Ensoulment

Ensoulment means the belief that a soul enters the developing unborn child. Many Muslim traditions place this at 120 days of pregnancy, making abortion particularly serious after this point. This timing is not a universal Muslim view, and being before ensoulment does not automatically make abortion acceptable.

Ensoulment is also important in Muslim discussions. Many scholars place the entry of the soul into the foetus at 120 days, although other interpretations exist. Some permit abortion before this point for grave reasons, such as rape or severe foetal abnormality; others take a more restrictive approach.