Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Salaam Alaykum,

How are you brother Burhan? I have 2 questions for you and i request you to please reply to these URGENTLY.

I am pregnant 8 months now and i see a lot of adverts regarding "Baby`s Cord Blood Banking" Me and my husband would like to know if it is within the rights of Islam (Sunnah & Quran) to bank our baby`s cord blood.

Second question is, in a questionnaire we came across a question "whether the father of the baby would like to cut the umbilical cord once the baby is out. We would like to know if it is ok to do so????

Thanks for helping us clear our doubts, i need your replies urgently because the baby can arrive anytime.

Thank you,
Sister in Islam

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Father cut cord at birth

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Question: I am pregnant 8 months now and i see a lot of adverts regarding "Baby`s Cord Blood Banking" Me and my husband would like to know if it is within the rights of Islam (Sunnah & Quran) to bank our baby`s cord blood.

Stem cell storage from the new-born’s umbilical cord is preserving one new born’s umbilical cord blood by freezing the cells in liquid nitrogen. This allows the facility to preserve the stem cells for many years, ready for use at any time in the future should you need them.

Current medical research has revealed positive results in the treatment of a wide variety of different medical conditions including ischemic heart disease, cancer, spinal cord lesions, bone fractures, burns, strokes, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntingdon disease and diabetes.

To the best of our knowledge, there is absolutely nothing in Shariah which restrains or forbids the parents from preserving their new-born’s umbilical cord if indeed they wish to believe it is beneficial to do so, especially if modern medicine and technology allows it to be retrieved or used at a later date to treat a medical disorder of their child, if any.

Your Question: ….in a questionnaire we came across a question "whether the father of the baby would like to cut the umbilical cord once the baby is out. We would like to know if it is ok to do so????
It is obviously best if the experts in the field of medicine and surgery are allowed to do what they do best; but if under the guidance of medical and surgical experts, the father himself wishes to cut the umbilical cord of his new-born for any reason, there is absolutely no harm and such an act would not violate any of the tenets of Shariah in the least.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan