• Prayers & Duties >> Death & Funeral

    Question ID: 44348Country: India

    Title: Donation

    Question: My uncle is an old unmarried person and after his death he decided to donate his death body to medical college for medical experiment. Is it permissible in Islam? If yes, then is it ok? If no, then please give me the fatwa so that I can make my uncle understand it well.

    Answer ID: 44348

    Bismillah hir-Rahman nir-Rahim !

    (Fatwa: 463/400/D=1434) Almighty Allah has created man most respectable and honourable creature in this world. Almighty Allah says in the holy Quran: وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِي آدَمَ . And We bestowed dignity on the children of Adam. Hence using human body and organs is indignity and against the human civility and greatness. Moreover, the parts and organs of human body are not the property of man that one may handle freely. Hence it is clearly haram to gift any body part or organ of man or give it voluntarily, or sell it, whether it is in during life or after death. Hence it is not lawful for your uncle to give his dead body after his death to medical college for clinical experiments. The scholars of Fiqh have argued with Quran and Hadith, for example: قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: "ومن قتل نفسه بشئ عذبه الله به في نار جهنم" رواه مسلم. It is mentioned in Fatawa Qadhi Khan on the commentary of Alamgiri, Vol. 3, p. 404 that: "مضطر لم يجد ميتة وخاف الهلاك فقال له رجل اقطع يدي وكلها أو قال اقطع مني قطعة وكلها لا يسعه أن يفعل ذلك ولا يصح أمره به كما لا يسع للمضطر أن يقطع قطعة من نفسه فيأكل. (فتاوى قاضيخان على هامش الهنديه 3/404) It is also mentioned in Fatwa Alamgiri: "الانتفاع بأجزاء الأدمي لم يجز قيل : للنجاسة وقيل : للكرامة هوالصحيح كذا في جواهر الأخلاطي." (الفتاوي الهنديه 5/354) It is mentioned in Sharah Siyar Kabir: .... إلا أن يكون عظم الإنسان أو عظم الخنزيز فإنه يكره التداوي به لأن الخنزير نجس العين فعظمه نجس ...... والآدمي محترم بعد موته على ما كان عليه في حياته ....الخ. (ص 9 ج 1 طبع دكن بحواله جواهر الفقه 7/62)

    Allah (Subhana Wa Ta'ala) knows Best

    Darul Ifta,

    Darul Uloom Deoband, India