Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(165): "Ruling on Transplanting the Heart of a Clinically Dead Patient to another Patient"

Date Added : 04-10-2015

Resolution No.(165), By The Board of Iftaa' Researches and Islamic Studies:

"Ruling on Transplanting the Heart of a Clinically Dead Patient to another Patient" 

Date: 22/4/1432 AH, corresponding to 27/3/2011 AD.

 

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

During the above given date, the Board reviewed the following question:

What`s the ruling of Sharia on transplanting the heart of a clinically dead person to another patient. In other words, that person`s brain is completely dead and doesn`t receive or send any signals whatsoever; however, his heart is still beating, and this has been confirmed by a report of a group of doctors. It is worth mentioning that the heart transplanting will help in the recovery of the other patient?

After prolonged deliberating, the Board decided what follows:

In terms of Sharia, it is impermissible to rule that someone is dead based on a doctor`s report that he is in a state of brain death, save when it is ascertained that he is dead i.e. his heart and breathing system have ceased functioning along with other indicators. This is because, in principle, he is considered alive, unless proven otherwise for sure.

Accordingly, it is impermissible to transplant the heart of a person who is in a state of brain death to another patient, because the heart is still beating and functioning, save when the heart, the brain and the breathing system cease to function completely and to a point of no return.

 

 

Chairman of the Iftaa` Board, The Mufti General of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, His Grace Sheikh Abdulkareem Al-Khasawneh.

Vice Head of the Iftaa` Board, Dr. Ahmad Helayel

Dr. Yahia Al-Botoosh/ Member

His Eminence, Sheikh Sa`ied Hijjawi/ Member

Judge Sari Attieh/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Khair Al-Essa/ Member

Prof. Abduln`nassir Abu Al Bass`al/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Oklah Al-Ib`brahim

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Al-Gharaibeh/ Member

Dr.Abdulrahmann Ibbdah/ Member

Executive Secretary of the Iftaa` Board, Sheikh Mohammad Al-Hunaiti

 

(*) It is worth mentioning that our Board has issued a new resolution (237) (5/2017) in which brain death was identified as a real death and accordingly it has the same rulings of Sharia regarding death.  

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

Does passing wind, from the anus without a smell, invalidate prayer?

If a person is certain of having passed wind even if it was with no smell, then both his/her ablution and prayer are invalidated, thus he/she should remake ablution and re-perform prayer.

Is it permissible for an elderly person, a pregnant woman, or someone with a chronic illness to pay fidyah before Ramadan begins?

It is not permissible for an elderly person, a pregnant woman, or someone with a chronic illness to pay fidyah before Ramadan begins.
Additionally, it is not allowed to pay fidyah for more than one day in advance, because fidyah is a substitute for fasting, and fasting is not yet obligatory at that time.
However, it is permissible to pay fidyah for a single day in advance, by analogy with paying zakat up to one year in advance.

What is the ruling if a postpartum woman becomes pure before forty days; are acts of worship obligatory upon her, and is she permissible for her husband?

If the postpartum woman becomes definitely pure before forty days, she must perform the ritual bath and perform acts of worship as a pure woman does. What was prohibited for her also becomes permissible, so she becomes permissible for her husband after her bath. The minimum duration for postpartum bleeding is a moment (an instant), and its usual maximum is forty days. Reaching forty days is not a condition; rather, it is sufficient for the blood to stop or to see the white discharge (qassa bayda'). And Allah the Almighty knows best.

Is a person who forgot to make up missed fasts until the next Ramadan began required to pay expiatory compensation (Fidyah) alongside the makeup fast (Qada')?

 
All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Whoever forgets to make up missed fasts of Ramadan (Qada') until the following Ramadan begins incurs no sin, pursuant to the statement of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): "Indeed, Allah has pardoned for my nation their mistakes, their forgetfulness, and that which they are coerced into doing." [Narrated by Ibn Majah, and Al-Bayhaqi in Al-Sunan Al-Kubra]
 
Furthermore, such an individual is not obligated to pay a expiatory compensation (Fidyah). It is stated in Bushra Al-Karim (p. 580)—one of the authoritative Shafi'i jurisprudential texts: "As for delaying it [the makeup fasts] due to a valid excuse—such as travel, breastfeeding, forgetfulness, or ignorance of the prohibition of delay (even for one living among scholars)—no Fidyah is required. This is because delaying performance during the actual month is permissible due to these excuses; hence, delaying makeup fasts is even more permissible, even if it continues for years."
And Allah Almighty knows best.