What is the Islamic legal ruling on donating stem cells extracted from adult blood or adult bone marrow for the treatment of conditions such as bone marrow failure or cancer, or in cases where a person’s life depends on this procedure?

Stem cells are cells that have the potential to develop into many different types during early life and growth. Stem cells act as an internal repair system, replacing damaged cells and regenerating tissues. Stem cells can be harvested from several sources, including miscarried embryos at any gestational stage, umbilical cord blood and the placenta, as well as the bone marrow of both adults and children.

Stem cells have been used in the treatment of a number of incurable diseases, including type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injury, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, some cancers, severe burn injuries, corneal and ocular disorders, and other conditions in which modern medicine seeks to regenerate damaged tissues and restore their function. Mohyi al-Deen, Naser. Medicine of Stem Cells, 50–53.

 

Islamic law encourages good deeds

Islamic law encourages good deeds, enjoins cooperation in righteousness and piety, and regards benevolence and helping others as among the most beloved and exalted acts of worship; Allah Almighty says, “And cooperate in righteousness and piety” (Quran, 5:2). Allah Almighty has also made helping people in need, alleviating the hardship of people in distress, and providing benefit to people a means to earning the love, mercy, and favor of Allah Almighty. Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “The most beloved of people to Allah are those who are the most beneficial to them. The most beloved deed to Allah is to make a Muslim happy, to remove one of his troubles, to settle his debt, or alleviate his hunger” (recorded by Imam at-Tabarani in Al-Mu’jam Al-Awsat).

 

Islamic law’s concern for the preservation of life

If Islamic law promotes serving the welfare of the people, relieving the suffering of the distressed, supporting those in hardship, then the patient’s need for life-saving treatment is the gravest and most vulnerable state of need. Accordingly, extending a helping hand to a patient in such a condition, with the aim of saving their life, is not merely the highest form of endeavor and generosity, but an overriding right established by Allah. Imam ‘Izz al-Din Abdul Salam mentioned in Qawa’id al-Ahkam (1:66) that rescuing innocent drowning victims takes precedence over performing prayers because it is superior in the sight of Allah. According to him, it is possible to do both: rescue the drowning person and then perform the prayer. It is well-known that missing a prayer cannot compare to rescuing the life of a Muslim. 

 

Donating stem cells for medical treatment

Donating stem cells for the treatment of patients suffering from incurable diseases is considered one of the life-saving acts required by Islamic law; Allah Almighty says, “And whoever saves one – it is as if he had saved mankind entirely” (Quran, 5:32). Commenting on the words of Allah Almighty, Imam al-Qurtubi stated in Al-Jami’ li Ahkam Al-Quran (6:147), that the phrase “and whoever saves it” is a figurative expression, referring to saving a person from death, as giving life in its literal sense, i.e., creation, belongs to Allah Almighty Alone. Donating stem cells is one of the means to realizing one of the essential objectives of Islamic law namely, the preservation of life.

Though it is permissible for an adult to donate stem cells, this permissibility is restricted by several conditions and governing principles of Islamic law; these include:

1- Proof of medical need or necessity: the patient must be in pressing need of a stem cell transplant to save his life, to protect him from a life-threatening disease, or protect him from damage to one of his organs as determined by trustworthy specialized physicians.

2- The donation must bring about a confirmed medical benefit to the patient and result in protection from actual harm or probable death.

3- The donation must not cause any harm to the donor, whether complete or partial, immediate or long-term, physical, psychological, or emotional.

4- It must be verified through reliable medical methods, that the donor is free of any contagious or harmful diseases that could be transmitted to the recipient, since, according to Islamic law, it is impermissible to avert harm by causing harm.

5- The donor must be a person of full legal competence, adult, sane, acting voluntarily and without coercion, and fully aware of the nature and consequences of the donation.

6- The donation must be conducted in accordance with medical and Islamic legal regulations and overseen by legally and medically authorized bodies, ensuring protection from manipulation or exploitation and upholding the objectives of Islamic law in preserving rights and human life.

 

Commercialization of stem cells

It must be noted that it is impermissible to donate stem cells for profit under any circumstances because all human biological materials are honored and protected from abuse or commercialization. The sale of human stem cells undermines the dignity of the human body and enables profiteering. Allah Almighty says, “We have certainly honored the children of Adam” (Quran, 17:70). This honor entails the protection of the human body from being treated as an object for sale or subject to bargaining.

 

The ruling

In light of the foregoing, the voluntary donation of stem cells by adults for the treatment of patients afflicted with intractable diseases is permissible in Islamic law and deserving of reward. Moreover, it is recognized as preserving life, a duty mandated by the Shari’ah and a means of achieving the objective of Islamic law in safeguarding life. It is likewise among the most noble manifestations of fulfilling people’s needs where there is a confirmed and pressing medical need for stem cells to save a patient’s life.

And Allah Almighty knows best.