Question :

Is it permissible to do sajdah on writing paper and on paper tissues, especially, if is not known whether or not the raw material they are made of was from items on which sajdah is valid?

Answer :

It is not permissible to do sajdah on paper tissues, only after ascertaining that they have been made from items on which sajdah is allowed; it is permissible to do sajdah on paper if it is made from material on which sajdah is allowed or from cotton or flax.

Question :

Sometimes the sperm of a man is preserved in a sperm bank. Is it permissible for a divorced Muslim woman to use the sperm of a strange man [to artificially inseminate herself] with or without his permission and without recitation of marriage formula? What is the ruling if the sperm is that of her ex-husband, and she intends to use it during the waiting period or after it?

Answer :

It is not permissible for a woman to inseminate herself with the sperm of a strange man; and it is permissible to do so with the sperm of her husband, even during the waiting period but not after it.

Question :

An artificial female organ when used by some men, they derive some enjoyment from it. If it is used without the intent of ejaculation, is it permissible? Is there a difference in the ruling between a married man and a bachelor?

Answer :

Avoiding its use is recommended as a matter of ihtiyat luzumi, irrespective of whether ejaculation was intended. There is no difference in the ruling between a married man and a bachelor.

Question :

What is Grand Ayatollah Sistani's fatwa about artificial insemination?

Answer :

It is not permissible to inseminate a woman with the sperm of a man, other than her husband, irrespective of whether or not she was married. It makes no difference whether husband and wife consented to the act or not. Likewise, if insemination is done by the husband or another man.

Question :

What is the rule on intentionally infecting others with the AIDS virus?

Answer :

This is not allowed. If it leads —even after the passage of time— to the death of the person who has been infected, then the heirs of the deceased have the right of retribution from the person responsible for causing to demand the infecting, provided that the latter was aware that that infection could lead to death; but if he was ignorant of that effect, or unaware of it, at that time, only indemnity (blood money) and penalty would apply.