Organ Donation – An Act of Compassion

Islamic Religious Council of Singapore
Friday Sermon
6 July 2006 / 21 Jamadilakhir 1427



My dearest brothers,
Let us have taqwa to Allah s.w.t. Last week, we learnt that continual acts (amal jariah) serve as investments to our lives in the hereafter. Continual act is an act where the rewards for the donor are accrued even after his/her death, as long as there are those who benefit from it, in whatever form.

Let us continually invest for our hereafter (akhirah), by performing continual acts of kindness, such as wakaf, donating, teaching, inculcating good values in our children so that they are amongst those who are guided.

Insya Allah, today, we shall hear about a continual act that we can also perform. With this act, we can alleviate a lot of pain, and save lives too, Insya Allah.

My brothers,
Islam provides us with guidance in all that we do. Thus, we need to always remain guided by Islamic principles and teachings.

Health, for example, is an important part of our lives. Anyone who is ill cannot enjoy his life fully. Thus, Islam has made health a maqasid syariah, that is, an objective of the Syari’ah that must be observed. Therefore, we cannot do harmful things that will affect our health. This is made clear by Allah SWT in Surah Al-Baqarah Verse 195:


Which means: Spend your wealth for the cause of Allah, and do not cast yourself to harm by own hands; and do good. Indeed Allah loves the beneficent.

It is our duty to take care of our health and not to do anything that will be detrimental to it. We have to ensure that we make good lifestyle choices, take care of our diet and weight, eat only that is halal and beneficial, exercise and also not to smoke.

However, misfortune can strike unexpectedly, and illness and disease can strike at any time or place. And when someone is afflicted by a disease, he should not resign himself to fate. He should make the effort to find a cure for the illness and not let the illness take over his life. Our beloved Prophet pbuh encourages us to seek treatment for illnesses, as is clear in his hadith:


“The Messenger of Allah has said: Verily, when Allah created an illness, He has also created its cure. So, seek treatment for your illnesses.” (Narrated by Imam Ahmad)
Islam encourages Muslims to work towards finding cures and treatments for any disease they have. It is not just the responsibility of the individual and his/her family. It is also the responsibility of the Muslim community, and a fardhu kifayah for the community to ensure that there are these patients are assisted.

Alhamdulillah, in our country, there are many efforts to raise awareness of the importance of helping such patients. Blood donation drives, promotion of cord blood donation, and others, are actively pursued here.

Brothers,
In spite of all these efforts, our Muslim community is still beset by a serious illness that requires immediate treatment.

Do you know that almost 600 Singaporeans, 21 percent of whom are Muslims, are currently waiting for an organ transplant, because they have failing organs due to various illnesses. A majority are waiting for kidney transplants. This is a serious situation; every year, as many as 24 patients die while waiting for an organ.

Have you ever seen a kidney patient’s suffering? Have we ever given thought to the amount of money needed for dialysis? This huge amount does not even cover their medicine. Imagine, also, if the patient is the sole breadwinner. What of his income? Think of his dependents. His children’s schooling. How many children are suffering because his or her parent has kidney disease?

My brothers,
This is a challenge that our Muslim community face. The rate of kidney disease within our community is high – too high. Dialysis does not cure kidney disease; it is only a stop-gap measure, and an expensive and painful one to boot. In addition, the patients’ families face numerous hardships, especially if the patient is the head of the household. Organ failure does not only affect the patient, it has a ripple effect on his family. The patient awaits death, and most often, the wait lasts for years. Years of suffering and pain that he and his family have to endure.

This is the fate of a patient awaiting a kidney transplant. Keep in mind that at this moment that there is no other effective treatment but transplant.


Unfortunately, the number of organ pledgers are too low. According to the Ministry of Health, the number of pledgers have plummeted by as much as 91 percent in the year 2004 alone.

In this regard, I call upon us all to think about the problem of kidney disease that our Muslim community face. The vast disparity between patients and donors is a concern for us all.

Remember what Allah SWT has said in Ali-Imran verse 92:

Which means: “By no means shall you attain to righteousness until you spend (benevolently) out of what you love; and whatever thing you spend, Allah surely knows it.”

Remember, that organ donation is a continual act that form part of our after-life investment portfolio. If we donate a kidney (or two), we have given a new lease of life to the patient. Not only do the patient benefit, his family also benefits. As Allah SWT says in surah Al-Maidah verse 32:



Which means: “[U]nless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people.”

My brothers,
One of the main reasons impeding Muslims from becoming organ donors is the confusion and uncertainty some may have about Islamic law and the Islamic viewpoint on organ donation.

Do not doubt that organ donation is a continual act of kindness. Be rest assured, Islamic scholars made permissible organ donations from a deceased person to a living one, if the deceased has consented to it while he was still alive, or if his next-of-kin has consented it.

Pledging organs is a practice that is imbued with the spirit of rahmah and compassion. A pledger will receive his/her rewards from Allah s.w.t, even if his/her organ has never been transplanted, as Allah rewards his/her good intentions and deeds which reflect the Islamic principles of rahmah and ihsan. The Holy Prophet p.b.u.h. said:

Which means: “Allah the Most Compassionate showers His compassion to those who show compassion. Show compassion to those on earth, and He in the heavens (i.e. God) will show His compassion to you.” (Hadith narrated by at-Tarmizi)

Islam also emphasizes ta’awun (helping one another) regardless of race or religion. In Islam, there is no such issue of whether one will become an accomplice of another person’s misdeeds.

Allah S.W.T has mentioned in An-Najm verse 38:


Which means: “No person earns any (sin) except against himself (only).

On the other hand, my dear brothers, by donating organs, we not only improve the patients’ lives, but we can also benefit when the person does any good. Insya Allah, we shall also receive the rewards for any good acts that the patient does.

There are still more doubts and confusion amongst our community with regards to this issue. Therefore to clear this doubt, The office of Mufti Muis, has prepared a booklet title: Organ Transplant in Islam: The fiqh of Organ Transplant and its application in Singapore. You can get this booklet from the mosques or you can download it from the Muis website.

May we be able to perform this kindness, and be a compassionate community that brings blessings to all.