Re: Is organ donation accepted in Islam?
In Islam material wealth, children or body parts, all we have are given to us by Allah. In Quran, Allah has mentioned at many places that Muslim should give charity to those who are in need.
Quran 14:31 (Yusuf Ali) … Speak to my servants who have believed, that they may establish regular prayers, and spend (in charity) out of the sustenance we have given them, secretly and openly, before the coming of a Day in which there will be neither mutual bargaining nor befriending.
Quran 2:177 (Yusuf Ali) … It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces Towards east or West; but it is righteousness- to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practice regular charity; to fulfil the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the Allah-fearing.
Obviously, when we give body parts to needy, that is the best charity for that needy. Question arises that, is body parts something a person can give in charity or not. Answer again is in Quran.
Quran 5:45 (Yusuf Ali) … We ordained therein for them: “Life for life, eye for eye, nose for nose, ear for ear, tooth for tooth, and wounds equal for equal.” But if any one remits the retaliation **by way of **charity, it is an act of atonement for himself. And if any fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are (No better than) wrong-doers.
From above ayah, it is clear that in retribution, one is allowed to take life for life, eye for eye, nose for nose, ear for ear, tooth for tooth, wounds for wounds, or anything from body parts (equal for equal), etc.
But then Allah also says in same ayah that one can forgo the retribution (not take life or body parts from perpetrator of crime) considering it charity … in other words, if one takes those body parts from perpetrator then perpetrator would become needy, and not taking body parts as retribution is just like giving those body parts to perpetrator, that Allah defined as act of charity.
In other words, one can give body parts to others, and that would be an act of charity, for which donor would get amply rewarded on judgment day.
Charity, Muslims and non-Muslims: Since Islam direct Muslims that when giving charity, one should not differentiate between needy on basis of religion or beliefs, rather, one should give to needy irrespective of their beliefs, a Muslim can give charity to non-Muslims, and that charity could be in any form. That is obvious too, as all humans are creation of Allah, and going through their own test … thus a Muslim should look at needy as human creation of Allah, not their co-believers.