Organ Donation

Organ donation & transplantation

Organ transplantation is a contemporary surgical phenomenon that plays a major role in the treatment of end-stage organ failure. It involves the transplantation of donated organs into patients but is limited by how many organs are available for use.

The ethics of organ transplantation amongst Muslims is an issue of great unfamiliarity and uncertainty. Despite the numerous resolutions outlining the positions adopted by international Islamic councils, this ambiguity is often cited as the sole reason for not signing the organ donor register during life. As a result, Muslims are disproportionately underrepresented on the organ donation register today.

Muslim scholars have debated the issue for many years. In this article, we explore the conclusions of Muslim scholars with these issues, focussing particularly on the work of major councils of Islamic law. The  questions addressed include:

– What are the ethical arguments in Islam, for and against transplantation?
– Is a Muslim patient allowed to have an organ transplant?
– Can a Muslim donate their organs whilst they are alive?
– Is blood and bone marrow donation permitted in Islam?
– How does Islam view the use of organs and tissues from animals, including pigs?
– Is it allowed in Islam to donate your organs when you die?

The article:

Author: Mr. Obadah Ghannam
Editor: Dr. Saad Ismail

Reviewed and approved by: Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari, Ms. Natalie Akenzua, Shaykh Ruzwan Muhammad, Ms. Arzoo Ahmed, Dr. Raeesa Nurani.

© MHSN – The Muslim Healthcare Students Network. All rights reserved. Aside from fair use (a few pages or less for non-profit educational purposes, review, or scholarly citation) no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. The medical information in this article is presented to help educate readers on the Islamic laws concerning medicine and healthcare. The author, editors, reviewers and MHSN are not responsible for any medical decisions or actions taken based on the information in this article. Furthermore, the guidance given in this publication is general guidance. All individual cases must be dealt with on an individual basis, with the advice of qualified medical experts and qualified Muslim scholars.