One well meaning gentleman, Mr. Abidali Lakhani from Bandra suburb,
Mumbai, thought reasonably that since he has nothing more to get from
this worldly life after death he should donate his vital parts to
science so that it may help science and some other needy person.
Therefore, he decided to donate his body parts those can be retrieved
after his death from his body and put to some good use. Apparently
this is not a big thing as many well meaning persons these days think
on this line. But in case of Abidali Lakhani things are not that
simple. He never expected that a remote thing such as his religion
can come in way and sabotage his sweet dream of donating his body for
better use. When he consulted his near priest he was told that a
Muslim cannot donate body parts to anybody after death. The reason
given is very unreasonable for others but for Muslims it means much
ado.
Mr. Abidali Lakhani seventy seven of age is a Khoja Muslim person
from Shia sect in Islam. He has been writing on Shia Muslim
activities in a Gujarati periodical. When he disclosed his will his
family of three daughters objected to it. In addition to that
commotion, Shia clerics also condemned that idea. They gave reason,
as per Islam a Muslim after death must be buried in whole body and
that is very important because as per their belief at the end of the
world their almighty god, Allah will CALL them all and they shall
rise out of their tombs and after that Allah shall proclaim who
amongst them will go to Heaven and who will go to Hell! If the dead
is buried not intact he/she cannot rise to the CALL and so that
parson is condemned for ever! All semitic religions have more or less
similar theory about after death.
If a Muslim donates his body as whole or in parts naturally he will
never be able to rise for the CALL and Mr. Abidali Lakhani will be
condemned for ever. This his daughters did not approve of. As Mr.
Lakhani did not get support from his family and clerics he decided to
contact many other highly placed authorities in Shia Islamic ideology
in other parts of the world. Amongst them were other clerics of Sunni
sect also and they too insisted that he should forget the idea
however good it may appear to all other people. Only one priest from
Delhi, Maulana Wahiduddin Khan suggested one mid option and that was,
he can donate the parts to another Muslim only. The hitch in this
option is in the process of donation. As somebody 'donates' any thing
he loses ownership right on it. That means, as Mr. Lakhani donates
his body and or body parts to the research institute or hospital that
becomes property of that research institute or hospital and in that
case he cannot dictate as to whom the parts may be transplanted. They
may go on a Jew, Hindu, Christian or Parsee. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
a moderate Shia cleric said that donation of body part is the noblest
cause and Allah will only appreciate it and so Mr. Abidali is sure to
go in Heaven. However, his condition that the parts must go to
another Muslim is not possibly acceptable for reasons given here.
Other Ulema rejected this interpretation of Maulana Wahiduddin that
charity of money and kinds is recommended and charity of human body
parts after death is not considered even remotely in Koran or Hadith.
Lakhani says if this facility were available at the time of Prophet
HE would have definitely accepted this suggestion but that is not the
thing and so at present interpretation such charity is not acceptable
to Islam.
Abidali wanted to give his cornea, liver, kidney, skin, heart valves,
and bones for research and also for implant on other needy person. He
did not agree with these clerics and was firm on donating his parts
after his death but finally his family became more important to him
and he has decided not to donate any part because that will disturb
his three daughters. Abidali's dream to continue to live through
these parts will not materialize.
This news is having many off shoots to be discussed. There is
corollary to this act of donation. The corollary is that if a Muslim
cannot donate his part then he cannot also accept body parts of
another person for the same argument. That is not all; he/she cannot
donate blood or accept blood transfusion also. That is because these
treatments shall change his body to some alien conditions. That
person is no more the same person as per strict Islamic law. Some
clerics demanded that any Muslim who violets this order and donates
his body or part thereof or blood or accepts body parts or blood of
another person, he does not remain to be the same person and true
Muslim.
In Chembur suburb where I stay there is a small cemetery of Muslims.
Undertaker of that place was my friend and he had shown me a well
within that cemetery in that well many bones, skulls were dumped. He
told me that because, the place is very small they have to exhume old
bodies to make place for new dead persons. Those bones are dumped in
that well. He jokingly told me his worry, saying, when our Allah will
CALL these people how can they get out of it? Their heads, ribs and
all other bones are so much intermingled that it is not possible for
them to rise on the CALL. He was not an educated person but he often
laughed at the very idea; but it is the saying by your prophet, I
reminded him. Idea that Allah will CALL and dead will rise for the
CALL in body appears to be very unrealistic. He told me it is an
absurd idea, I am in cemetery all my life and from this experience I
know, that idea is not possible. When I asked him how is it that your
prophet said this he laughed away that question. This I am writing
here because, an uneducated undertaker of a cemetery knows the
stupidity in that idea but these so-called Ulema are not
understanding it. What a shame.
There are other off shoots to this concept of Muslims rising to the
CALL by their god, Allah, on the end of this world. One cleric told
me the concept has many other wider effects. In that he told me that
a Muslim person cannot cut his hair and if he does it he must
preserve all those hair and other parts such as nails also he must
keep preserved and on his death he will be interred along with all
those hair and nails. In case tooth removed it must also be preserved
until his/her death and buried along with the body. He further said
since nobody preserves cut hair of head as well as beard and mustache
and also nails all such Muslims are not qualified to rise on that
CALL by Allah and so they are doomed. Not only that but in addition
to this he further told me that if any body takes an implant of any
body part he must preserve the removed part until his death and that
be inhumed along his body; so that will help him in attending to the
CALL of Allah. We can see how impossible it is to abide by all these
prerequisites to be a true Muslim. I told him, on listening all these
difficult conditions, that means, none of the Muslims will rise for
that CALL and that means, all Muslims are not going to be given final
verdict; they are doomed. If that is happening all Muslims will go to
hell because they did not abide by these conditions. I warned that
cleric that he has also not saved his hair and nail and so even he is
not going to rise on that CALL. He admitted and told me that all
these things he realized only after Mr. Abidali raised this issue. I
told him if really all Muslims abide by these rules very meticulously
they will look like savages; he told me, never mind that, to be with
Allah even that is acceptable! I was stunned.
What is the difference in body ejecting feces and urine on one side
and removal of hair and nails on the other side. He told me feces and
urine are rejected by body and that is why it is not necessary to
preserve that. At every time body ejects feces and urine the body
becomes purified and so they do not remain parts of body. Whereas,
hair and nails are not thrown away by body but they are removed
perforce. That is why one must preserve them. He also told me that
shaving beard and mustaches and hair of head as well as nails removal
is against Islamic laws. That means a Muslim must retain all his/her
nails and hair on body until their death.
Finally what remains to be considered by a sensible Muslim is that
he/she has to decide what is important to him/her? Living with
implants if need be or die because they cannot accept implants. The
cleric told me that if any part of body has become useless and so any
thought of replacing it comes up, one should understand that since
his/her body has become incompetent to live because the body parts
have become useless he/she should prefer to die considering that it
is the desire of Allah. Prefer that option and prepare to die! He
insisted that to accept implants to live longer or blood transfusion
against the wishes of Allah is not acceptable to idealistic Islam, it
amounts to blasphemy. It is haram he insisted. To insist to live by
replacing body parts is not acceptable to Islam. I shall be obliged
if any of my readers is Muslim, wright to me on my email and let me
know what he has to say on this. I am of opinion that living by
breaking these arduous rules of Islamic law is preferred to bothering
about rising at the time of last CALL. After all, what are all
religions made for? If they are forcing one to die for some fantastic
rule made by that religion we should cancel that religion and accept
one that helps in living longer. Nevertheless, there is one hope from
modern science, artificial body parts and blood is being developed
they may be used to replace implants from other humans. However, I
still wonder if this idealistic religion of Islam will allow that
also because it still means to continue to live against the will of
Allah! I hope expert clerics will come with the solution to this
query.
All this made me very curious about these rules of Islam. We Hindus
do not have any such rule but to be sure I consulted one
knowledgeable person. He told me as per Hindu belief this CALL comes
to a person immediately after his/her death unlike at the end of the
world in Islam or other semitic religions. Decision of his/her after
death life is decided in the first 13 days after death. That means it
is better than Islamic arrangement. Moreover, since in Hinduism body
is cremated rising of body is not expected. It is the Atman that gets
the verdict on his/her good and bad deeds during his/her life and
he/she is send to suffer or enjoy the effects or return to take next
birth. On listening this I felt much better that I am Hindu! In
Hinduism there always is a next chance that makes a big difference in
Islam or other semitic religions and Hinduism.
You may contact me on my Email ID given below,
You are invited to visit my other blogs
Ashok
Kothare,
http://ashokkotharesblog.blogspot.com/
for stories
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may visit blog,
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and tips on any subject,
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