Abandoning treatment, neglecting it, and turning away from taking the means of healing
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Fatwa number ( 2484 )
Q: As you know, we brought medicine and medical sciences from the West and learned them from them, with all their good and bad. Since the origin of medicine in the West did not stem from a correct belief or at least a sound Christian religion free from distortion, there were necessarily things in the world of medicine that conflict with our pure religion. Therefore, I wanted to present this issue to be repeated daily in the world of medicine. So I say, and success is from Allah: (There are some patients who suffer from a disease that, in the concept of medicine, will inevitably lead to their owner being mentally retarded, and it may even lead to their living a life full of diseases and problems. The closest example is diseases of the brain and the nervous system. This patient may be inside the womb, where medical tests, for example, indicate that this child will be born with a mental defect such that it will be a burden to his parents, in addition to what he will have in his life. In the West, there is an accepted idea that it is better not to treat this first child seriously, meaning giving him the chance to die, unlike if it were a child whose treatment leads to a complete cure. Also, the second child is aborted to be born dead, and the parents may sometimes request this or that, claiming that they want to give the child relief. The closest example is what happened very recently: a child of 7 years old came to us, suffering from severe mental retardation, to the extent that he cannot walk or sit, and his head is full of wounds from falls. He was afflicted with appendicitis, and the specialist doctor stopped to ask:
Medicine in the West did not stem from a correct belief or at least a sound Christian faith free from distortion. Therefore, there were things in the world of medicine that necessarily conflicted with our pure religion. For this reason, I wanted to present this issue to repeat it daily in the world of medicine. So I say, and success is from Allah: (There are some patients who suffer from a disease that, in the medical concept, will inevitably lead to their owner being mentally retarded. In fact, their disease may lead them to live a life full of diseases and problems. The closest example is diseases of the brain and the nervous system. This patient may be inside the womb, where medical tests, for example, indicate that this child will be born with a mental defect such that it will be a burden to his parents, in addition to what he will have in his life. In the West, there is an accepted idea that it is better not to treat this first child seriously, meaning giving him the chance to die, unlike if it were a child whose treatment leads to a complete cure. Likewise, the second child is aborted to be born dead. In fact, the parents may sometimes request this or that, claiming that they want to relieve the child. The closest example is what happened very recently: a child came to us who was 7 years old, suffering from severe mental retardation to the extent that he could not walk or sit, and his head was full of wounds from falls. He was afflicted with appendicitis. The specialist doctor stood to ask:
Whether to perform a surgical operation on him or leave him to his disease and its future. I said: The matter is not up to me, but it is referred to the people of knowledge and religion; because this is not an easy issue, and the boldest of you in issuing fatwas is the boldest of you regarding the Fire. A very large meeting of doctors and visiting professors from America took place. I said to them: This is an issue in which no one has the right to issue a fatwa, and I will bring you its solution, if Allah wills. So the matter is sensitive and urgent. May Allah guide your steps, reward you, and keep you as a reserve for Islam and Muslims.
A: Among the five necessities that the texts of the Book and the Sunnah indicated with decisive proof regarding the obligation to preserve them, and upon which the Ummah agreed on the necessity of observing them, is the preservation of the human soul. It is in the second rank after preserving the religion. Whether the soul is a fetus in which the spirit has been breathed, or a newborn, and whether it is sound from defects and symptoms that disfigure it, or afflicted with some of that, and whether its recovery from what it has is hoped for or not, according to ordinary causes and the experiments conducted. So it is not permissible to encroach upon it by aborting it if it is a fetus in which the spirit has been breathed, or by giving it drugs that end its life and hasten its death, seeking its comfort or the comfort of those who support it, or to rid the society of those with defects, chronic ailments, disfigurements, and the unemployed, or anything else that drives people to get rid of it, due to the generality of the saying of the Exalted:[Al-An'am 6:151]
And because of what is established from the explanation and emphasis of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in his saying:Sunan an-Nasa'i 4721Sahih (Darussalam) narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim , and that they should count that as a good deed, and not be weary of the patient's frequent visits, nor should their hearts be narrow from the length of the treatment, nor should they despair of good outcomes, for matters are in the hand of Allah, who directs them as He wills. And the severity of the disease and the difficulty of the treatment, and the expectation of death and destruction, should not prevent them from that. How many a patient whose disease was intractable and whose condition worsened, Allah granted him healing. And how many a patient whose disease was diagnosed and its cure known, and hope for healing was placed in it, but his death term overtook him despite the care of his treaters. And let not their skill in medicine and their many experiments in it lead them to make their assumptions, according to the causes they have, into certainties, and to make their expectations into reality. How many assumptions have been false, and how many expectations have been wrong. And let them know that although we are commanded to take the causes, healing is from Allah alone, the Causer of causes, and the knowledge of death terms is with Him alone; no one knows them but He. And it is upon the general authority to prepare the means of treatment, such as doctors, equipment, hospitals, and the like, for everyone is a shepherd and responsible for his flock, each in his field and arena according to what Allah has given him
of scientific, material, or practical capacity, as our Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) guided us to do. And they must all do well, for Allah has prescribed excellence in everything, and He, Glorified and Exalted is He, loves those who do well. So they have no right to cling to abandoning treatment and neglecting it and turning away from taking the causes of healing, based on what is established from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim , and the wording is his, and al-Nasa'i and al-Tirmidhi
And because of the clear difference between the two groups. The seventy thousand who enter Paradise without reckoning or punishment left material causes that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) disliked, and spiritual causes that may have impurities of shirk in their kind, for spiritual causes, which are: reliance on Allah and supplicating to Him, Glorified and Exalted is He, with humility and secrecy. And the spiritual causes have an effect, by the permission of Allah, in types of diseases and recovery from them that material causes do not have. So they did not leave taking the causes absolutely, but they chose from them a type that their souls found pleasing, and preferred it over others, with sincerity and truth in reliance on Allah, and patience with the trial. And they did not surrender to the diseases despairing of healing. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not mention that they left all available material causes. And it is established in the hadith:Sahih al-Bukhari 1 Unlike the one who was asked about the fetus and children with defects and intractable diseases, for their conditions and the intentions of those who care for them, such as fathers and mothers and the like, differ from the condition and intentions of those, in terms of turning away from the causes absolutely - material and spiritual - due to despair of healing, and in terms of intending comfort from the patient and relieving him due to the narrowness of the chest from caring for him and weariness from the length of his treatment, along with despair of reaching a result, not for reliance on Allah and patience with the trial, and hope for healing from Allah
Glorified and Exalted is He, and because in the existence of the mentally retarded, the disabled, and those with chronic diseases, there is good for the servants, a reminder, a lesson, and an indication of the greatness of the wisdom of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, and His power over what He wills, and the greatness of His blessing on those who are safe from these diseases, so they thank Him, Glorified and Exalted is He, and adhere to His obedience. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his Companions.
Q: As you know, we brought medicine and medical sciences from the West and learned them from them, with all their good and bad. Since the origin of medicine in the West did not stem from a correct belief or at least a sound Christian religion free from distortion, there were necessarily things in the world of medicine that conflict with our pure religion. Therefore, I wanted to present this issue to be repeated daily in the world of medicine. So I say, and success is from Allah: (There are some patients who suffer from a disease that, in the concept of medicine, will inevitably lead to their owner being mentally retarded, and it may even lead to their living a life full of diseases and problems. The closest example is diseases of the brain and the nervous system. This patient may be inside the womb, where medical tests, for example, indicate that this child will be born with a mental defect such that it will be a burden to his parents, in addition to what he will have in his life. In the West, there is an accepted idea that it is better not to treat this first child seriously, meaning giving him the chance to die, unlike if it were a child whose treatment leads to a complete cure. Also, the second child is aborted to be born dead, and the parents may sometimes request this or that, claiming that they want to give the child relief. The closest example is what happened very recently: a child of 7 years old came to us, suffering from severe mental retardation, to the extent that he cannot walk or sit, and his head is full of wounds from falls. He was afflicted with appendicitis, and the specialist doctor stopped to ask:
Medicine in the West did not stem from a correct belief or at least a sound Christian faith free from distortion. Therefore, there were things in the world of medicine that necessarily conflicted with our pure religion. For this reason, I wanted to present this issue to repeat it daily in the world of medicine. So I say, and success is from Allah: (There are some patients who suffer from a disease that, in the medical concept, will inevitably lead to their owner being mentally retarded. In fact, their disease may lead them to live a life full of diseases and problems. The closest example is diseases of the brain and the nervous system. This patient may be inside the womb, where medical tests, for example, indicate that this child will be born with a mental defect such that it will be a burden to his parents, in addition to what he will have in his life. In the West, there is an accepted idea that it is better not to treat this first child seriously, meaning giving him the chance to die, unlike if it were a child whose treatment leads to a complete cure. Likewise, the second child is aborted to be born dead. In fact, the parents may sometimes request this or that, claiming that they want to relieve the child. The closest example is what happened very recently: a child came to us who was 7 years old, suffering from severe mental retardation to the extent that he could not walk or sit, and his head was full of wounds from falls. He was afflicted with appendicitis. The specialist doctor stood to ask:
Whether to perform a surgical operation on him or leave him to his disease and its future. I said: The matter is not up to me, but it is referred to the people of knowledge and religion; because this is not an easy issue, and the boldest of you in issuing fatwas is the boldest of you regarding the Fire. A very large meeting of doctors and visiting professors from America took place. I said to them: This is an issue in which no one has the right to issue a fatwa, and I will bring you its solution, if Allah wills. So the matter is sensitive and urgent. May Allah guide your steps, reward you, and keep you as a reserve for Islam and Muslims.
A: Among the five necessities that the texts of the Book and the Sunnah indicated with decisive proof regarding the obligation to preserve them, and upon which the Ummah agreed on the necessity of observing them, is the preservation of the human soul. It is in the second rank after preserving the religion. Whether the soul is a fetus in which the spirit has been breathed, or a newborn, and whether it is sound from defects and symptoms that disfigure it, or afflicted with some of that, and whether its recovery from what it has is hoped for or not, according to ordinary causes and the experiments conducted. So it is not permissible to encroach upon it by aborting it if it is a fetus in which the spirit has been breathed, or by giving it drugs that end its life and hasten its death, seeking its comfort or the comfort of those who support it, or to rid the society of those with defects, chronic ailments, disfigurements, and the unemployed, or anything else that drives people to get rid of it, due to the generality of the saying of the Exalted:
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 because of what is established from the explanation and emphasis of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in his saying:
It is not permissible to shed the blood of a Muslim except in one of three cases: A soul for a soul, a adulterer who has been married, and one who separates leaving his religion.
لا يحل دم امرئ مسلم إلا بإحدى ثلاث: النفس بالنفس، والثيب الزاني، والتارك لدينه المفارق للجماعةof scientific, material, or practical capacity, as our Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) guided us to do. And they must all do well, for Allah has prescribed excellence in everything, and He, Glorified and Exalted is He, loves those who do well. So they have no right to cling to abandoning treatment and neglecting it and turning away from taking the causes of healing, based on what is established from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The nations were presented to me, and I saw a prophet with a group of people, a prophet with one or two men, and a prophet with no one with him. Then a great multitude was raised up to me, and I said: "Is this my Ummah?" It was said to me: "This is Musa and his people." I looked, and there was a great multitude. Then it was said to me: "This is your Ummah, and with them are seventy thousand who will enter Paradise without reckoning and without punishment." Then he rose and entered his house. The people discussed those [seventy thousand], and some said: "Perhaps they are those who accompanied the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)." Others said: "Perhaps they are those who were born in Islam and did not associate anything with Allah." They mentioned various things. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came out to them, and they informed him. He said: "They are those who do not seek healing by ruqyah, do not use cautery, do not take omens, and they rely upon their Lord." Then 'Ikashah ibn Mahsan stood up and said: "Call upon Allah to make me one of them." He said: "You are one of them." Then another man stood up and said: "Call upon Allah to make me one of them." He said: "'Ikashah has preceded you to that."
عرضت علي الأمم، فرأيت النبي ومعه الرهط، والنبي ومعه الرجل والرجلان، والنبي وليس معه أحد، إذ رفع إلي سواد عظيم، فقلت: إنهم أمتي، فقيل لي: هذا موسى وقومه، فنظرت فإذا سواد عظيم فقيل لي: هذه أمتك ومعهم سبعون ألفًا يدخلون الجنة بغير حساب ولا عذاب، ثـم نهض فدخل منزله، فخاض الناس في أولئك، فقال بعضهم: لعلهم الذين صحبوا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، وقال بعضهم: فلعلـهم الذين ولدوا في الإسلام فلم يشركوا بالله شيئًا، وذكروا أشياء، فخرج عليهم رسـول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، فـأخبروه، فقـال: هم الذين لا يسترقون ولا يكتوون ولا يتطيرون، وعلى ربهم يتوكلون، فقام عكاشة بن محصن فقال: ادع الله أن يجعلني منهم، فقـال: أنت منهم، فقـام رجل آخـر فقال: ادع الله أن يجعلني منهم، فقـال: سبقك بها عكاشةAnd because of the clear difference between the two groups. The seventy thousand who enter Paradise without reckoning or punishment left material causes that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) disliked, and spiritual causes that may have impurities of shirk in their kind, for spiritual causes, which are: reliance on Allah and supplicating to Him, Glorified and Exalted is He, with humility and secrecy. And the spiritual causes have an effect, by the permission of Allah, in types of diseases and recovery from them that material causes do not have. So they did not leave taking the causes absolutely, but they chose from them a type that their souls found pleasing, and preferred it over others, with sincerity and truth in reliance on Allah, and patience with the trial. And they did not surrender to the diseases despairing of healing. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not mention that they left all available material causes. And it is established in the hadith:
The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended.
إنما الأعمال بالنيات وإنما لكل امرئ ما نوىGlorified and Exalted is He, and because in the existence of the mentally retarded, the disabled, and those with chronic diseases, there is good for the servants, a reminder, a lesson, and an indication of the greatness of the wisdom of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, and His power over what He wills, and the greatness of His blessing on those who are safe from these diseases, so they thank Him, Glorified and Exalted is He, and adhere to His obedience. 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.