What is the ruling on preserving the umbilical cord and its blood in blood banks after birth? And what are the Shariah controls for this? And can the jurisprudential precautions regarding breastfeeding, such as "siblings through breastfeeding," be considered applicable here, based on cell transfer?
Specialists have mentioned that stem cells extracted from the umbilical cord after birth contribute to rebuilding blood cells and the immune system, and are used in treating blood and neurological diseases without being attacked by the immune system. The Islamic Research Academy has issued a fatwa permitting the establishment of a bank to preserve these cells for use in human treatment. As for blood transfusion, it does not establish the prohibition of marriage nor the rulings of breastfeeding, because it is not considered breastfeeding, neither linguistically, customarily, nor legally. The breastfeeding that prohibits marriage requires it to occur during infancy and before weaning.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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