Ruling on transplanting organs from a disbeliever to a Muslim
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Question:
This is a question from the listener Khalid 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Khalid from Makkah al-Mukarramah. He says: We all know the extent of the progress human medicine has reached today, to the point of heart transplantation, or transferring it from one person to another, or any other organ such as the eye, for example. What is the Islamic ruling in the case of transplanting the heart of a non-Muslim to a Muslim person, or his eye, or his kidney, or any other organ of the body?
As for the heart, the ruling is required while considering the meaning of the hadith which indicates:Sahih al-Bukhari 52.
Answer:
As for transplantation, there is disagreement among the scholars: some permit it and permit donating it, while others do not permit this; because the believer and the Muslim, and the human being, does not have the right to dispose of himself in a way that harms him, for he is the property of Allah . So a group of scholars held that if one donates it in a way that there is no fear for him in it, and no danger for him in it, or if it is taken from him upon his death in a way that benefits others, some of them permitted this, and some of them did not permit this, and they said: It is not permissible for a person to donate any of his organs; because they are not owned by him, rather they are the property of Allah, so he does not have the right to donate them, neither a kidney, nor a heart, nor anything else.
And others among the scholars said: If one donates something that does not harm him, such as one of his kidneys or the cornea, and the like of that, then there is no blame on him; because it is something that benefits others and does not harm him. As for something that harms him, no, he does not have the right to donate something that harms him or causes his death.
And in any case, if we assume that a disbeliever's kidney is transferred to a Muslim, it takes on the ruling of the Muslim, and it becomes a follower of the Muslim. If he dies upon Islam, it will not be tortured; because it was transferred from that foul body to a good body, so it takes on the ruling of the good body by the transfer. Just as wine, if it ferments without anyone fermenting it, becomes good, and just as much impure water, if the causes of its impurity are removed—its color, smell, and taste—it becomes good and transforms into goodness and becomes pure. So this is how what is transferred from a disbeliever, whether a kidney or otherwise, or a heart or otherwise, follows the Muslim. It becomes good following the Muslim; if the Muslim becomes good, his heart becomes good, even if it was transplanted. For the arteries and things connected to this heart, and that supply it with blood, are all from the Muslim.
So it becomes new goodness for him after it was foul. Goodness came to it by the Muslim's supply to it, and its remaining in him worships Allah, and it magnifies Allah and fears Him and watches over Him . So this, assuming its existence, and assuming the validity of the transfer, and that it lives in the second location, is like a kidney if it is transferred, and like the cornea, and like anything else; it takes on the ruling of the one to whom it was transferred. So if it is transferred from a disbeliever to a Muslim, it becomes good, and it has the ruling of the Muslim. And if it is transferred from a Muslim to a disbeliever, it takes on the ruling of the disbeliever, and is gathered with him on the Day of Resurrection, and becomes a follower of him; because the organs follow the person, so they are his organs and his parts, the heart and otherwise. So if it is filled with obedience, it becomes good. And if it is filled with shirk and disbelief and hatred of Allah and His Messenger, it transitions from a state of goodness to a state of foulness. Like a Muslim who apostatizes from his religion while he is a good Muslim; if he apostatizes from his religion and becomes a hypocrite or an open disbeliever, foulness becomes his, foulness transitions to him, and goodness departs from him because of his disbelief and apostasy.
So this is how, if a Muslim's organ is transferred to a disbeliever, it becomes foul, and if a disbeliever's organ is transferred to a Muslim, it becomes good by the transfer. And this is something in which I do not know of any difficulty or dispute if it were to occur. Yes.
This is a question from the listener Khalid 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Khalid from Makkah al-Mukarramah. He says: We all know the extent of the progress human medicine has reached today, to the point of heart transplantation, or transferring it from one person to another, or any other organ such as the eye, for example. What is the Islamic ruling in the case of transplanting the heart of a non-Muslim to a Muslim person, or his eye, or his kidney, or any other organ of the body?
As for the heart, the ruling is required while considering the meaning of the hadith which indicates:
There is a piece of flesh in the body if it becomes good (reformed) the whole body becomes good but if it gets spoilt the whole body gets spoilt
أن في الجسد مضغة إذا صلحت صلح الجسد كله، وإذا فسدت فسد الجسد كلهAnswer:
As for transplantation, there is disagreement among the scholars: some permit it and permit donating it, while others do not permit this; because the believer and the Muslim, and the human being, does not have the right to dispose of himself in a way that harms him, for he is the property of Allah . So a group of scholars held that if one donates it in a way that there is no fear for him in it, and no danger for him in it, or if it is taken from him upon his death in a way that benefits others, some of them permitted this, and some of them did not permit this, and they said: It is not permissible for a person to donate any of his organs; because they are not owned by him, rather they are the property of Allah, so he does not have the right to donate them, neither a kidney, nor a heart, nor anything else.
And others among the scholars said: If one donates something that does not harm him, such as one of his kidneys or the cornea, and the like of that, then there is no blame on him; because it is something that benefits others and does not harm him. As for something that harms him, no, he does not have the right to donate something that harms him or causes his death.
And in any case, if we assume that a disbeliever's kidney is transferred to a Muslim, it takes on the ruling of the Muslim, and it becomes a follower of the Muslim. If he dies upon Islam, it will not be tortured; because it was transferred from that foul body to a good body, so it takes on the ruling of the good body by the transfer. Just as wine, if it ferments without anyone fermenting it, becomes good, and just as much impure water, if the causes of its impurity are removed—its color, smell, and taste—it becomes good and transforms into goodness and becomes pure. So this is how what is transferred from a disbeliever, whether a kidney or otherwise, or a heart or otherwise, follows the Muslim. It becomes good following the Muslim; if the Muslim becomes good, his heart becomes good, even if it was transplanted. For the arteries and things connected to this heart, and that supply it with blood, are all from the Muslim.
So it becomes new goodness for him after it was foul. Goodness came to it by the Muslim's supply to it, and its remaining in him worships Allah, and it magnifies Allah and fears Him and watches over Him . So this, assuming its existence, and assuming the validity of the transfer, and that it lives in the second location, is like a kidney if it is transferred, and like the cornea, and like anything else; it takes on the ruling of the one to whom it was transferred. So if it is transferred from a disbeliever to a Muslim, it becomes good, and it has the ruling of the Muslim. And if it is transferred from a Muslim to a disbeliever, it takes on the ruling of the disbeliever, and is gathered with him on the Day of Resurrection, and becomes a follower of him; because the organs follow the person, so they are his organs and his parts, the heart and otherwise. So if it is filled with obedience, it becomes good. And if it is filled with shirk and disbelief and hatred of Allah and His Messenger, it transitions from a state of goodness to a state of foulness. Like a Muslim who apostatizes from his religion while he is a good Muslim; if he apostatizes from his religion and becomes a hypocrite or an open disbeliever, foulness becomes his, foulness transitions to him, and goodness departs from him because of his disbelief and apostasy.
So this is how, if a Muslim's organ is transferred to a disbeliever, it becomes foul, and if a disbeliever's organ is transferred to a Muslim, it becomes good by the transfer. And this is something in which I do not know of any difficulty or dispute if it were to occur. Yes.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.