Can you please tell me the islamic point of organ donation.
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
(May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked
this question:
Assalamalaikum,
Quran illustrates: "…And if any one sustains life, it would be as if he
sustained the life of all mankind…"
Can
you please tell me the islamic point of organ donation:
1.If
the patient is alive, can some organs which can not harm the individual can be
transplanted like one kidney?
2.If
the patient is dead, can the organs be transplanted?
3.If
the patient is brain dead with beating heart, can we transplant heart to
someone who is really in need of a heart?
4.What
is the islamic definition of death?
Wassalam
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Answer:
Organ Donations
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His
help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide,
and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear
witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear
witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His
Messengers.
The
Holy Quran and Sunnah are silent on the issue of donating organs, as these
transplants were obviously made available only after the advancements of
technology and modern medicine, which were obviously not available at the time
the Quran was being revealed. The
scholars in Islam have debated on this issue in light of the principles of the
Quran and Sunnah, and the majority of them are of the opinion that there is no
harm if one donates his body organs after his death to another so that some
other believer may benefit from them after his/her death; provided some
conditions are met.
Their argument or ‘daleel’ is
that one’s body parts are only needed as long as one is alive, and are absolutely no use to the person once
he/she dies. Thus if these parts can benefit
some loved one, there is no harm in donating them.
A few scholars though, have
voiced their opinion saying that it is categorically forbidden to donate one’s
body parts to another. Their ‘daleel’
or argument is that man is not the inherent owner of his own body, as the body was only give to man as a trust
from Allah Subhanah, Who is the Real Owner of everything. Therefore it is not permissible to distribute
something which does not belong to man in the first place.
The majority of the contemporary
scholars and jurists in Islam are of the opinion that if one does it of his own
free will, and does not demand or get
any material benefit from it, there is
no harm in donating one’s body parts to a loved one after his/her death. And Allah Alone Knows Best.
Your
Question: If the patient is alive, can some organs which can not harm the
individual can be transplanted like one kidney?
Provided the person does so of his own will and is not
materially compensated for donating his organs, the majority of the scholars
are of the opinion that there is no harm in such a donation.
Your Question: If the patient is dead, can the
organs be transplanted?
Provided the consent and approval from the deceased was
taken regarding the donation of his organs before his death, and the heirs of
the deceased do not demand and are not materially compensated….there is no
harm.
Your Question: ….If the patient is brain dead
with beating heart, can we transplant heart to someone who is really in need of
a heart?
To intentionally ‘pull’ the life-support system of one who
is medically declared as ‘brain-dead’ is an issue the scholars and jurists in
Islam have differed upon….and Allah Alone Knows Best.
Your
Question: What is the islamic definition of death?
The ‘Islamic’ definition of death would be when the soul
is taken out of the body by the Angel of Death appointed by the Lord
Creator.
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only
due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me
alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is
the Only Source of Strength.
Your brother and
well wisher in Islam,
Burhan