Fatwa ID: 05466

Answered by: Alimah Safiyya Maryam Ahmed

Question:

If there is a shortage of blood so the hospital sets up a donate blood tent for people to come and donate voluntarily. They test you before to see if you are healthy enough or don’t have any illnesses or iron deficiency. Can you donate blood?

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

All parts of a human body, including blood, are considered sacred out of honor for humankind and it is impermissible to utilize, buy, sell and benefit from human body parts. Furthermore, when blood is removed from the body it becomes impure. [1] Therefore, the general principle would be that donating blood or accepting blood transfusions would be impermissible.

However, in modern medicine, blood and blood products are essential in saving lives and reducing mortality and morbidity from a whole range of medical ailments. Modern-day health care systems require regular blood donations from healthy donors to meet the necessary demand. The regenerating nature of blood is similar to breastmilk which has been discussed as becoming permissible to use as a medicine when there is a need and high probability of cure. [2] Therefore, based on the dire need for people of all backgrounds to donate blood scholars have applied important Fiqhi principles, such as “Necessities make permissible the prohibited”, to the issue of donating blood and permitted it as long as the donor is not putting themselves at harm and they are donating it of their own free will. [3]

A person’s intention should be to assist those in need and gain reward from Allah Azzawajjal by doing so, for Allah Ta’ala states in the Qur’an “Whoever saves the life of a person is as if he has saved the life of the whole of humankind.” [5: 32] And the ultimate cure is only from Allah Ta’ala.

Only Allah knows best

Written by Alimah Safiyya Maryam Ahmed

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

وشعرالإنسانوعظمهطاهروقالالشافعينجسلأنهلاينتفعبهولايجوزبيعهولناأنعدمالانتفاعوالبيعلكرامتهفلايدلعلىنجاستهواللهأعلم (الهداية شرح بداية المبتدي, المجلد الأول, كتاب الطهارات, باب الماء الذي يجوز به الوضوء وما لايجوز)

ولابأسبأنيسعطالرجلبلبنالمرأةويشربهللدواءوفيشربلبنالمرأةللبالغمنغيرضرورةاختلافالمتأخرينكذافيالقنية (الفتاوى الهندية, الجزء الخامس, كتاب الكراهية, صفحة ٤١٠, دار الفكر)

الضروراتتبيحالمحظورات (القواعد الفقهية)