Peace and Greetings!
Supreme Court has overturned Roe-vs. Wade and some Muslim abortion apologetics argue why it's alright to kill babies in the womb especially 'before the soul enters the body'.
The Quran says about our Soul (Nafs):
Allah takes the Soul (Nafs) at the time of their death, and those that do not die [He takes] during their sleep. Then He keeps those for which He has decreed death and releases the others for a specified term. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought. [Quran 39:42]
Below is a Hadith about when a fetus receives Spirit (Ruh):
Narrated `Abdullah bin Mus'ud:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), the true and truly inspired said, "(The matter of the Creation of) a human being is put together in the womb of the mother in forty days, and then he becomes a clot of thick blood for a similar period, and then a piece of flesh for a similar period. Then Allah sends an angel who is ordered to write four things. He is ordered to write down his (i.e. the new creature's) deeds, his livelihood, his (date of) death, and whether he will be blessed or wretched (in religion). Then the Ruh is breathed into him.....[Sahih al-Bukhari 3208 In-book reference : Book 59, Hadith 19]
There is a difference between Soul (Nafs) and Ruh (Spirit) - Abu Amina Elias describes the following relationship between Nafs and Ruh.:
To recap, the human psyche is composed of the heart, spirit, self (nafs) or ego, and mind. The heart is the core-being and the most important of these parts. The spirit is the higher-self that influences the heart to be righteous, reflect divine qualities, and do good deeds. The ego is the lower-self that is the receptacle of basic instincts and has a tendency to follow its whims. The mind is the rational faculty and receptacle of thought, contemplation, and understanding.
Muslim apologetics for abortion usually present the following rationale for abortion - incorrectly quoting Soul instead of Spirit:
A 'Soul' comes into the Fetus at the Xth day - the fetus is Not Living Before the Xth day -----------------Argument A
We know that the human body loses a Soul at night so let's consider the following hypothesis:
The human body is without a Soul when asleep so it's not Living ------------------Argument B
One should be able to formulate Argument B on the basis of Argument A, however to me both seem faulty. As scholars like Abu Amina Elias have mentioned, Spirit, Soul, Heart and Mind are part of a complex human psyche. The fetus once conceived has the potential to become a human being if left alone. The human fetus not a piece of wood that suddenly converts to a living being at a certain number of days.
...whoever takes a life—unless as a punishment for murder or mischief in the land—it will be as if they killed all of humanity; and whoever saves a life, it will be as if they saved all of humanity... Quran [5:32]
And whoever kills a believer intentionally, their reward will be Hell—where they will stay indefinitely. Allah will be displeased with them, condemn them, and will prepare for them a tremendous punishment. [Quran 4:93]
We will be questioned about our actions or what we advised others on Judgement Day. Let's be the ones who are on the side of Right. Insha'Allah.
Masha’Allah, Jazak Allah Khair for the information and clarification.