Islamic Ruling on Donating Blood to a Non-Muslim

Author: Dr. Muhammad Zia-ur-Rahman Al-Azmi رحمه الله

❖ Ruling on Giving Blood to Non-Muslims​

I do not see any prohibition in this matter, because Allah عزوجل states in His Noble Book:


﴿لَا يَنْهَاكُمُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَلَمْ يُخْرِجُوكُم مِّن دِيَارِكُمْ أَن تَبَرُّوهُمْ وَتُقْسِطُوا إِلَيْهِمْ﴾

[Al-Mumtaḥanah: 8]
"Allah does not forbid you from being kind and just towards those who have not fought you on account of your religion, nor expelled you from your homes."

✔ Permissibility Based on Kindness and Need​

• Allah ﷻ has informed us that He does not prohibit us from showing kindness and good conduct toward non-Muslims who have not fought us nor expelled us from our homes.
• A person in urgent medical need is in a state of necessity, and aiding such a person is a form of kindness.

Example from the Sunnah: Asmā’ bint Abī Bakr رضي الله عنها​

During the period of truce between the Prophet ﷺ and the people of Makkah:

• The mother of Asmā’ bint Abī Bakr, who was a disbeliever, came to visit her daughter and sought support in the form of family ties.
• Asmā’ رضي الله عنها asked the Prophet ﷺ for a ruling regarding this, and he ﷺ responded:
  ❝Maintain ties with your mother.❞
  Even though her mother was a disbeliever, the Prophet ﷺ permitted and encouraged the act of kinship.

✔ Blood Donation for Muʿāhad or Non-Hostile Disbelievers​

If a Muʿāhad (a disbeliever under a treaty) or a non-hostile disbeliever in a land where peace has been established is in need, then:

• There is no harm in donating blood to such an individual,
• Just as it is permissible for a person to eat carrion if compelled by necessity,
• Similarly, you may assist the one in need, and you shall be rewarded for this act,
• Because there is no prohibition in helping someone in dire need of medical assistance.

[Ibn Bāz: Nūr ʿala al-Darb: 1/375]