Is it permissible to limit childbirth to two or three children given the current circumstances and difficulties of raising children, and does this contradict the Hadiths that encourage having many children?

None of the scholars have stated that procreation is obligatory or that delaying pregnancy is sinful. Rather, the Sharia evidence indicates the permissibility of delaying procreation and pregnancy, such as the hadith about coitus interruptus, which the Companions practiced during the time of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Sheikhs Ibn Baz and Ibn Uthaymeen used this as evidence for the permissibility of birth control for a valid reason.

However, delaying procreation becomes forbidden in specific cases: 1. If the decision to delay is widespread at the level of society, the state, and the nation. 2. If the motive for delaying is fear concerning sustenance and livelihood. 3. If the reason is discord and conflict between the spouses, and one of them refuses without a valid excuse. 4. If the motive is cultural subservience to non-Muslims and imitating them. 5. If the method used is permanent sterilization that completely cuts off offspring.

Apart from these specific cases, there is no harm for the spouses in delaying procreation if it is for a valid reason and a personal decision, as stated in the resolution of the Islamic Fiqh Academy regarding the permissibility of temporary birth control for a recognized need.