withdrawal ('azl).

Al-Hasan said that the noble Companions differed about withdrawal ('azl). Sayyiduna Zayd and Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with them both) used to practise it.

Abu Salamah said that Sayyiduna Zayd and Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with them both) used to practise withdrawal ('azl).

Abd al-Rahman bin Aflah said: I married the umm walad (slave-mother of a child) of Sayyiduna Abu Ayyub (may Allah be pleased with him). She told me that Sayyiduna Abu Ayyub used to practise withdrawal ('azl).

(Abd al-Rahman bin Aflah said:) And the umm walad of Sayyiduna Zayd bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) also told me that he used to practise withdrawal ('azl) with her.

Salim narrated from Aishah bint Sa'd that Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) used to practise withdrawal ('azl) with his slave-mothers (ummahat al-awlad).

Sa'id bin al-Musayyib said: The Ansar among the Companions saw no harm in withdrawal ('azl).

(Sa'id bin al-Musayyib said:) Among those who held this view were Sayyiduna Zayd, Sayyiduna Abu Ayyub and Sayyiduna Ubayy (may Allah be pleased with them).

Ibrahim said that Alqamah and the students of Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) used to practise withdrawal ('azl).

Ja'far said that Ali bin Husayn used to practise withdrawal ('azl) and would cite this verse as evidence: "And when your Lord took from the children of Adam, from their loins, their descendants" [Al-A'raf: 172].

Abu Imran said: I heard a woman say that Sayyiduna al-Hasan bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) used to practise withdrawal ('azl) with her.

Sa'id saw no harm in withdrawal ('azl) and said: She is your tilth; if you wish, keep it thirsty, and if you wish, water it.

Mas'ud bin Ali said: I asked Ikrimah whether I may practise withdrawal ('azl) with my slave-girl. He said: She is your tilth; if you wish, keep it thirsty, and if you wish, water it.

Al-Zibriqan al-Sarraj said: I asked Ibn Ma'qil about withdrawal ('azl), and he said: This has been done by someone better than both me and you, namely Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him).

Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We used to practise withdrawal ('azl) while the Qur'an was being revealed, yet we were not forbidden from it.

A slave-woman of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that he used to practise withdrawal ('azl).

Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) said: This daughter of mine, who has grown up and now stays in seclusion, was born despite withdrawal ('azl).

Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Once a man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: I have a servant-girl who draws water for me. I practise withdrawal ('azl) with her, yet she has given birth to a child. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The soul whose coming into the world Allah has decreed will certainly come.

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) was asked about withdrawal ('azl). He called one of his slave-girls and said: Did I not practise withdrawal with you yesterday?

Mus'ab bin Sa'd said that whenever Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) feared that a slave-woman might become pregnant, he would practise withdrawal ('azl).