Virtues of Blood Donation

Every year, there would be a blood donation drive just before the Haj season stationed at the foyer of my school building. And for the past two years, all I did was be part of the larger group of curious onlookers of the blood donors. The only thing that kept me from donating was fear. Fear of the thought of a thicker than normal needle being hooked through your vein while bearing the 'excruciating pain' that may come along with it. When I teased my schoolmates about donating, the excuses came in all shapes and forms;

"Oh, I think have too little blood"

"Nah, I think there's enough donors"

"Look at how skinny I am! Ask him, I think his blood reserves are aplenty (pointing to a bigger sized guy)"

This year I finally braved myself to donate. After pondering about it, I felt that whatever fear I may have about the experience of donating blood, whether if I may encounter a bad experience with an inefficient nurse poking a wrong spot and getting a bad bruise as a result of it or any pain that I may have to undergo, it is nothing compared to the pain and suffering that others may suffer due to insufficient supply of blood at the bloodbank.

You could sense the poor response each time there's a blood donation drive. We definitely could do with more blood donors. So the next time we encounter a blood donation drive, just donate! Don't hesitate!

Yea, I know, I know, it took me years to convince myself. Well it's not as painful as I thought it'd be.

Anyway, here's an article about the virtues of Blood Donation from islamonline.net

Name of Questioner: Nadia (United Kingdom)
Title: Virtues of Blood Donation

Question:

Dear scholars, As-salamu `alaykum. Is it permissible to donate blood to patients? Jazakum Allah khayran.

Date: 09/Jun/2004
Name of Mufti: Yusuf Al-Qaradawi
Topic: Morals & Values

Wa`alaykum as-salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Dear questioner, we commend your pursuit of knowledge and your keenness to seek what is lawful and avoid what is not. We earnestly implore Allah to bless your efforts in this honorable way.

First of all, we would like to stress that Islam encourages us to be charitable to all regardless of differences of religion or race. Blood donation comes at the top of charitable deeds; therefore every Muslim and Muslimah should not only participate in it but also take initiatives in their communities to encourage the act.

Responding to the question, the eminent Muslim scholar Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, states the following:

Blood donation is the best assistance a man can offer a patient who needs a blood transfusion due to blood loss or surgery. Donating blood is a highly estimated deed, as it saves the life of a human being whether he is a Muslim or not. It is an act whose virtue is explicitly clarified in the Qur’anic verse in which Allah the Almighty says: “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” (Al-Ma’idah: 32).

It is well-known that donating money is a highly esteemed deed in Islam; Allah is pleased with such deeds, so He accepts them and multiplies their reward up to seven-hundred-fold and more, by His Will. Donating blood is even greater in virtue and reward than donating money, as the former saves the life of a human being. Blood, which is a part of man, is more precious than money. The blood donor gives part of his body to his brother or sister out of love and solidarity.

The virtue of blood donation increases when it is done to support a person in a hazardous condition and relieve his hardship. This is an extra virtue that qualifies one for more reward from Allah the Almighty. It is reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Verily, Allah likes supporting a man in need” (Reported by Abu Ya`la, Ad-Dailamy and Ibn `Asakir, on the authority of Ibn Anas, as related in Faidul-Qadir 2/287).

It is reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “If one removes a hardship of a Muslim in this life, Allah will relieve a hardship from him on the Day of Judgment” (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim on the authority of Ibn `Umar, as related in Al-Lu’lu’ Wal-Marjan 1667).

Moreover, it is reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) declared that supporting the needy, even animals, deserves great reward in Allah’s Sight. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “While a man was walking he felt thirsty and went down a well and drank water from it. On coming out of it, he saw a dog panting and eating mud because of excessive thirst. The man said, ‘This (dog) is suffering from the same problem as that of mine.’ So he (went down the well), filled his shoe with water, caught hold of it with his teeth and climbed up and gave the dog water. Allah thanked him for his (good) deed and forgave him.” The people asked, “O Allah’s Messenger! Is there a reward for us in serving (the) animals?” He replied, “Yes, there is a reward for serving any living creature” (Reported by Abu Hurayrah, as related in Al-Lu’lu’ Wal-Marjan 1447).

It seems that the Prophet’s Companions thought that serving such creatures does not entail any reward from Allah the Almighty and that there is no value for such an act in Islam. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) clarified to them that being good to any living creature, whether it be a dog or such, deserves great reward. So what about assisting a human being, and what if that human being is a true believer? It then entails much greater reward.

Blood donation generally entails great reward, and when it is done for the favor of someone’s kin, it deserves even greater reward, as it strengthens the ties of kinship and enhances good relations among relatives. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Supporting a needy person is a charitable deed, while supporting a relative is two charitable deeds: spending money and strengthening the ties of kinship.” (Reported in Al-Jami` As-Saghir by Ahmad, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa’i, Ibn Majah, and Al-Hakim on the authority of Salman Ibn Amir; verified by Al-Hakim, and supported by Adh-Dhahabi, as related in Faydul-Qadir by Al-Manawi 4/237).

This reward especially multiplies if the relation between one and his kin is not originally good. In other words, if a man is having a dispute with his relatives and can overcome feelings of enmity and hatred that are rejected by Allah and by people, and extend a helping hand, whether with money or blood, he then offers the best act of charity, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) considered it so when he said: “Charity is to support a kin with a severed relation (that is, one who does not keep good relations with his kin).” (Reported in Al-Jami` As-Saghir by Ahmad and At-Tabarani on the authority of Abu Ayoub and Hakeem Ibn Hizam, and in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad by Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi and Al-Bukhari on the authority of Abu Sa`id. Reported also by At-Tabarani and Al-Hakim on the authority of Umm Kulthum bint `Uqbah, and verified by Al-Hakim, according to Muslim’s conditions; and supported by Adh-Dhahabi, as related in Faydul-Qadir: 2/38).