Hastening the Death of a Sick Person in Order to Relieve Him
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Fatwa No. ( 19165 )
Q: I seek your fatwa, with Allah’s permission, on a matter that came up in a medical program I was listening to, which is: Is it permissible for a patient who has no hope of recovery to ask for death, and should his request be granted to alleviate the pain he is suffering? The speaker said: For example, a cancer patient who has no hope of recovery is better off dead. Is it permissible to grant the patient’s request and kill him to alleviate his continuous pain and torment? The speaker also spoke about a book called (Rights), saying: It is the right of a person to determine when his life ends if his life is a torture and pain for him and for others. What is the opinion of the religion in this matter? May Allah reward you with good.
A: It is forbidden for the sick person to hasten his death, whether by the way of suicide or by taking drugs to kill himself. It is also forbidden for the doctor, nurse, or anyone else to grant his request, even if his illness is not expected to be cured. Whoever assists him in that has shared in the sin with him; because he caused the intentional killing of a protected soul without right. The explicit texts have indicated the prohibition of killing the soul without right. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-An'am 6:151]
And He the Exalted said:[An-Nisa 4:29-30] And it was established from him (peace and blessings be upon him) from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih Muslim 109a Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim. And from Abu Qilabah from Thabit ibn al-Dahhak (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sunan Abi Dawud 3257Sahih (Al-Albani) Narrated by the group. And from Jundub ibn Abdullah al-Bajali (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih al-Bukhari 3463 Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim, and this is the wording of al-Bukhari. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited a person from wishing for death due to a harm that befalls him. In the hadith of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Mishkat al-Masabih 1600 Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim , and this is the wording of al-Bukhari . And al-Bukhari also narrated with another wording from the hadith of al-Bukhari from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: Sahih al-Bukhari 5673. If a person is prohibited from merely wishing for death and asking Allah for it, then a person’s proceeding to kill himself or participating in that is transgressing the limits of Allah and violating His sanctities; because doing so contradicts patience with the decrees of Allah, and in it is
objection to the divine decree and destiny of Allah, and despair from that which His wisdom necessitated to test His servants with good and evil as a trial and examination for His servants. He the Exalted said:[Al-Anbya 21:35] And Allah may test some of His servants with illness, and He is Wise in what He does, All-Knowing of what benefits His servants. And in that there may be good for him and an increase in his good deeds and strength in his faith, and nearness to Allah the Exalted through his submission, supplication, humility to Allah the Exalted, his reliance upon Him, and his supplication to Him. It is incumbent upon a person when he is afflicted with one of the illnesses: to seek reward in that and be patient with what has befallen him of trial. For among the types of patience is patience with trial until he attains the pleasure of Allah the Exalted with him, and an increase in his good deeds and the raising of his ranks in the Hereafter. And what indicates this is what was narrated by Suhayb (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . It was narrated by Imam Muslim in (his Sahih), and Imam Ahmad in (the Musnad), and this is the wording of Imam Ahmad . And His saying the Exalted: And His saying
the Exalted:[Al-Baqarah 2:155-156] And His saying the Exalted: to His saying the Exalted: [Al-Ahzab 33:35] And what was narrated by Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sunan Ibn Majah 4031Hasan (Darussalam) It was narrated by Imam al-Tirmidhi in (his Jami'), and he said: Good and strange from this direction. And what was narrated by Mus'ab ibn Sa'd from his father (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: It was narrated by al-Tirmidhi and he said: This is a good, authentic hadith.
And what was narrated by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2399Hasan (Darussalam) It was narrated by al-Tirmidhi . Accordingly, it is forbidden for the person afflicted with one of the illnesses to seek to kill himself; because his life is not his property, but rather it is the property of Allah who decreed the decrees and the lifespans; and because with the death of the servant his deeds are cut off, and the life of the believer that he lives, good is hoped for from it. Perhaps he will repent to Allah the Exalted from what has passed of his sins, and provision himself with righteous deeds of prayer, fasting, zakah, Hajj, dhikr, and du'a' to Allah the Exalted, and recitation of the Qur'an, so that he ascends to the highest ranks with that with Allah. As the sick person is written for him the reward of what he used to do in the time of his health, as established by the authentic hadiths. As for those who see that the patient’s request to kill himself should be granted and they assist him in that, from doctors and others - then they are sinful for that, and their view is
deficient, and that indicates their ignorance; because they look at the life of a person and his continuation from the direction of being one with animal strength, having authority, arrogance, and transgression, and they do not look at his life as being connected to his Lord, provisioning himself with righteous deeds, his heart having softened for Allah, and he has humbled himself, submitted, and supplicated between the Hands of Him the Exalted and Majestic, so he is more beloved and closer to Allah than one who is arrogant, transgresses, and utilizes his animal strength in what angers Allah. As Allah the Exalted is capable of curing him, and what is impossible in the view of people today may be made easy to treat in the future by the power of Allah, whom nothing in the earth or in the sky defeats. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his Companions.
Q: I seek your fatwa, with Allah’s permission, on a matter that came up in a medical program I was listening to, which is: Is it permissible for a patient who has no hope of recovery to ask for death, and should his request be granted to alleviate the pain he is suffering? The speaker said: For example, a cancer patient who has no hope of recovery is better off dead. Is it permissible to grant the patient’s request and kill him to alleviate his continuous pain and torment? The speaker also spoke about a book called (Rights), saying: It is the right of a person to determine when his life ends if his life is a torture and pain for him and for others. What is the opinion of the religion in this matter? May Allah reward you with good.
A: It is forbidden for the sick person to hasten his death, whether by the way of suicide or by taking drugs to kill himself. It is also forbidden for the doctor, nurse, or anyone else to grant his request, even if his illness is not expected to be cured. Whoever assists him in that has shared in the sin with him; because he caused the intentional killing of a protected soul without right. The explicit texts have indicated the prohibition of killing the soul without right. Allah the Exalted said:
And do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed] except by [legal] right
وَلاَ تَقْتُلُوا النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلا بِالْحَقِّAnd He the Exalted said:
And do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful. (30) And whoever does that in aggression and injustice - then We will drive him into a Fire. And that, for Allah, is [always] easy.
وَلاَ تَقْتُلُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِكُمْ رَحِيمًا (29) وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ عُدْوَانًا وَظُلْمًا فَسَوْفَ نُصْلِيهِ نَارًا وَكَانَ ذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرًاHe who killed himself with steel (weapon) would be the eternal denizen of the Fire of Hell and he would have that weapon in his hand and would be thrusting that in his stomach for ever and ever, he who drank poison and killed himself would sip that in the Fire of Hell where he is doomed for ever and ever; and he who killed himself by falling from (the top of) a mountain would constantly fall in the Fire of Hell and would live there for ever and ever.
من قتل نفسه بحديدة فحديدته بيده يجأ بها في بطنه في نار جهنم خالدًا مخلدًا فيها أبدًا، ومن شرب سمًّا فقتل نفسه فهو يتحساه في نار جهنم خالدًا مخلدًا فيها أبدًا، ومن تردى من جبل فقتل نفسه فهو يتردى في نار جهنم خالدًا مخلدًا فيها أبدًاIf anyone kills himself with something, he will be punished with it on the Day of Resurrection.
من قتل نفسه بشيء عُذب به يوم القيامةAmongst the nations before you there was a man who got a wound, and growing impatient (with its pain), he took a knife and cut his hand with it and the blood did not stop till he died. Allah said, 'My Slave hurried to bring death upon himself so I have forbidden him (to enter) Paradise.'
كان فيمن كان قبلكم رجل به جرح فجزع فأخذ سكينًا فحز بها يده فما رقأ الدم حتى مات، قال الله تعالى: بادرني عبدي بنفسه حرمت عليه الجنةNone of you must wish for death because he is afflicted by evil circumstances, but if he cannot help doing so he should say, ‘O God, give me life as long as life is better for me, and take me when death is better for me.’
لا يتمنين أحدكم الموت من ضر أصابه، فإن كان لا بد فاعلاً فليقل: اللهم أحيني ما كانت الحياة خيرًا لي، وتوفني إذا كانت الوفاة خيرًا ليand none of you should wish for death, for if he is a good doer, he may increase his good deeds, and if he is an evil doer, he may repent to Allah.
لا يتمنين أحدكم الموت إما محسنًا فلعله أن يزداد خيرًا، وإما مسيئًا فلعله أن يستعتبobjection to the divine decree and destiny of Allah, and despair from that which His wisdom necessitated to test His servants with good and evil as a trial and examination for His servants. He the Exalted said:
We test you with evil and with good
وَنَبْلُوكُمْ بِالشَّرِّ وَالْخَيْرِI am amazed at the affair of the believer, for the affair of the believer is all good, and that is not for anyone except the believer. If good befalls him, he is grateful, and that is good for him. If bad befalls him, he is patient, and that is good for him.
عجبت من أمر المؤمن، إن أمر المؤمن كله له خير وليس ذلك لأحد إلا للمؤمن، إن أصابته سراء شكر فكان ذلك له خير، وإن أصابته ضراء فصبر فكان ذلك له خيرAnd the patient with what has befallen them.
وَالصَّابِرِينَ عَلَى مَا أَصَابَهُمْthe Exalted:
but give good tidings to the patient, (156) Who, when disaster strikes them, say, "Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return."
وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ (155) الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُمْ مُصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَAnd the patient men and the patient women
وَالصَّابِرِينَ وَالصَّابِرَاتِfor them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward.
أَعَدَّ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ مَغْفِرَةً وَأَجْرًا عَظِيمًاThe greatest reward comes with the greatest trial. When Allah loves a people He tests them. Whoever accepts that wins His pleasure but whoever is discontent with that earns His wrath.
إن عظم الجزاء مع عظم البلاء، وإن الله إذا أحب قومًا ابتلاهم، فمن رضي فله الرضا، ومن سخط فله السخطI said: O Messenger of Allah, who are the most severely tested people? He said: The prophets, then the next in rank, then the next. A man is tested according to his religion. If there is firmness in his religion, he is tested severely. If there is softness in his religion, he is tested according to his religion. The trial does not cease to befall the servant until he is left walking on the earth with no sin upon him.
قلت: يا رسول الله: أي الناس أشد بلاء؟ قـال: الأنبياء ثم الأمثل فالأمثل، يبتلى الرجل على حسب دينه، فإن كان في دينه صلابة شدد عليه في البلاء، وإن كان في دينه رقة ابتلي على حسب دينه، فما يبرح البلاء بالعبد حتى يتركه يمشي على الأرض ما عليه خطيئةAnd what was narrated by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Trials will not cease afflicting the believing man and the believing woman in their self, children, and wealth, until they meet Allah without having any sin.
ما يزال البلاء بالمؤمن والمؤمنة في نفسه وولده وماله حتى يلقى الله وما عليه خطيئةdeficient, and that indicates their ignorance; because they look at the life of a person and his continuation from the direction of being one with animal strength, having authority, arrogance, and transgression, and they do not look at his life as being connected to his Lord, provisioning himself with righteous deeds, his heart having softened for Allah, and he has humbled himself, submitted, and supplicated between the Hands of Him the Exalted and Majestic, so he is more beloved and closer to Allah than one who is arrogant, transgresses, and utilizes his animal strength in what angers Allah. As Allah the Exalted is capable of curing him, and what is impossible in the view of people today may be made easy to treat in the future by the power of Allah, whom nothing in the earth or in the sky defeats. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.