Is Organ Donation Permissible in Islam?
Can Muslims donate their organs after death?
Islamic Ruling
Arguments for permissibility (majority of contemporary Islamic organizations):
- Saving a life (ihya al-nafs) is one of the five objectives of Islamic law (maqasid al-shariah)
- The OIC Fiqh Academy, the Islamic Medical Association, and many national Islamic councils permit it
- The condition is voluntary, written consent during life or family consent
Arguments against:
- Inviolability of the human body (hurmat al-badan) — the Prophet ﷺ prohibited mutilation of bodies
- Uncertainty over moment of death (brain death vs. cardiac death)
- Commercial organ trading is haram by consensus
Practical guidance:
- If you choose to donate, leave a written directive and inform your family
- Commercial sale of organs: haram by consensus
- Donating to a non-Muslim recipient: permissible (saving any human life)
Consult a scholar in your madhab for your specific situation.
Quranic Evidence
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Quran 5:32
Whoever saves one life — it is as if he has saved all mankind.
Hadith Evidence
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Sunan Abu Dawud 3207
"The Prophet ﷺ said: "Breaking a dead person's bone is like breaking it when he is alive.""
Views of the Four Madhabs
OIC Fiqh Academy
Permissible with voluntary consent for transplantation to save lives; commercial trading prohibited.
Hanbali / conservative scholars
Prohibited due to inviolability of the body and concerns about the definition of death.
Scholar's View
OIC Fiqh Academy Resolution No. 26 (1988): "It is permissible to transplant an organ from a dead person to a living one if there is pressing necessity."
This ruling is presented for educational purposes based on established scholarly sources. For matters specific to your personal situation, please consult a qualified Islamic scholar (mufti) from your madhab.
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