Pulling the Plug: The Islamic Perspectives on End-of-Life Care
Published: November 13, 2017 • Updated: July 22, 2024
Author: Maryam Sultan
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Abstract
Background
Cultural Competency
Life, Death, and Illness in an Islamic Spiritual Framework
Islamic Law and Medicine
A bedouin asked the Prophet Muhammad: ‘Should we not treat sickness?’ He replied: ‘Treat sickness, for God has not created any disease except that He has also created its cure, except for one disease.’ Those around the Prophet asked, ‘O Messenger of God, what is [that one disease]?’ He said: ‘Aging.’
Current State
Sources
Findings
Medical Treatment
- cases in which refraining from medical treatment will lead to significant harm to the patient and/or one of his/her organs, as determined by the physician in consultation with the patient. In the case of an emergency situation that meets this criterion, the consent of the patient or his/her proxy is not needed for treatment. Consent is necessary in non-emergent cases;
- cases in which refraining from medical treatment will lead to long-term handicap;
- cases in which the patient’s disease may be transmitted to others and result in significant harm to them and/or to society, as determined by the physician.
Life-Sustaining Measures
It is permissible to turn off the life support systems of a patient whose brain has completely stopped functioning on condition that a committee of three specialized expert doctors decides that the cessation is final and irrecoverable. Such permissibility is valid even if the heart and respiratory systems are still functioning mechanically due to the life support systems. However, the legal judgment of death is not declared until it is assured that the heart and respirations have fully stopped after turning off all the life support systems.
Concluding Remarks
Notes
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