Is there any reward in donating blood to non-Muslims?

According to Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the answer is: yes!

In a fatwa given on About Islam, he explains that Muslims should be proactive in their communities—even, or especially, when those communities are non-Muslim. One of the greatest ways to demonstrate the heart of Muslim life is to engage in charitable deeds in your community.

He writes:

“The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) exhorted the faithful to be engaged in charitable deeds every single day. He is reported to have said, ‘Every day that the sun shines each one of you ought to do some charitable deeds.’ He then mentioned numerous examples of charity, all of which are intended to enhance the quality of life. He also said, ‘There is reward for you in acts of compassion rendered to every creature with a throbbing heart (or liver).’”

Every creature that lives, he goes on to explain, is in some way Muslim. Even human beings who are not actively Muslim have bodies that are Muslim! Just as trees and birds and oceans obey Allah the Almighty, so too do the physical bodies of all people. So, in this way, it is impossible to donate blood to a non-Muslim. Or, put differently, saving a human life is always about saving a Muslim life, a life that Allah created and gave a “throbbing heart.”

In conclusion, Sh. Ahmad Kutty says that giving blood to non-Muslims is a wonderful and highly rewardable act. It involves Muslims in their communities through charity and expresses obedience to Allah, Most Gracious and Most Merciful.