Buying and selling blood.

It is impermissible to sell blood, as the Prophet ﷺ prohibited the sale of blood. One may, however, relinquish possession of blood after it has been extracted from the body in exchange for payment. It should be noted, however, that the sale of blood is illegal in South Africa.

Consider the following:

1. When a person donates blood, they may potentially save a life, and the preservation of life is one of the primary objectives of the Sharīʿah. In Surah al-Ma’idah, Allah says:

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 بِٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ ثُمَّ إِنَّ كَثِيرًۭا مِّنْهُم بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ لَمُسْرِفُونَ ٣٢

Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land - it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one - it is as if he had saved mankind entirely. And Our messengers had certainly come to them with clear proofs. Then indeed many of them, [even] after that, throughout the land, were transgressors.

2. The issue with selling blood, however, is that once it has been extracted from the body, it is considered impure (najis), and it is not permissible to sell impure substances. Imām al-Bukhārī narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ prohibited taking payment for blood. Ibn Ḥajar, commenting on this ḥadīth in Fatḥ al-Bārī, explains that this refers to the prohibition of selling blood, just as the sale of carrion and swine has been prohibited. [Ibn Ḥajar, Fatḥ al-Bārī]

3. This issue may be overcome by not selling the blood itself, but rather by relinquishing one's possession of it (rafʿ al-yad) in exchange for payment. [Ibn Ḥajar, Tuḥfah al-Muḥtāj]

4. While the above provides a solution for receiving payment in exchange for "donating" blood, according to the National Health Act 61 of 2003, it is not permitted under South African law. Hospitals that charge for transfused blood do so to recover the costs associated with the collection, testing, storage, and delivery of blood, rather than charging for the blood itself.

5. The following are additional considerations regarding blood donation in general:

a) Blood donation should serve a definite medical benefit for the recipient.

b) Blood donation should not cause the donor any complete or partial harm and prevent them from carrying out their livelihood, whether financially or otherwise.

c) It should be medically verified that the donor is free from diseases that may be transmitted and are harmful to human health, since it is not permissible to avert harm by causing harm.

d) The donor must possess the legal capacity to donate blood.