Is it permissible to donate blood?

Sources

• ✓ 2:173 · Al-Baqara

  2:173 · Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall

  إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْمَيْتَةَ وَٱلدَّمَ وَلَحْمَ ٱلْخِنزِيرِ وَمَآ أُهِلَّ بِهِۦ لِغَيْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ فَمَنِ ٱضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍۢ وَلَا عَادٍۢ فَلَآ إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌ

  He hath forbidden you only carrion, and blood, and swineflesh, and that which hath been immolated to (the name of) any other than Allah. But he who is driven by necessity, neither craving nor transgressing, it is no sin for him. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

• ✓ 5:32 · Al-Maaida

  5:32 · Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall

  مِنْ أَجْلِ ذَٰلِكَ كَتَبْنَا عَلَىٰ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ أَنَّهُۥ مَن قَتَلَ نَفْسًۢا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍۢ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ ٱلنَّاسَ جَمِيعًۭا وَمَنْ أَحْيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَآ أَحْيَا ٱلنَّاسَ جَمِيعًۭا ۚ وَلَقَدْ جَآءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُنَا بِٱلْبَيِّنَٰتِ ثُمَّ إِنَّ كَثِيرًۭا مِّنْهُم بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ لَمُسْرِفُونَ

  For that cause We decreed for the Children of Israel that whosoever killeth a human being for other than manslaughter or corruption in the earth, it shall be as if he had killed all mankind, and whoso saveth the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind. Our messengers came unto them of old with clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty), but afterwards lo! many of them became prodigals in the earth.

• ✓ Tafsir Ibn Kathir on 2:173

  Sunni

  Tafsir Ibn Kathir · 2:173

  Allah Almighty commands His believing servants to eat of the good and pure provisions He has provided for them and to be grateful to Him if they truly serve Him. Consuming lawful (halal) food is a cause for acceptance of supplications and acts of worship, whereas eating from the unlawful (haram) prevents acceptance of prayers and devotion. This is supported by the hadith narrated by Imam Ahmad from Abu Huraira, in which the Prophet ﷺ said: "O people, Allah is pure and accepts only that which is pure. He commanded the believers as He commanded the messengers, saying: 'O messengers, eat from the good things and do righteous deeds; indeed I am aware of what you do.' And He said: 'O you who believe, eat from the good things We have provided for you.' Then he mentioned a man who travels for a long time, disheveled and dusty, raising his hands to the sky saying: ‘O Lord, O Lord,’ while his food, drink, and clothing are unlawful, and he is fed with unlawful matter. How can his supplication be accepted?" This hadith is also recorded authentically by Muslim and Tirmidhi. After granting them His provision and guiding them to eat from what is good, Allah clarifies that He has only forbidden them carrion—that which dies by causes other than proper slaughtering, regardless of whether it was strangled, beaten to death, fallen, gored by a beast, or otherwise dead without being ritually slaughtered. The majority specify that the prohibition includes dead sea creatures as well, based on the verse in Al-Ma'idah (5:96) that permits the catch of the sea and its food as lawful provision, coupled with authentic hadith indicating that sea water is pure and its dead creatures are permitted. As for milk and eggs from dead animals, the Shafi‘i school and others consider them impure because they are integral parts of the carcass, though Malik holds that while pure, they become impure if in contact with the carcass. There is some disagreement about the impurity of the smell from carrion, though the majority regard it as impure. Reports mention that the Companions ate some cheese from non-Muslims and that a slight impurity mixed with large amounts of pure liquid is overlooked by the scholars. Moreover, it is forbidden to consume the flesh of swine, whether slaughtered properly or having died naturally, extending also to its fat, since it falls under the ruling of pork by preference or by analogy. Allah forbids eating what is slaughtered in the name of other than Him, such as the offerings to idols and other pre-Islamic pagan practices. Al-Qurtubi relates that Al-Hasan Al-Basri was asked about a woman who slaughtered an animal for a pagan idol celebration and ruled it unlawful. Aisha was also asked about food sacrificed by non-Muslims at their festivals and indicated Muslims should not eat what was slaughtered for that day but may eat from their trees' fruits. Then Allah allows consumption of these forbidden items in cases of genuine necessity and need, when other foods are unavailable, as stated: "But whoever is forced—neither desiring it nor transgressing its limits—there is no sin upon him. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." This means if one is compelled to eat carrion in a situation of dire need without intentional wrongdoing or defiance, it is excused. Mujahid explained that the necessity must be genuine, such as cutting off the path, leaving the righteous community, or being in a sinful situation, but those who do so deliberately have no permission even in need. Said ibn Jubayr and Muqatil bin Hayyan consider the 'not desiring' to mean not deliberately seeking to eat the forbidden out of lust, nor preparing it for delicacy—only consuming the minimal needed to survive. Ibn Abbas interpreted that one should not fully satisfy oneself, and the conditions of not transgressing in consumption were stressed by various scholars. Al-Qurtubi adds that when someone finds both carrion and lawful food without certain harm, they should prefer the lawful food. He then cites a hadith of a man during famine who ate a stalk of grain, had his owner beat him, but the Prophet ﷺ told the owner he had done nothing wrong since he was hungry and unknowing, and ordered the owner to return the man’s garment and feed him. Muqatil bin Hayyan explained that the phrase "there is no sin upon him" in the verse applies to eating from necessity, and it is related that the amount one may consume under necessity should not exceed three bites. Said ibn Jubayr remarked that Allah is forgiving for eating from the forbidden during necessity and merciful for having allowed it in such extremity. Waki‘ narrated from Al-A‘mash and Masruq that whoever is compelled but refrains from eating or drinking and then dies will enter the Fire. This indicates that eating carrion under compulsion is a binding obligation, not a mere concession, comparable to the permitted breaking of fast for the sick in Ramadan and similar cases. In summary, this aya teaches the command to eat from the lawful good provisions of Allah with gratitude, forbids carrion, pork, and what is slaughtered for others than Allah, but in cases of genuine necessity permits eating the otherwise forbidden without sin provided one does not desire it or transgress limits. Furthermore, reliance on authoritative traditions and the explanations of early scholars clarifies these rulings for the believer’s proper practice.

• ✓ Majma al-Bayan fi Tafsir al-Qur'an on 2:173

  Shia

  Majma al-Bayan fi Tafsir al-Qur'an · 2:173

  Recitation Variants: Abu Ja'far recited the word "al-maytah" with a shaddah (a doubled consonant) throughout the entire Qur'an. The people of the Hijaz and the Levant, as well as al-Kisai, read "faman udtirra" with the noon (n) vowelled with a dhammah (u). Abu Ja'far among them read it with a kasrah (i) on the vowel of the letter ṭā’ (ṭ), and the others with a kasrah on the noon (n). Grammatical Argument: The word "al-maytah" originally was "al-mayyitah," but the second ya’ was dropped out of concern for the heaviness of two ya’s and a kasrah. The preferred reading is with the lighter form "al-maytah." As for "faman udtirra" with a dhammah, it is used to indicate following or continuity, similar to the dhammah on the hamzat al-wasl in "unṣurū." The kasrah reading preserves the original movement since two sukoon meet. As for Abu Ja'far's reading "faman uḍṭar," the original form is "uḍṭirra," with the first ra’ sukun for assimilation; its vocalization was shifted back to the previous letter. However, properly, such a movement should not shift when the letter is sukun; hence the ṭā’ remains on its original vowel. Lexical Notes: The term "ihlal" in the context of slaughtering animals refers to raising one's voice in the naming—praising Allah—and the polytheists would invoke their idols, whereas Muslims call upon God. "Ihlal al-matar" (intense rain) means the pouring down of rain with great force. "Al-hilal" also means the crescent of the moon, at which people raise their voices in takbīr (exalting God). The prohibited one raises his voice with the talbiyah (pronouncement of 'labbayka'). "Astahala al-ṣabiy" means he wept at birth. "Al-iḍtirār" (compulsion) is any deed that cannot possibly be avoided, such as hunger experienced by a person, which cannot be forsaken. The difference between compulsion and coercion is that coercion involves motives regarding harm or benefit, but compulsion does not. The owner of the eye dictionary said: "Rajul lahm" (the man of meat) means a man who eats a lot of meat, and "Bayt Lahm" (house of meat) is a place with much meat. "Al-laḥamat" means a tribe when one kills them and they become flesh. "Al-malḥamah" refers to a fierce battle with heavy killing. "Istalḥama al-ṭarīd" means it became spacious. "Al-laḥmah" means kinship through lineage. The root of the chapter is adherence; from it the meaning of meat as that which holds parts together. The root of "baghiy" means to demand or seek, from the saying 'bāghā al-rajul ḥājatihi yabghī baghā'—meaning desire or demand. The poet said: "Do not prevent you from seeking good because of wearing amulets, for omens are like good promises and good promises are like omens." "Al-bighā’" means seeking adultery. "Al-‘ādī" means the aggressor. Grammatical Parsing: The particle "innamā" indicates affirmation of the mentioned thing and negation of others, similar to the poet's statement: "And I am only from my kin, or my equivalence." Initially, "innamā" was for affirmation and negating what was beside it. If it was for emphasis, and added another particle of emphasis, it would confirm both affirmation and negation. For example, when you say "innamā anā bashar," it is like saying "I am only a man." If the "mā" were relative pronoun meaning "which" it would be written separately; similarly, God says: "Innallāha ilāhun wāḥid" (God is only one God), meaning "There is none worthy of worship except the one God." Likewise "Innanta naẓīr" means "No warner except you." Hence, since "innamā" is for exclusivity, only accusative is permissible for what it governs; here "al-maytah" must be in the accusative. If "mā" were relative, the nominative would be allowed. The phrase "ghayru bāghin" is accusative, an adverbial accusative indicating circumstance, meaning: ‘not being an aggressor or an unjust transgressor.’ This phrase is only permissible here in the position of "ghayr" because it functions as a negation; hence it is coordinated with "bilā." The particle "illā" in origin means exclusivity from a whole, but here the whole is not applicable to limit. Meaning: When God mentioned the permissibility of wholesome foods, He then prohibited the forbidden items by saying: "Indeed, He has only forbidden for you the dead animal, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than God." The dead animal is what dies naturally without proper slaughtering. The flesh of the swine is singled out because it is the most significant and commonly sought after part; otherwise, its entirety is forbidden. The phrase "that which has been dedicated to other than God" has two interpretations: the first is that it means what other than God’s name has been invoked over the sacrifice, according to al-Rabi' and a number of exegetes; the second says it means the animal slaughtered for other than God, according to Mujahid and Qatadah. The first is preferred. "Whoever is compelled" to eat these forbidden things due to necessity of hunger, as most scholars state, or because of coercion according to Mujahid, meaning one who fears for his life from hunger and cannot find any permissible food to sustain it. Regarding "not being an aggressor or transgressor," three views are narrated: first, not seeking pleasure unlawfully or not deliberately starving oneself, according to al-Hasan, Qatadah, and Mujahid. Second, not being excessive or negligent according to az-Zajjāj. Third, not opposing the Islamic leader unjustly nor disobeying through destructive ways, as transmitted from Abu Ja'far, Abu Abdillah, Mujahid, and Sa’d ibn Jubayr. Ibn ‘Isa objected to the third view saying that God did not allow anyone to kill himself, and exposing oneself to death counts as suicide in the religious law. The concession is meant for hunger necessity, not for traversing by means of obedience. This is flawed because the aggressor opposing the leader exposes himself to death, thus he is not permitted to consume what God forbade, just as he is forbidden to spare his life by killing other Muslims. The concession for hunger necessity is not universally agreed upon, but only applies to someone who does not expose himself intentionally. The phrase "there is no sin upon him" means no blame or reproach befalls him. This phrase is included to clarify that the forbidden is not originally lawful, but the burden is lifted for necessity. "Indeed, God is Forgiving and Merciful" is mentioned either to indicate that forgiveness applies even to the act done out of necessity, so He does not hold the person accountable for such concession, or in order to promise forgiveness when one returns to obedience to God from their prior state of forbidding what God never prohibited themselves, such as stray animals and similar. Thus, the verse sets strict boundaries around permissible exceptions, balancing prohibitions with mercy, and underlines the principle that exceptions do not annul the original rule, but remove the blame under dire compulsion.