Thursday, 14 February 2019

The Case against Organ Transplant

Organ transplants are being hailed as noble deeds! According to my understanding of The Quran, organ harvesting and organ transplant violate the commandments of The Law (الدِّينُ) according to which we will be judged by The True King on The Day of Judgement (مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ). We have been created with materials from the Earth, and we continue to exist after death, even after we perish. Moreover, our dust will be resurrected in the Hereafter, and be judged. We need to exercise great caution and let the scriptures guide us in matters we do not really know anything about, and therefore cannot reach any conclusion by reason alone. After all, we can only see a tiny portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, and most things are not even visible to us. We need to repent from our transgressions against The Law (الدِّينُ) if we hope to return to The Garden (الْجَنَّةَ) . Kindly consider the following references from the scriptures, and my questions thereafter: 


References from the Scripture 

 _ Aspects of our Existence 
The Quran [67:2] informs us that Allah has created Death and Life to test us, and the purpose of this temporal life is to give us an opportunity to save ourselves from the penalty of The Fire [Q3:191-192; Q32:13; Q38:85; Q40:7-9; Q42:1-5]. The Quran informs us about the moments of death when the person is being questioned [Q6:93; Q7:37; Q8:50; Q16:28; Q47:27-28]. It also informs us that the person will remain in his/her grave in an experience consequent to its beliefs and actions in this temporal life, and then will be raised again for judgement and eternal existence [Q56]. People who have not done well in this life, plead for another chance, but are not allowed to return across the barrier which separates the two realms [Q23:100]. 

 _ Constituents of our Creation  
The Bible [Genesis 3:19] and The Quran [30:20; 32:7; 55:14] both state that we humans are created from materials from the Earth. Allah has created bashr from water and assigned families and in-laws [Q25:54]. We also have a nafs which is in pledge [Q7:172-174; Q74:38]. As the water stops flowing through the body upon death, the body starts to perish [Q67:28-30]. The nafs is removed and returned daily to the living, [Q6:60; Q39:42], while it is permanently removed from the dead, to be reunited upon resurrection. The people who are forgiven will be able to retain their nafs, and will be reunited with those of their ancestors, spouses and progeny who have also been forgiven and retained their nafs [Q13:23]. The people who are put in The Fire on The Day of Judgement will lose their nafs and their families, and they, which means their body which is made of dust, will burn in Hell forever [Q6:70; Q11:106-107; Q39:15].   
So, it follows that wherever The Quran is speaking about creation (خَلَقَ), it is essentially speaking about our physical self, our body, the materials of the Earth and the water!  

 _ Corruption of Creation  
Allah does not like corruption, and warns us against changing His creation [Q30:30]. Early on in The Quran, attention is drawn to the corrupters who don't even realise that they are doing corruption [Q2:11-12]. 

 _ Universal Laws of Creation  
The Quran [30:30] clearly warns against changing the creation of Allah, with the focus on how He has separated humans: 

فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا
 فِطْرَتَ اللَّهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا
 لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّهِ 
ذَٰلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ
 وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

So set your face to the religion upright. 
 Separation by Allah (upon) which He has separated humans. 
 No change (should there be) in the creation (of) Allah. 
That (is) the religion the correct, 
 but most people (do) not know.
 [Al-Quran 30:30, Translation edited]
Note: فِطْرَتَ is generally translated as nature but فَطَرَ means to separate, and Allah is فَاطِرِ  the One who separated/separates. 
Also, الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ is generally translated as the religion the correct, but The Standing Law may be a clearer literal translation. However, I haven't made this correction here.

The Quran is quite clear that the same deen [الدِّينِ] was given to all the messengers and prophets [Q42:13], while each has their own law [شِرْعَةً] [Q5:43 onwards]. The phrase الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ defines the three standing laws in Q9:36, Q12:40 and Q30:30 They seem to be the fundamental and eternal governing principles, the universal laws! Q30:43 urgently exhorts compliance and warns of the consequences; and Q98:5 summarises thus:

وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ حُنَفَاءَ وَيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَذَٰلِكَ دِينُ الْقَيِّمَةِ

And not they were commanded except to worship Allah (being) sincere to Him (in) the religion, upright, and to establish the prayer, and to give the zakah And that (is the) religion the correct.

The Quran emphasises on sincerity in deen [الدِّينِ], and is very clear that Allah has sent the messenger  with guidance and the true deen [دِينِ الْحَقِّ] so that His deen shall prevail over all other deens [Q9:33; Q48:28; Q61:9]. The Quran refers to that time in future as the Days of Allah [أَيَّامِ اللَّهِ] [Q14:5; Q45:14] when everyone will be judged by Allah's deen, and recompensed according to what they did. Just as Moses was sent to Pharaoh, similarly we have been sent a Messenger as a witness [Q73:15]. We must move away from all false systems and sincerely submit to the Lord of the Kaaba [Q106:3; Q109:6], seeking help through prayer [Q98:5]. While Satan tries to tempt us to change creation [Q4:119], we are already under a covenant with Allah to not to obey Satan [Q36:60]. 

 _ Saving a Life is like Saving all Mankind 
Famously, people quote Q5:32 to justify organ transplant's role in saving life. The ayat begins with 'Because of that... ' Looking up the preceding ayaat, one realises that its about human violence against another, so then Q5:32 should mean that saving one life and saving mankind means saving people from violence. Q5:32 also speaks about corruption, and in my understanding, the organ recipient's body (its dust) does get corrupted by another person's organ (dust). If my understanding is correct, then the people involved in the process become corrupters. 

Moreover, Q5:32 states that this had been decreed for the Bani Israel, who being the custodians of The Torah, are under a ratified covenant with God. As custodians of The Quran, Muslims are similarly responsible for implementing the teachings of The Quran. We read about Messenger Shoaib warning his people against depriving people of their things [Q7:85].  

 _ Some Pertinent Questions 
Kindly consider the following questions before passing any law for or against organ transplants: 
  • Is ignorance of law a valid excuse, admissible in court? 
  • Isn't the Allah the King of the Day of Judgement (مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ)?  
  • Doesn't the Quran exhort sincerity in Deen (الدِّينَ)? 
  • Saving a life is a noble act, but violating a universal law ( الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ ) is a crime. Is it okay to commit a crime to save a life? 
  • Haven't humans been created of materials from the Earth (طِينٍ || تُرَابٍ)?  
  • Doesn't fatir (فَاطِرِ) literally mean the Separator? 
  • Is Q30:30 separation of humans as done by Allah being upheld? 
  • Is Q30:30 no change in the creation of Allah being upheld?   
  • Do scientists know what exactly happens at the moment(s) of death? 
  • Do scientists know for sure that there is no form of existence post-death? 
  • Are people not being deprived of their things when their organs are harvested? 
  • If it is not okay to remove organs of a sleeping or unconscious person, then why is it okay to remove a dead person's organs?  
  • Isn't adding a harvested organ corrupting the dust of the recipient? 
  • Is life-extension permissible? 
  • Wasn't Adam attempting immortality when he disobeyed in The Garden (الْجَنَّةَ)?  
  • Wasn't Adam thrown out of The Garden (الْجَنَّةَ) because of his disobedience? 
  • Wasn't Adam under a covenant to obey? 
  • Are bani Adam also not under a pledge?   


 Science on Death 
Though scientists know next to nothing about death and what happens thereafter, preliminary data on the state of the brain during moments of death show recordings of brain activity during and several minutes after death. However, more data is needed before the results can be accepted as evidence. As more scientific research emerges, perhaps doctors' understanding of death will change.      


And Allah knows best! 



Related Posts
I have shared my learnings in some detail in the following posts: 

Organ Harvesting & Organ Transplant 

Human: Body or Soul? 

Humans: Extinct & Extant 

The Case against the Bani Israel 
Allah, fāṭir (فَاطِر) of the Skies and Earth 



Last updated on: February 20, 2019

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