ISLAM AND HUMAN CLONING

[Dan-Sokoto]

BELOW IS A POSTING I MADE IN RESPONSE TO FYNE DYME QUEEN'S TOPIC ON CERTAIN VERSES OF THE HOLY KORAN.

FULANICIOUS RESPONDED WITH HOPE OF FINDING MORE ON THE ISSUE.

I HAVE HERE ISOLATED AND RELOCATED THE TOPIC IN ORDER TO MAKE IT STAND ALONE WITH THE HOPE OF ELICITING MORE COMMENTS ON THE ISSUE DUE TO ITS IMPORTANCE.

PLEASE THOSE WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OR ACCESS TO GETTING EXPERTS OPINIONS ON THIS ISSUE ARE WELCOME TO CONTRIBUTE.

MY COMMENTS ARE BELOW:


Assalaam!

Queen, marvellous work and great effort! In another segment of this forum, i highlighted an issue with cloning which is making a wave currently in the scientific world.

I was wondering whether somebody knowlegeable can please highlight this issue of cloning vis-a-vis the islamic injunctions as regards human re-production by ejection of semen (maniyi)? The cloners are not using semen or maniyi. No sexual intercourse is involved. As  matter of fact, nor either male sperm or female egg is involved but from a cell of only one person, and the product will be exactly or like a carbon copy of the person whom it is got from.  

Even though, world wide, along all religious divide, many people are calling that, such a procedure never be allowed to take place. Supposing they don't heed these appeals and go ahead with this system, and in fact they claim to have been successful in pigs, lambs etc.  

Please i am calling for an islamic point of view on this issue supposing they go ahead and are sucessful in their adventure. Whatever, a human being achieves is only possible by the grace of the almighty. Now if the almighty gives them the success to achieve this feat, how can it be reconciled with the reproductive system of human production through semen or maniyi only? And any other explanation along this line is lso welcomed.

Queen that was great, allah ya ba da lada.

Dan-Sokoto  

[Ihsan]

Assalaam Alaykum,

Ok...I went to an Islamic Q&A site and found this information regarding cloning...

Question:

What is the ruling on cloning of human beings? How does it affect lineage, marriage, inheritance and other rulings on family matters? May Allaah reward you with much good.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

Allaah has created man in the best of forms, and bestowed upon him the greatest honours. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And indeed We have honoured the Children of Adam, and We have carried them on land and sea, and have provided them with At‑Tayyibaat (lawful good things), and have preferred them above many of those whom We have created with a marked preferment”

[al-Israa’ 17:70]

Allaah has honoured him with reason and responsibility, and has made him a khaleefah on earth, to populate and develop it. He has honoured man by giving him the Message which suits his fitrah (natural state), indeed it is that fitrah itself, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“So set you (O Muhammad) your face towards the religion (of pure Islamic Monotheism) Haneef (worship none but Allaah Alone). Allaah’s Fitrah (i.e. Allaah’s Islamic Monotheism) with which He has created mankind. No change let there be in Khalq‑illaah (i.e. the religion of Allaah Islamic Monotheism), that is the straight religion, but most of men know not”

[al-Room 30:30]

Islam is keen to preserve the upright fitrah of man by preserving the five holistic aims: religion, life, reason, lineage and property, and protecting them from every change that may corrupt them, whether by its cause or its effects. This is stated in the hadeeth qudsi which was narrated by al-Qurtubi from the report of al-Qaadi Ismaa’eel, [in which Allaah says]: “I have created all My slaves as haneefs (pure monotheists), but the shayaateen (devils) come to them and try to divert them from their religion… and they commanded them to alter My creation.” (Tafseer al-Qurtubi, 5/389)

Allaah taught man that which he did not know, and commanded him to seek and examine and think and ponder, as He says in many aayahs, such as the following (interpretations of the meanings):

“Did they not see…”

[Ta-Ha 20:89, etc.

“Do they not look at…”

[al-Ghaashiyah 88:17]

“Does not man see that We have created him from Nutfah (mixed male and female sexual discharge semen drops)”

[Yaa-Seen 36:77

“Verily, in these things, there are Ayaat (proofs, evidences, lessons, signs, etc.) for people who reflect”

[al-Ra’d 13:3]

“Verily, therein is indeed a sign for people who have wisdom”

[al-Nahl 6:67]

“Verily, in this is a Reminder for men of understanding”

[al-Zumar 39:1]

“Read! In the Name of your Lord Who has created (all that exists

[al-‘Alaq 96:1]

Islam does not place any restrictions on the freedom of scientific research, or place any obstacles in its way, because it is a mean of understanding the laws of Allaah in His creation, but Islam also stipulates that this cannot be left without any guidelines or regulations on the introduction of scientific results into the public domain without first passing them through the sieve of sharee’ah, so that that which is permissible may be allowed through whilst that which is haraam is prevented from passing.  So it is not permissible to implement something simply because it can be implemented, rather it has to be beneficial knowledge which serves the interests of mankind and protects them from harm; this knowledge has to protect the dignity of man and the lofty purpose for which Allaah created him. So man should not become the subject of experimentation, and scientific research should not impinge upon the unique identity of the individual and his distinct characteristics, or lead to disruption of the social framework or dissolution of the foundations of kinship and lineage, or the family structure that has been known throughout human history in the shade of Allaah’s laws and on the solid foundation of His rulings.

Among the new scientific discoveries that man has made in modern times is that which the media speaks of a great deal, that which is known as cloning. We have to explain the ruling of Islam on this matter, after quoting some details about it given by a group of Muslim scientists and experts in this field:

Definition of cloning:

It is known that the laws of Allaah concerning His creation dictate that the human being grows from the joining of two cells, the nucleus of each of which contains a number of chromosomes, half the number of chromosomes in the cells of the human body. When the cell of the father (the husband), which is called the sperm, joins with the cell of the mother (the wife), which is called the egg, they turn into a fertilized cell which contains the complete number of chromosomes, and has the potential to multiply. When it settles in the uterus of the mother, it grows and becomes a whole new created being, by the will of Allaah. This cell multiplies, so it becomes two identical cells, then four, then eight… then it continues to multiply until it reaches the stage where the cells start to differ from one another and become specialized. If, during the phase when the cells are multiplying but have not yet begun to specialize, one cell separates from the others, this will result in identical twins. Some experiments have been done in which cells were artificially separated from animal embryos, resulting in identical twins, but nothing of this sort has been reported regarding human beings. This is regarded as a kind of cloning, because it is producing identical copies, so it is called cloning by splitting.

There is another way of cloning a complete creature, which is done by taking the complete number of chromosomes, in the form of a complete nucleus from one of the cells of the body, and inserting it into an egg cell from which the nucleus has been removed, thus forming a fertilized cell containing a complete number of chromosomes and at the same time able to multiply; if it is planted in the uterus of the mother it will develop and grow and be born as a complete creature, by the will of Allaah. This kind of cloning is known as nuclear transfer or nuclear insertion in the egg cell. This is what is understood by the word “cloning” when it is used, and this is what happened in the case of the sheep “Dolly”. But this new creature is not an exact copy of the original, because the egg of the mother from which the nucleus was removed still contains some remnants of the nucleus in the material surrounding the removed nucleus, and these remnants have a noticeable effect in altering the characteristics which are inherited from the body cells, and this also has not yet been reported to have been done with humans.  

So cloning means producing one or more living beings by transferring the nucleus of a body cell to an egg whose nucleus has been removed, or splitting an fertilized egg at the stage before the tissues and organs become distinct.

It is obvious that these and similar procedures do not represent the act of creation, in whole or in part. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Or do they assign to Allaah partners who created the like of His creation, so that the creation (which they made and His creation) seemed alike to them?” Say: ‘Allaah is the Creator of all things; and He is the One, the Irresistible’”

[al-Ra’d 13:16]

“Then tell Me (about) the (human) semen that you emit.

Is it you who create it (i.e. make this semen into a perfect human being), or are We the Creator?

We have decreed death to you all, and We are not outstripped,

To transfigure you and create you in (forms) that you know not.

And indeed, you have already known the first form of creation (i.e. the creation of Adam), why then do you not remember (or take heed)?”
[al-Waaqi’ah 56:58-62]

“Does not man see that We have created him from Nutfah (mixed male and female sexual discharge semen drops). Yet behold he (stands forth) as an open opponent.

And he puts forth for Us a parable, and forgets his own creation. He says: ‘Who will give life to these bones after they are rotten and have become dust?’

Say: (O Muhammad) ‘He will give life to them Who created them for the first time! And He is the All‑Knower of every creation!’

He Who produces for you fire out of the green tree, when behold you kindle therewith.

Is not He Who created the heavens and the earth, Able to create the like of them? Yes, indeed! He is the All‑Knowing Supreme Creator.

Verily, His Command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, ‘Be!’ and it is!”

[Yaa-Seen 36:77-82]

“And indeed We created man (Adam) out of an extract of clay (water and earth).

Thereafter We made him (the offspring of Adam) as a Nutfah (mixed drops of the male and female sexual discharge and lodged it) in a safe lodging (womb of the woman).

Then We made the Nutfah into a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood), then We made the clot into a little lump of flesh, then We made out of that little lump of flesh bones, then We clothed the bones with flesh, and then We brought it forth as another creation. So Blessed is Allaah, the Best of creators”

[al-Mu’minoon 23:12-14]

Based on the discussion above, the Committee has decided the following:

(1)        That human cloning using the two methods mentioned, or any other method that leads to reproduction of human beings is haraam

(2)        If there is any transgression of the shar’i ruling mentioned above, then the consequences of that should be discussed to explain the shar’i rulings concerning such cases.

(3)        All scenarios in which a third party may be added to the marital relationship are forbidden, whether that involves a womb (surrogacy), eggs, sperm or cells for cloning.

(4)        It is permissible in Islam to use the technology of cloning and genetic engineering in cases of germs and microscopic creatures, plants and animals, within the limits and guidelines of sharee’ah, for the purpose of serving interests and warding off harm.


Majma’ al-Fiqh al-Islamiyyah, p. 216-220 (www.islam-qa.com)

[Ihsan]

Here's another one....

Question:

Please explain to me, according to the Qur’an, is it possible for a human to produce life? If not, then explain in detail about the cloning of animals and possibly humans, by humans.

Please give the answer in detail as it is confusing the minds of many, who think that in the next century science will conquer religion.


Answer:

Praise be to Allah.

The evidence that Allah is the only Creator of life may be found in many places in the Qur’an and Sunnah. For example:

"Blessed is He in Whose Hand is the dominion, and He is Able to do all things,
Who has created death and life, that He may test you which of you is best in deed, and He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving."
[al-Mulk 67:1-2]

"Is, then, He Who creates as one who creates not?"
[al-Nahl 16:17]

"Yet they have taken besides Him other gods that created nothing but are themselves created . . ."
[al-Furqaan 25:3]

Allah challenged all of mankind to create even the most insignificant creature, i.e. a fly, but no one could do that and no one ever will. Allah says:

"O mankind! A similitude has been coined, so listen to it (carefully): verily! Those on whom you call besides Allah cannot create (even) a fly, even though they combine together for the purpose. And if the fly snatched away a thing from them, they would have no power to release it from the fly. So weak are (both) the seeker and the sought."
[al-Hajj 22:73]

Imam al-Bukhari reported in his Saheeh from Abu Sa‘eed (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet  (Peace & Blessings of Allah be upon Him) said: "There is no created being but Allah created it." In Arabic, the word "khalaqa" means to make out of nothing, which is something that only Allah can do; it is impossible for anyone except Allah to do this. It also carries the meaning of decreeing or foreordaining. [**]

See Fath al-Bari Sharh Saheeh al-Bukhari, 13/390.

The Religion of Allah (Islam) is proud and cannot be defeated by the kaafirs’ arrogance about the knowledge they possess. Allah says:

". . . [they] are deceived by the life of this world . . ."
[al-An‘aam 6:70]

"They know only the outside appearance of the life of this world, and they are heedless of the Hereafter."
[al-Rum 30:7]

We ask Allah to help us to be steadfast in our adherence to His Religion, and to make our end good. And Allah knows best.


Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)

[Blaqueen]

umm.... well.... if for specific medical research... i wouldnt mind... cuz meeh myself....i'm a molecular biology and genetics peeps... so, i will have to face this issue later in lyfe...

but... i wouldnt want to support cloning... its a waste of time.. and the clone could come out a whole different something... and to perform experiments and research on a cloned human being is inhumane...

so i'm not for cloning on that level....

and dan soks.... its all for the love of God...

[Dan-Sokoto]

Assalaam!

Below is a a recent article on the UN report on human cloning that was published by the Washington Times of Monday, October 21, 2002 which i find interesting and worthy of reading.

Dan-Sokoto

U.N. REPORT

Betsy Pisik
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

-----------------------------------------------------------

<B>Cloning conference</B>

A two-week conference to discuss a treaty to ban human
cloning ended Friday without an agreement on how to proceed.

There is a firm and unanimous agreement that the
reproductive cloning of human beings is wrong and must be
prohibited because of ethical, moral, religious, scientific
concerns, said Slovenian Ambassador Peter Tomka, chairman of the group convened to resolve differences on the issue.

However, the scope of that ban was the subject of rancorous
debate in the legal committee of the General Assembly, one
that again pits the United States against many of its
traditional allies.

Germany and France have submitted a draft that effectively
would allow the procedure for therapeutic and scientific
pursuits, such as developing the stem cells that can be used
to produce medications. This position, supported by at least
50 nations, explicitly condemns reproduction.

The United States, however, advocates a ban on all human
cloning experiments, regardless of the intent. U.S.
representatives say that an exemption for therapeutic
cloning efforts would make the ban impossible to enforce.

The United States "believes that creating and destroying
human embryos for experimentation is equally wrong," said
Sichan Siv, the U.S. envoy for economic and social issues.
"Once cloned human embryos were available, it would be
virtually impossible to control what was done with them,
including bringing one to term."

Mr. Siv also stressed on Friday that animal cloning would
not be affected by the U.S. proposal, which closely tracks
the Vatican's position. The use of adult stem cells in
research would not be affected either, he said.

But Germany, which has most of the European Union behind it,
warned last week that research was progressing faster than
the legislation to regulate it. For example, said German
envoy Christian Much, two doctors have announced that they
are a year or two away from the birth of the world's first
cloned child.

Holding out for a comprehensive agreement, he said, would
waste too much time.

"An all-out approach that leads to nothing benefits ...
irresponsible researchers, fraudulent doctors and obscure
religious sects," Mr. Much said

He said that scientists in countries with no regulation had
reached "a high degree" of sophistication in their labs.

The Organization of the Islamic Conference also appears to
support the U.S. position.

"It is believed that with the completion of the draft,
negotiations should continue to address the issues relating
to therapeutic cloning," said Sudanese Ambassador Elfatih
Erwa on behalf of the 56-member group.

[Dan-Sokoto]

Salaam!

Below is also another article on CNN.com, October 22, 2002 on the issue of cloning.

Dan-Sokoto

Genetically altered pigs provide transplant hope
Tuesday, October 22, 2002 Posted: 5:37 AM EDT (0937 GMT)

RELATED
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)  

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WASHINGTON (AP) -- By manipulating swine sperm, Italian researchers have made a strain of pigs that carry human genes in their hearts, livers and kidneys, an advance that could lead to creating herds of pigs that could provide organs for transplanting into humans.

In a study appearing Tuesday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at the University of Milan report they mixed swine sperm with human DNA to transfer a gene called decay accelerating factor, or DAF. The modified sperm was then used to fertilize pig eggs and produce litters of pigs carrying the human gene.

"What we obtain at high efficiency and low cost is genetically modified pigs expressing the human protein," said Dr. Marialuisa Lavitrano, a University of Milan researcher and first author of the study.

Lavitrano said 205 piglets in 20 litters were produced using the modified sperm technique and the human genes were present in 20 percent to 50 percent of the young. Tests showed that the human genes were present in the animals' central organs and that the human genes would be passed along to later generations of pigs.

Organs from the test animals are not ready for transplantation into humans because there are still pig genes that would cause the organs to be quickly rejected, Lavitrano said. But she added that the technique shows that by adding human genes to pig sperm it is possible to develop animals with organs that will not be rejected by the human immune system.

"They could be the starting point for new transgenesis (gene transfer) experiments," she said.

Lavitrano said five to seven other pig genes will need to be silenced or replaced by human genes before useful organs could be harvested from the animals.

"With our efficiency we think we can add the other genes and breed the animals in about two years," she said.

Medical scientists have been working to change swine genes so that modified animals could be used to make organs that would be tolerated by the human body. The goal is to create a special strain of pigs that could make organs that could be used to replace ailing livers, kidneys and hearts in humans. It's hoped that the use of pig organs would relieve the shortage of human organs available for transplant. It has been estimated that about 4,000 people die each year while awaiting donor organs.

For this xenotransplantation to work, the organs would have to be tolerated by the human immune system. Otherwise, the transplanted organs would be destroyed by the immune system within a short time.

Other researchers, using another technique, have eliminated one of two genes that make a sugar called alpha-1-galactose. This gene prompts an acute rejection by the human immune system. The researchers now are attempting to remove a second sugar gene that also causes rejection.

Dr. Randall S. Prather, a pig reproduction physiologist at the University of Missouri and a researcher who helped eliminate the alpha-1-galactose gene in one strain of pigs, said the Lavitrano study is an advance because it demonstrates a simple way to add genes to the swine DNA. But it has limitations in developing pigs for xenotransplantation, he said.

"You can add a gene, but you cannot alter or remove a gene using this technique," said Prather. It is known that some other genes will have to be altered or removed in order to create animals for the xenotransplantation of organs, he said.

The technique to make transgenic pigs used by the Italians "is easier and highly efficient," said Dr. David H. Sachs, a researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

There are already proven methods in use to transfer genes and he said the new technique is a "quantitative" advance.

"This is a very nice improvement to get transgenic animals, but it is not something that wasn't already available," said Sachs.

Pig parts have been used to replace heart valves in humans, but replacing entire organs represents a significantly more complex challenge.

One of the concerns about xenotransplantation is the possibility that unrecognized swine viruses could be transferred into human patients along with the transplanted organ, experts say.

[Fulanizzle]

Salamu alaikum

Cloning... right now besides the ACT of cloning is "haram" but what makes the situation even worse is that they are cloning FOR THE WRONG reasons. some medical reasons like: The parts of those clones will be used for replacing any damaged tissue/organs/body parts of a patient. I think that is so unfair!!! Hellooooo thats INHUMAN! arent the clones humans too???? They will be opressed and locked down like hamsters!

And that will bring MORE DIFFERENTIATION, AND OPPRESSION ! Coz to many, the clones will never be regarded as "normal humans".... and if the clones vex and decided to do something about all these....then the world will have to answer...

I think its a  real messed up issue!
NO clonings!!!

PIG'S ORGANS..... these scientists should face the fact that its disgusting.... I will research on that! but that HAS to be haram , hopefully....anyways, don wanna conclude too soon....

Salam

[Blaqueen]

well.. i wouldnt support cloning at all...

the developed nations will have all the modern technology for that... and will be saving their people...
while in other parts of the world... people will be dying with no medication and then they'll be pressured to start family plannin'... etc etc...
its not balanced enuff...

kai... i dunno fa...

[Ummulhuda]

Assalamu alaikum.
Hmm! Cloning. I have no informed opinion on the suject. But at the risk of sounding foolish and ignorant, I will proceed to give MY VIEWS on the matter.
Allah (S.W.T.) is One and He Has an Infinite Will. He created everything in pairs and gave man a limited will to either do right or wrong. By the same token, anything manufactured by the hand of man can either be put to a good use or ?bad use. ?Take an example of a video player. One can either use it to listen to Sheikh Isa Waziri's Tafsir, or one can use it to watch Michael Jackson gyrate. He also gave man a limited access to His Wisdom and knowledge. Anything that man does is with the Sanction of Allah. Refer to  Ayah 33 in Surah Ar Rahman in which Allah SWT is telling the Jinn and Mankind that we cannot penetrate His heavens and earth without His Permission. So you see cloning is allowed with the Permission of Allah. What ever Allah SWT allows to occur, has a purpose behind it and one which is intended to be beneficial in the long run although as I mentioned earlier, Man has been given the free will to misuse it. What I believe is causing such an uproar as the debate over whether cloning is good or bad is that the purpose for which Allah allowed the act of cloning to be perfected by man is probably not imediately obvious to us at the moment although it offers avenues for the cure of certain genetic diseases. Still from an Islamic perspective, isn't it another way of showing us the truth of the creation of Adam who neither had a mother nor a father? Remember all you that a similitude is given in the Qur'an about  sleep and death. How sleep is a small form of death because that is the exact nature of death. In death, the soul finaly departs from the physical body; in sleep, the soul departs but comes back if the person is not ordained to die. That is why we wake up when we've been asleep.
On the issue of insemination. That is wrong. It does not matter that bodily fluids are not involved. The fact that  chromosomes belonging to two people (who are not married to each other) are fused together in the name of procreation is tantamount to the act of Zinah. Islam seeks to safeguard the family and the social structure as rightly pointed out by Ihsan. So in other words it is the end result which is undesirable  not how the end product is obtained. The end result of course are children born out of wedlock with little parental responsibility over them.    

[ummita]

My point is, .....is it totally, totally unacceptable in Islam? Or are there situations where one can consider otherwise?
Eg: Abortion is haram, but with regards to health issues it is not haram?

So 4 the human clonin, @ wat grounds does it stand in Islamicity?!!

[Blaqueen]

wow! good point ummul it is kinda like outta wedlock..

but, cloning comes in different categories... people just have to understand it before choosing to condemn it....

[ummita]

Salam,

Can I know the grounds that Human cloning stands Islam.
(ENI HELPERS?) I've read all thats been put out. But still it doesnt state mere facts of Cloning vs Islam.

(Feed bck will b much appreciated)

[Fulanizzle]

salam sista
so far , the sheikhs and educated muslims I bump into, are all against cloning......

its something just so not natural......

[nura]

I cant help but to agree with Ummulhuda. Nothing is possible except with Allah's permission and whether cloned or made out of male and female interaction, the child is Allah's creation because the brain, the energy and the resources used to make the clone are Allah's and are under His control.

I'm not worried about Human Cloning and as Muslims we have to rely on the Almighty and believe that He is behind whatever happens and knows what will happen in the next million years and what happened in the last million years. He therefore knows about Cloning and that some white people will attempt to create a living being.