Dua and Afroze discuss that all children are a blessing no matter how they are brought into this world. Complex ideas are explored that run parallel to each other but in opposite directions. Just as we’re told to avoid sin, we’re also taught that we’re guaranteed we’re going to commit them (both on a big and small scale). Just as intimacy outside of marriage is forbidden, a child as a result of that sin is still a blessing. Two counter-intuitive notions that run parallel to one another but in opposite directions... because we know morality and ethics don’t always coincide and that this life is complex.

We discuss several aspects of this complex topic

1. Ramifications for men vs women when children are born our of wedlock
2. Positive Islamic point of view (All children were meant to be born, even through sin)
3. Ramifications for the child itself in Islamic society versus all societies
4. Mental Health impact on children who grow up without a father in the picture