Bharat’s social media was divided on Ayesha Rashan’s organ donation case. In this case, the world of medical miracles directly clashed with ethical doubts, Islamic dogmas, and plain common sense. The 19-year-old Pakistani girl received a heart transplant in Chennai, India. However, her surgery became this giant question mark that sparked conversations around Islamic beliefs on organ donation and the need to sponsor a Pakistani national when many Indians would appreciate a helping hand in its place. Let’s explore!
Ayesha Rahsan – Pakistani Recipient of Organ DonationÂ
#WATCH | Tamil Nadu: A 19-year-old girl, Ayesha Rashid from Karachi, Pakistan, undergoes a successful heart transplant in Chennai. pic.twitter.com/LDQ1EqwkIn
— ANI (@ANI) April 26, 2024
Ayesha’s journey from Karachi to Chennai for a life-saving surgery was funded by the Aishwaryam Trust. In Pakistan, she faced the daunting reality of a serious cardiac condition that ultimately led to heart failure. Despite the severity of her condition, her family hesitated to pursue a heart transplant due to financial constraints. Why? The procedure requires a substantial sum of over a minimum of 35 lakh.
However, Ayesha was taken under the wing of Aishwaryam Trust after the medical team of MGM Healthcare in Chennai connected the two. The Trust generously provided the necessary funds for the life-saving surgery. However, the uproar online is not about generosity or even her religious identity. The questions and conversation seem to ask why an Indian Trust would extend its services to a Pakistani when many Indians struggle to pay for good private healthcare. Also, many wonder if organ donation is acceptable in Islam.
Organ Donation – Is Islam Heartless?
There is a misconception among Muslims that organ donation is forbidden. Islam however permits organ donation but only deems haram for genital organs. There are also no prohibitions for a Muslim to donate to a non-Muslim. Detailed info at https://t.co/DKvznq5v8K pic.twitter.com/mfAg8IMvlV
— Dr. Amalina (@DrAmalinaBakri) December 14, 2019
Islam, its Quran, and Hadiths believe that organ donation is a good thing. In fact, it encourages willing donors to list themselves while they are still alive. Why? Because as per Islam organ donation requires the person’s living consent. The family’s consent post-death is not acceptable.Also, Islam asks that no money transaction take place for organ donation, Thus, for the recipient and donor the organ donation should only be about goodwill.Â
However, every year fewer and fewer Muslims around the world register themselves on the donor list thinking that organ donation for the dead is not allowed. This is the blind dogma that is circulated by Islamists and radicals. It creates confusion in the Ummah about Islam’s stance on the entire issue. Â
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7056282/
Ayesha Rashan’s Non-Islamic Heart Transplant?
Islam permits the donation and receipt of organs among willing donors. However, Ayesha’s case steps into the world of gray zones.
Ayesha received an organ donation from a brain-dead person.
Brain death is not accepted as true death in Islam.
Many clerics argue that brain-dead humans can sometimes come back to life. Thus, it should not be considered as a true death. Consequently, for most Muslims, death is typically defined as the cessation of heartbeat and breathing. A devout Muslim family will not allow a brain-dead person to donate his heart for the same reason.
Therefore, Ayesha receiving her new heart from a brain-dead person may go against this popular notion in Islam. Â
Additionally, Ayesha’s family received free medical treatment from a non-Islamic Charitable Trust. This means that she accepted a favor knowing fully well that she can never repay it. This, in Islam, an unequal exchange and a ‘freebie’ which is forbidden. Thus, this medical marvel heart transplant should be unacceptable to devout followers of Islam. However, you will hear pin-drop silence from them in this case. Why? Because one of their own benefitted, thus, they will hold their peace. However, if the donor was a brain-dead Muslim and the recipient a non-Muslim the story would not be the same.Â
Points to Ponder
Islam is a religion where a lot of modern procedures and technologies are questioned. Organ donation is one such area filled with conflicting views and fatwas. The prevalent misconception among some Islamic communities is that organ donation is forbidden. Thus, a large section of Ummah does not participate in organ donation drives or initiatives. Therefore, topped with the complication of a brain-dead donor, Ayesha Rashan receiving a heart transplant becomes an Islamic conundrum. The free-of-cost transplant and medical care by a non-Islamic Trust adds another layer of challenges for the devout to swallow.
Moreover, the case highlights a moral dilemma of perception management in India. Thousands of Indians are waiting for organ transplants, including heart transplants, due to a shortage of donors. However, the DMK-ruled state’s Charitable Trust prioritized Ayesha, a Pakistani national, for a heart transplant.
The free medical care to a non-Indian also raises many eyebrows.
In a nation of 1.4 billion, many Indians would appreciate additional help from the Trust in their times of medical need.
Therefore, the entire operation faces criticisms about misplaced priorities and the neglect of Indian patients in need of medical care.Â
While the act of saving a life is commendable, the circumstances surrounding Ayesha’s heart transplant raise important questions about the misuse of Indian Trusts to generate perceptions and Islamic beliefs. As Bharat and its netizens continue to explore this case of medicine, morality, and money; let’s hope board members of the Aishwaryam Trust will take due notice. Hopefully, they will choose to spend their money on Indians before they sponsor a Pakistani to showcase their large-heartedness. Why? Because Charity Begins At Home!Â