The Qur'an is ahead of medicine in confirming the minimum period for pregnancy, which is six months. Allah says in the Qur'an:
We have commanded people to honour their parents. Their mothers bore them in hardship and delivered them in hardship. Their ˹period of˺ bearing and weaning is thirty months. In time, when the child reaches their prime at the age of forty, they pray, “My Lord! Inspire me to ˹always˺ be thankful for Your favours which You blessed me and my parents with, and to do good deeds that please You. And instil righteousness in my offspring. I truly repent to You, and I truly submit ˹to Your Will˺.”46:15
And We have commanded people to ˹honour˺ their parents. Their mothers bore them through hardship upon hardship, and their weaning takes two years. So be grateful to Me and your parents. To Me is the final return.31:14
˹Divorced˺ mothers will breastfeed their offspring for two whole years, for those who wish to complete the nursing ˹of their child˺. The child’s father will provide reasonable maintenance and clothing for the mother ˹during that period˺. No one will be charged with more than they can bear. No mother or father should be made to suffer for their child. The ˹father’s˺ heirs are under the same obligation. But if both sides decide—after mutual consultation and consent—to wean a child, then there is no blame on them. If you decide to have your children nursed by a wet-nurse, it is permissible as long as you pay fairly. Be mindful of Allah, and know that Allah is All-Seeing of what you do.2:233
When we subtract the 24 months of weaning from the total of 30 months (which includes both pregnancy and weaning), we are left with 6 months. This 6-month period is the minimum time required for a fetus to survive if born at the end of that period. The Prophet's ﷺ companions, may Allah be pleased with them, understood this. For example, there was a case where a woman gave birth six months after marriage. 'Uthman ibn 'Affan, may Allah be pleased with him, believed the woman had been pregnant before the marriage and wanted to punish her according to the law for adultery. However, 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, reminded him of the Qur'anic verses. He said, "Had she wanted to cite the Book of Allah against you, she would have done so. For Allah says, 'and the bearing of him, and the weaning of him is thirty months.' He also says, 'and his weaning is in two years.' So, if we consider both verses, it is clear that the remaining time for pregnancy is six months." As a result, the woman was found innocent. Modern medicine confirms that the minimum gestation period required for a fetus to live is six months. If a baby is born before this time, it is called a miscarriage, and the baby cannot survive. However, if a baby is born after six months but before nine months (around 270 days), it is considered premature, but many premature babies survive with special care. This is by Allah's permission, and Allah knows best.
