Discussion on cloning.

Al-Halabi: Recently, there has been a lot of talk about what is called cloning, to the point that a fatwa has been attributed toThe Shaykh : Yusuf al-Qaradawi stating that cloning may be permissible in solving some problems. A brief word on this broad issue?

The Shaykh: I say first, if the report fromThe Shaykh : al-Qaradawi is accurate, then it is possible, and I always say that the word "possible" is met by its counterpart, and it can be a cause for expanding the circle of problems. This is in answer to the question raised, whether the one saying it is so-and-so or someone else. As for us, we have spoken regarding cloning, because this is a phrase that contains a kind of strangeness, but perhaps it will be understood, if Allah wills. It is based on test-tube babies. A test-tube baby is not valid in the Shari'ah because it is preceded by many, many serious legal fears. Many of our brothers present know that I narrowed the scope of the fatwa regarding test-tube babies to be only between the two spouses, one of whom is a doctor, and this may be very, very rare. If this is possible, it is permissible. But expanding the scope so that it moves to hospitals and doctors, this is not permissible in the Shari'ah because it necessitates committing legal violations, the least of which is exposing the 'awrah (parts of the body that must be covered). So I believe that the cloning mentioned, which has raised many questions in this recent era, does not escape falling into legal violations. It is sufficient for us, Muslims, to be extremely cautious with all the scientific opinions that come to us from the lands of disbelief, open sinfulness, and misguidance. This is because they proceed from a foundation that Allah Mighty and Majestic has branded them with in His saying regarding them: the well-known verse So everything that comes to us today of scientific opinions and ideas may be shiny and beautiful, but it is true of them that their appearance is mercy and their reality is torment. We must receive them with extreme caution, and very extreme caution, especially since this cloning is still in its early stages. We have read and heard much that some of the disbelievers themselves feared the spread of the cloning process in their lands. And as we mentioned earlier, they do not forbid what Allah and His Messenger forbid. We, who forbid what Allah has forbidden and permit what He has permitted, should be further from such cloning until the reality of the matter becomes clear in practice. At that time, every incident will have its own ruling. Anyway,Abu Layla : ... . I wanted to mention the opinion of some of the Salaf, which perhaps some of our brothers do not know. It is that among the scientific principles is that a scholar, in reality and according to the methodology of the righteous Salaf, as we say, if asked about a matter, whether it has occurred or not, if the one asked answers that it has not occurred, the scholar refrains from issuing a fatwa and tells him to wait until it occurs, and then Allah the Exalted will surely provide for you someone to issue a fatwa. Why? Because when the matter is conceptualized mentally and then applied practically, it may differ somewhat. The first questioner takes the answer from the mufti regarding a theoretical question, and if this theoretical matter becomes practical with some modification that did not come to mindThe questioner : The first point is that since the matter has not yet occurred, the scholar refrains from issuing a ruling and tells the person to wait until it happens. Then, Allah the Exalted will surely provide someone to issue a ruling for you. Why? Because when a matter is conceptualized in the mind and then applied in practice, it may differ in some respects. The first questioner receives an answer from the mufti regarding a theoretical question, and when that theoretical matter becomes practical, along with some adjustments that did not occur to him,The questioner : The first one.

The questioner : Regarding the issue of cloning, we should not use the hadith as evidence. As you know, the operative cause in the prohibition of image-making is that it involves imitating the creation of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He. Those who clone are merely producing a child or fetus that resembles the mother herself or the father himself. So, is there any imitation of the creation of Allah the Exalted in this, such that we would definitively rule it forbidden?

The Shaykh: I do not see this, because if these causes are correct, they are from the creation of Allah the Exalted. And in my opinion, but we would be contradicting our principle by speaking about non-realistic matters.