Issue No: 128
13th July 2012
22nd Sh'abaan 1433 A.H.
Salamun alaykum,
It’s National Transplant Week: 9th - 15th July, 2012
The NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) have launched a campaign to raise awareness for the blood and transplant service. During the National Transplant week surgeons, charities, families, patients and donors come together to highlight the desperate need for more people to give the gift of life.
Would you take an organ if you needed one?
Currently in the U.K. more than 10 0000 people are in need of an organ transplant. Across the U.K. three people die every day because they do not receive the organ they need in time, resulting in 1,000 deaths every year.
In response to the above question, a leaflet produced by the NHS states that 96% of us would take an organ if we needed one.
Most precious gift – the gift of life:
Blood is the most valued gift that anyone can give to another person. Doctors and surgeons rely on blood donations to carry out a wide variety of life-saving and life-enhancing treatments every day.By donating blood one is able to save lives of people who are in need of blood transfusion. Another gift of life is donating organ and tissue. Organ donation is the gift of an organ to help someone who needs a transplant. Kidneys, heart, liver, lungs, pancreas and the small bowel are organs that can be transplanted. The tissues which can be donated are cornea, skin, bone, tendons, cartilage and heart valves.
Guidance from Marja Taqleed:
As muqallidin (followers) we turn towards the Mujtahid for guidance and act according to the fatwa (verdict) of the Marja Taqleed. It is gratifying to note that emerging issues such as organ donation are being addressed by our revered and eminent scholars to whom we refer for guidance and that constantly discussions are ongoing to address the challenges we come across in our daily life.
Herebelow is response by Ayatullah Al Udhama Seyyid Ali As Seestani to a question on organ donation:
Question: Is donating an organ from a living person to another living person (for example, in case of a kidney) or from a dead person by his will, to a living person permissible? Would the ruling be different, if it were from a Muslim to a non-Muslim or vice versa? Is the ruling for certain organs different from other organs?
Answer: As far as donating an organ from a living person to the body of another person is concerned, there is no problem in it if it does not entail a serious harm to the donor. (For example, donating one kidney by a person who has another healthy kidney)
As far as removing an organ from a deceased (based on his will) for the purpose of transplanting it into a living person is concerned, there is no problem in it so long as:
- The deceased was not a Muslim or someone who is considered a Muslim.
- Or the life of a Muslim depended on such transplantation.
In other than these two cases, there is a problem in enforcing the will [of the deceased] and in allowing the removal of the organ. However, if the will had been done [by the deceased], there will be no indemnity on the person retrieving the organ from the dead body.
(Reference: A Code of Practice for Muslims in the West Question No: 360)
Wa ma tawfiqi illa billah
Fazle Abbas Datoo
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Resident Alim
Wessex Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat