The view of permissibility
According to almost all of the major Arab scholars and also some contemporary Indo/Pak scholars, the transplantation and donation of human-organs is permissible subject to certain conditions (which will be mentioned later). This view is based on the following grounds:
a) The famous principles (qawa’id) of Islamic Jurisprudence based on the teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah permit the use of unlawful things in cases of extreme need and necessity. In case of necessity, certain prohibitions are waived, as when the life of a person is threatened the prohibition of eating carrion or drinking wine is suspended. Allah Most High says:
“He (Allah) has only forbidden you dead meat, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that on which any other name has been invoked besides that of Allah. But if one is forced by necessity, without wilful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits, then he is guiltless. For Allah is Most Forgiving and Most Merciful.” (Surah al-Baqarah, v. 173)
The Qur’an also permits the utterance of disbelief (kufr) in order to save your life. Allah Most High says:
“Anyone who, after accepting faith in Allah, utters unbelief, except under compulsion whilst his heart remaining firm in faith…” (Surah al-Nahl, V. 106)
The principle of Fiqh, based on the above Qur’anic guidelines, states:
“Necessity makes prohibition lawful.” (See: Ibn Nujaym, al-Ashbah wa al-Naza’ir, P. 85 )
According to Imam Shafi’i (Allah have mercy on him), it is permissible for a person dying out of hunger to consume the meat of another human. (See: Ibn Qudama, al-Mugni, 9/335)
Therefore, in cases of need and necessity, impure, unlawful and Haram things become permissible. When a person’s life is in danger and he is in dire need for transplantation, he is in such a situation, thus the transplantation of organs will be permissible.
b) With regards to the aspect of human sanctity, there are two things that need to be taken into consideration.
Firstly, it is true that a human body, whether dead or alive, is honoured and respected, but does the modern procedure violate this sanctity? Islam ordered us to honour a human body but did not prescribe any fixed methods for it. Disgracing a human body may change from one time to another and from one place to another.
Thus, it could be said that the current procedure of organ transplantation is not considered dishonouring a human body. The surgery is performed in the most respectable way and it is not considered to be disrespectful. This is the reason why many highly respected people of the community regard donating of organs as a mark of merit, and they are not looked down upon.
Secondly, there are cases where Shariah overlooks the sanctity that is attributed to the body, such as in the case of saving another human.
It is stated in Tuhfat al-Fuqaha:
“If a pregnant woman died and the child in her stomach is still alive, her stomach will be cut open in order to take the child out, for in there is saving the live of a human, thus the sanctity of a human body will be overlooked.” (Samarqandi, Tuhfat al-Fuqaha, 4/261 & Badai’i al-Sana’i)
This is also based on the juristic principle:
“If one is confronted with two evils, one should choose the lesser of the two.” (al-Ashbah wa al-Naza’ir)
c) As for a human not owning his body is concerned, Islam permits a human in certain situations to utilize his body. It is similar to the wealth which Allah Almighty has given a human, and he is permitted to utilize it (in a correct manner) and give it as a gift.
If an individual is drowning or is in the midst of a burning flame, it is totally permissible to go and save him and put yourself in danger. Similarly, it will be permissible to donate your organ in order to save the life of a fellow human being.
d) Almost all of the scholars give permission for the transfusion and donation of blood in cases of need and necessity (see the article on blood transfusion), then why is there a difference in the issue of organ transplant. The surgical procedure of transplantation ensures that one does not go through unnecessary mutilation of one’s body. It is similar to surgical treatment that is carried out on a living person for medication purposes.
In view of the above (according to this group of scholars), it will be permissible to transplant and donate organs in order to save another person’s life. However, this is subject to certain terms and conditions.
The international Islamic fiqh academy (Majma’ al-Fiqh al-Islami) which consists of a number of major scholars from around the globe researched this issue in February 1988, and after extensive research, issued the following verdicts:
Note, that the resolutions of the Islamic fiqh academy have been published in Arabic and translated in a number of languages. Below is the original Arabic text and its translation in English:
الحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم
أما بعد
فإن مجلس مجمع الفقه الإسلامي المنعقد في دورة مؤتمره الرابع بجدة في المملكة العربية السعودية من 18-23 جمادى الآخرة 1408هـ،الموافق 6-11 فبراير 1988م
بعد اطلاعه على الأبحاث الفقهية والطبية الواردة إلى المجمع بخصوص موضوع "انتفاع الإنسان بأعضاء جسم إنسان آخر حيًا أو ميتًا"
.
وفي ضوء المناقشات التي وجهت الأنظار إلى أن هذا الموضوع أمر واقع فرضه التقدم العلمي والطبي، وظهرت نتائجه الإيجابية المفيدة والمشوبة في كثير من الأحيان بالأضرار النفسية والاجتماعية الناجمة عن ممارسته دون الضوابط والقيود الشرعية التي تصان بها كرامة الإنسان، ومع مراعاة مقاصد الشريعة الإسلامية الكفيلة بتحقيق كل ما هو خير ومصلحة غالبة للفرد والجماعة، والداعية إلى التعاون والتراحم والإيثار.
وبعد حصر هذا الموضوع في النقاط التي يتحرر فيها محل البحث وتنضبط تقسيماته وصوره وحالاته التي يختلف الحكم تبعًا لها.
قرر ما يلي:
من حيث الأحكام الشرعية:
أولاً: يجوز نقل العضو من مكان من جسم الإنسان إلى مكان آخر من جسمه، مع مراعاة التأكد من أن النفع المتوقع من هذه العملية أرجح من الضرر المترتب عليها، وبشرط أن يكون ذلك لإيجاد عضو مفقود أو لإعادة شكله أو وظيفته المعهودة له، أو لإصلاح عيب أو إزالة دمامة تسبب للشخص أذى نفسيًا أو عضويًا.
ثانيًا: يجوز نقل العضو من جسم إنسان إلى جسم إنسان آخر، إن كان هذا العضو يتجدد تلقائيًا، كالدم والجلد، ويراعى في ذلك اشتراط كون الباذل كامل الأهلية، وتحقق الشروط الشرعية المعتبرة.
ثالثًا: تجوز الاستفادة من جزء من العضو الذي استؤصل من الجسم لعلة مرضية لشخص آخر، كأخذ قرنية العين لإنسان ما عند استئصال العين لعلة مرضية.
رابعًا: يحرم نقل عضو تتوقف عليه الحياة كالقلب من إنسان حي إلى إنسان آخر.
خامسًا: يحرم نقل عضو من إنسان حي يعطل زواله وظيفة أساسية في حياته وإن لم تتوقف سلامة أصل الحياة عليها كنقل قرنية العينين كلتيهما، أما إن كان النقل يعطل جزءًا من وظيفة أساسية فهو محل بحث ونظر كما يأتي في الفقرة الثامنة.
سادسًا: يجوز نقل عضو من ميت إلى حي تتوقف حياته على ذلك العضو، أو تتوقف سلامة وظيفة أساسية فيه على ذلك. بشرط أن يأذن الميت أو ورثته بعد موته، أو بشرط موافقة ولي المسلمين إن كان المتوفى مجهول الهوية أو لا ورثة له.
سابعًا: وينبغي ملاحظة أن الاتفاق على جواز نقل العضو في الحالات التي تم بيانها، مشروط بأن لا يتم ذلك بوساطة بيع العضو. إذ لا يجوز إخضاع أعضاء الإنسان للبيع بحال ما.
أما بذل المال من المستفيد، ابتغاء الحصول على العضو المطلوب عند الضرورة أو مكافأة وتكريمًا، فمحل اجتهاد ونظر.
ثامنًا: كل ما عدا الحالات والصور المذكورة، مما يدخل في أصل الموضوع، فهو محل بحث ونظر، ويجب طرحه للدراسة والبحث في دورة قادمة، على ضوء المعطيات الطبية والأحكام الشرعية.
والله أعلم.
Shariah Rulings
1) It is permitted to transplant or graft an organ from one place of a person’s body to another, so long as one is careful to ascertain that the benefits of this operation outweigh any harm that may result from it, and on the condition that this is done to replace something that has been lost, or to restore its appearance or regular function, or to correct some fault or disfigurement which is causing physical or psychological distress.
2) It is permitted to transplant an organ from one person’s body to another, if it is an organ that can regenerate itself, such as skin and blood, provided that the donor is mature and fully understands what he is doing, and that all the other relevant shariah conditions are met.
3) It is permitted to use part of an organ that has been removed from the body because of illness, to benefit another person, such as using the cornea of an eye removed because of illness.
4) It is unlawful (haram) to transplant or use an organ on which life depends, such as taking a heart from a living person to transplant into another person.
5) It is unlawful (haram) to take an organ from a living person when doing so could impair an essential and vital function in his body, even though his life itself may not be under threat, such as removing the corneas of both eyes. However, removing organs which will lead to only partial impairment is a matter which is still under scholarly discussion, as is mentioned in resolution no. 8.
6) It is permitted to transplant an organ from a dead person to a living person when his life depends on receiving that organ, or when vital functions of his body are otherwise impaired, on the condition that permission is given either by the person before his death or by his heirs, or by the leader of the Muslims in cases where the dead person’s identity is unknown or he has no heirs.
7) Care should be taken to ensure that in all of the above situations where transplantation is permitted, no buying or selling of organs is involved. It is not permitted to trade in human organs under any circumstance. However, the question of whether the beneficiary may spend money to obtain an organ he needs, or to show his appreciation, is a matter which is still under the research of the scholars.
8) Anything other than the scenarios described above is still subject to scholarly debate, and requires further detailed research in the light of medical research and shariah rulings. And Allah knows best. (See: Qararat wa tawsiyat majma’ al-fiqh al-Islami, P. 59-60)