Is it true that you do not consider blood donation permissible except in cases of necessity, such as for a specific person?
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The questioner : The questioner says: “Respected Shaykh, it has been reported to us that Your Eminence does not consider blood donation permissible except in cases of necessity, such as donating to a specific person. Is this statement correct? If a person donates blood to a specific individual, it is transferred directly to them without being stored in a refrigerator. Consequently, the refrigerators in hospitals remain empty with no blood in them. In this case, if an emergency patient arrives at the hospital and requires blood, it is not possible to transfer blood directly to that patient because there is no blood in the refrigerator, especially if the blood type is rare and not readily available. This would result in the loss of life. Please provide guidance on the ruling regarding blood donation. May Allah reward you with the best reward and guide you to what He loves and is pleased with.”
The Shaykh : We say that if a person is fasting an obligatory fast, it is not permissible to draw blood from him while he is fasting an obligatory fast, except in cases of necessity, such as when there is a patient who urgently needs that type of blood. In that case, blood is drawn from the healthy fasting person, and we tell him to break his fast, eat, drink, and make up that day later.
As for if a person is not fasting and wishes to donate blood, and the donation does not harm him, there is no blame on him in doing so. This is because blood does not involve the loss of an organ of the body; it only involves the draining of blood, which is quickly replaced, unlike organs.
Therefore, what was reported about us is likely a misunderstanding on the part of the reporter regarding the case where a person is fasting an obligatory fast. In that case, it is not permissible to donate blood unless there is a person who urgently needs that blood type, and it is more likely than not that he cannot wait until sunset without the donation. In that case, the fasting person donates to him and breaks his fast, eating and drinking, and then makes up that day later. An example of this is a person who urgently needs the blood of this fasting man in Ramadan, and it is said that delaying it until sunset might cause his death. We then tell the fasting person, “May Allah reward you with good. Allow him to take some of your blood so that it can be given to this needy person. You may eat and drink, even in Ramadan, and then make up that day later.” However, if a person is not fasting an obligatory fast, the matter is broad in this regard, and there is nothing wrong with donating blood, whether to a patient present or to be stored in tanks for patients who will need it in the future.
The Shaykh : We say that if a person is fasting an obligatory fast, it is not permissible to draw blood from him while he is fasting an obligatory fast, except in cases of necessity, such as when there is a patient who urgently needs that type of blood. In that case, blood is drawn from the healthy fasting person, and we tell him to break his fast, eat, drink, and make up that day later.
As for if a person is not fasting and wishes to donate blood, and the donation does not harm him, there is no blame on him in doing so. This is because blood does not involve the loss of an organ of the body; it only involves the draining of blood, which is quickly replaced, unlike organs.
Therefore, what was reported about us is likely a misunderstanding on the part of the reporter regarding the case where a person is fasting an obligatory fast. In that case, it is not permissible to donate blood unless there is a person who urgently needs that blood type, and it is more likely than not that he cannot wait until sunset without the donation. In that case, the fasting person donates to him and breaks his fast, eating and drinking, and then makes up that day later. An example of this is a person who urgently needs the blood of this fasting man in Ramadan, and it is said that delaying it until sunset might cause his death. We then tell the fasting person, “May Allah reward you with good. Allow him to take some of your blood so that it can be given to this needy person. You may eat and drink, even in Ramadan, and then make up that day later.” However, if a person is not fasting an obligatory fast, the matter is broad in this regard, and there is nothing wrong with donating blood, whether to a patient present or to be stored in tanks for patients who will need it in the future.