(Series of Answers by the Scholar Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah, Ameer of Hizb ut-Tahrir, to the Questions of Visitors to his Facebook Page)
To: Abdulbarr Ats-Tsaqofiy
Question:
Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,
I would like to ask you about the issue of "conjoined twins"—how does Islam apply to them? Thank you for your kind attention.
Abdulbarr – Indonesia.
Answer:
Wa Alaikum Assalam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,
Regarding the subject of conjoined twins, this issue involves multiple rulings depending on the various conditions of the attachment. The twins may be:
Attached at the sides, the back, the head, the pelvis, the sacrum, or what is known as a parasitic twin—which has additional limbs, an additional torso, or extra non-essential organs...
Each case requires its own study to determine whether the rulings of one person, two persons, etc., apply to the twins.
Therefore, each case must be studied individually according to its actual reality, rather than applying a single ruling to all cases.
For your information, as published in some research, conjoined twins—nicknamed Siamese twins—are a rare phenomenon. It is estimated to occur in 1 out of every 50,000 births to 1 out of every 100,000 births. A large portion of them die in the womb or after birth, and those who survive for years are very few indeed.
Your brother, Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah
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