Muslim views on abortion emphasise the sanctity of life, drawing on Qur’anic guidance and the interpretations of religious scholars, abortion being defined as the killing of the foetus and its removal from a pregnant woman’s womb. Verses discouraging the taking of innocent life—such as Qur’an 5:32 and 17:31—are frequently applied to the issue, leading most jurists to consider abortion a form of unjust killing and therefore forbidden. Despite this, the Qur’an’s failure to address human abortion explicitly has led to differing opinions among Islamic scholars.

Each of the four Sunni Islam schools of thought—Hanafi, Shafi'i, Hanbali, and Maliki—have their reservations on if and when abortions are permissible. The Maliki school holds that "the fetus is ensouled at the moment of conception." Thus, "most Malikis do not permit abortion at any point, seeing God's hand as actively forming the fetus at every stage of development." The Sahih al-Bukhari (book of Hadith) writes that the fetus is believed to become with soul after 120 days' gestation. Therefore, some Hanafi scholars believe that abortion before the hundred-twenty-day period is over is permitted, though some Hanafi scholars teach that abortion within 120 days is makruh (disapproved, i.e., discouraged). All Islamic schools of thought agree that the mother's life is paramount, and in the case of a life-threatening pregnancy, separation of the mother and unborn child may be necessary.

In Shia Islam, abortion is "forbidden after implantation of the fertilized ovum." The leader of the Iranian Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini, declared that shari'a forbids abortion without any reason "even at the earliest possible stage." a position shared by other Shiite scholars.

In the 47 countries of the world with Muslim-majority populations, access to abortion varies greatly. In many, abortion is allowed when the mother's life is at risk. In 18 countries, including Iraq, Egypt, and Indonesia, this is the only circumstance where abortion is permitted. In another ten countries, it is allowed on request. Mauritania, however, prohibits abortion under any circumstance.

Most scholars during the medieval age viewed 120 days after conception as a crucial dividing line in the development of the fetus – the time when the fetus became "ensouled" (becomes a living soul) and thus a live human being. Abortion before this point was permissible according to Islamic law scholar Abed Awad, but after this period, it was considered a termination of life. These views toward abortion are still referenced and used by several modern Islamic theologians and scholars.

According to religious studies scholar Zahra Ayubi, historically, Muslim thought was more concerned with the topic of preservation of human life and safeguarding of the mother's life than with determining when life begins. Several contemporary Muslim writers have also stated that pre-modern Islamic scholars were more tolerant of abortion.

The Hanbali jurist Ibn Taymiyyah stated in his fatwa collection Fatawa Ibn Taymiyyah, "Aborting a fetus has been declared unlawful (haram) with the consensus of all the Muslim scholars. It is similar to burying an infant alive as referred to by Allah Almighty in the verse of the Qur'an: 'And when the female infant, buried alive, will be asked as to what crime she was killed for' (Surah al-Takwir, verse 8)". A verse in the Quran refers to pregnant women who abort their pregnancies upon the Day of Judgment.

There were no medical abortions in the time of Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam. Still, several Hadith dealt with situations where a pregnant woman lost an unborn child, often by being struck in the belly.^{[citation needed]}