Is mercy killing allowed in Islam?

PHARM · #1 Monday, March 17, 2008

here, i want to discuss with you people,

Should mercy killing b allowed?

Suppose we have a case of such person,

1: whose whole body is paralyzed, he can't move, nor he can talk.
He is unable to fulfill his basic requirement.. He has no desire for life.

or suppose,

2: a person is in Comma, he lives on food given by stomach tube. he has no desire for life. He just want death.

What would you do, if patient request you to give him death......
The patient may be you relative or not

What would be your respose in both cases, if he is your relative, or if he is not your relative

HAVE YOU COURAGE TO FULFILL HIS DESIRE

IF YES THEN WHY?
IF NO THEN WHY?

PLZ PLZZZZ SHARE YOUR VIEWS HERE, I NEED IT

qayym · #2 Monday, March 17, 2008

No, Never. i dont hav such courage.

and WHY NO.............. bcoz I m da strong believer of PRAY which can change every thing

aqib · #3 Monday, March 17, 2008

Well I dont know the clear stance of Islam regarding this (mercy killing) but I know one thing that we the humans are not the owners of our lives but its the Almighty, that is why committing suicide is "haram" or prohibited. And in the case mentioned above whether the person is my relative or not I would not kill him, never. But I will pray to Allah that please forgive him and give him death if it is destined for him and if not then give him life and health but please relieve him of this extremely painful situation.

PHARM · #4 Monday, March 17, 2008

No, Never. i dont hav such courage.

What would you do, if a person remain in condition more than 10 year?
Be rational.

you know, in comma, patient can come back to life, if he wants, but what would you do, if he don't like to come back to life.

because it is very difficult to bear the hospital expenses for such a long time,,,,

qayym · #5 Monday, March 17, 2008

@ PHARM

i personally handle 1 case not upto da comma, but paralyzed for atleast 7 years............ and i never think for a mercy killing.............

PHARM · #6 Monday, March 17, 2008

@ qayym
yeah, my grand mom was also remained paralyzed for more than 7 year, and alhamdullillah, her daughter in law was also very good, (mean my mom, my chachia)

All they served her lot,

but you know, here in pakistan we have strong family circle... usually parents are served by their children in their old age. whether they do it happily or unhappily.. because if some one don't fullfill one's duty, one is strictly insulted by society...
This is our society and our family system and also our religion which gives benefits to human, in every stage of life,

But in Western countries, the situation is not same, i think you also live some other country. and you can easily understand the difference b/w here and there.

so extend the discussion,, to european countries....

qayym · #7 Monday, March 17, 2008

As i know der r some countries of west and few states of America where they legalized nd in few cases da states permitted da mercy deaths............

but being a Muslim and a Pakistani............... we shud love our traditions and customs........... and in my own opinion.......... we shud follow our own

Quote:

because if some one don't fullfill one's duty, one is strictly insulted by society...

as for concern to dat above sentence.............. der r always some reasons behind the not fulfillling of duty. we shud we must obsevre them before insulting.......... any one

PHARM · #8 Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Quote:

we shud love our traditions and customs........... and in my own opinion.......... we shud follow our own

you are absoleutely right, i love my tradition more than any thing else..
and God forbidden i m not trying to change it.

Quote:

some reasons behind the not fulfillling of duty. we shud we must obsevre them before insulting.......... any one

i think duty is duty, and it should b fullfilled at every cost, no compromise over it..

i will tell you the back ground of this discussion later on, at time i m waiting for some more discussion....

Last Island · #9 Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Quote:

1: whose whole body is paralyzed, he can't move, nor he can talk.
He is unable to fulfill his basic requirement.. He has no desire for life.

or suppose,

2: a person is in Comma, he lives on food given by stomach tube. he has no desire for life. He just want death.

The Shari'ah (Islamic Law) listed and specified the indications for taking life (i.e. the exceptions to the general rule of sanctity of human life), and they do not include mercy killing or make allowance for it.

Human life per se is a value to be respected unconditionally, irrespective of other circumstances. The concept of a life not worthy of living does not exist in Islam. Justification of taking life to escape suffering is not acceptable in Islam.

Prophet Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) taught:

"There was a man in older times who had an infliction that taxed his patience, so he took a knife, cut his wrist and bled to death. Upon this God said: My subject hastened his end, I deny him paradise." [Sahih al-Bukhari 8:603]

During one of the military campaigns one of the Muslims was killed and the companions of the prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) kept praising his gallantry and efficiency in fighting, but, to their surprise, the Prophet commented, "His lot is hell." Upon inquiry, the companions (radiAllahu anhum)found out that the man had been seriously injured so he supported the handle of his sword on the ground and plunged his chest onto its tip, committing suicide.

There is still another dimension to the question of pain and suffering. Patience and endurance are highly regarded and highly rewarded values in Islam.

"Those who patiently preserve will truly receive a reward without measure" [39:10].

"And bear in patience whatever (ill) maybe fall you: this, behold, is something to set one's heart upon" [31:17] .

Prophet Muhammad taught:

"When the believer is afflicted with pain, even that of a prick of a thorn or more, God forgives his sins, and his wrongdoings are discarded as a tree sheds off its leaves." [Sahih al-Bukari]

When means of preventing or alleviating pain fall short, this spiritual dimension can be very effectively called upon to support the patient who believes that accepting and standing unavoidable pain will be to his/her credit in the hereafter, the real and enduring life. To a person who does not believe in a hereafter this might sound like nonsense, but to one who does, euthanasia is certainly nonsense.

Quote:

because it is very difficult to bear the hospital expenses for such a long time,,,,

There is no disagreement that the financial cost of maintaining the incurably ill and the senile is a growing concern, so much so that some groups have gone beyond the concept of the "right to die" to that of the "duty to die". They claim that when the human machine has outlived its productive span its maintenance is an unacceptable burden on the productive stratum of society, and it should be disposed of, and rather abruptly than allowing it to deteriorate gradually

This logic is completely alien to Islam. Values take priority overprices. The care for the week, old and helpless is a value in itself for which people are willing to sacrifice time, effort and money, and this starts, naturally with one's own parents

"Your Lord decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to your parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of contempt but address them in terms of honor. And lower to them the wing of humility out of compassion, and say: my Lord, bestow on them Your mercy even as they cherished me in childhood" [17: 25-25] .

Because such caring is a virtue ordained and rewarded by Allah in this world and in the hereafter, the believers don't take it as a debit but as an investment. In a materialistic dollar-centric community this logic is meaningless, but not so in the value-oriented God heeding community of the faithful.

When individual means cannot cover the needed care, it becomes, according to Islam, the collective responsibility of society, and financial priorities are reshuffled so that values take priority over pleasures, and people derive more pleasure from heeding values than from pursuing other pleasantries. A prerequisite of course is a complete moral and spiritual re-orientation of a society that does not hold to these premises.

In an Islamic setting the question of euthanasia usually does not arise, and if it does, it is dismissed as religiously unlawful. The patient should receive every possible psychological support and compassion from family and friends, including the patient's spiritual (religious) resources. The doctor also participates in this, as well, and provides the therapeutic measures for the relief of pain. A dilemma arises when the dose of the pain killer necessary to alleviate pain approximates or overlaps with the lethal dose that might bring about the patient's death.

Ingenuity on the part of the doctor is called upon to avoid this situation, but from a religious point of view the critical issue is the doctor's intention: is it to kill or to alleviate? Intention is beyond verification by the law but according to Islam it cannot escape the ever watchful eye of God Who according to the Qur'an "knows the treachery of the eyes, and all that hearts conceal" [40:19].

Sins that do not full fill the criteria of a legal crime are beyond the domain of the judge but remain answerable to Allah.

The Islamic Code of Medical Ethics [1981 p.67], states:

"In his/her defense of life, however, the Doctor is well advised to realize his limit and not transgress it. If it is scientifically certain that life cannot be restored, then it is futile to diligently keep the patient in a vegetative state by heroic means or to preserve the patient by deep freezing or other artificial methods. It is the process of life that the doctor aims to maintain and not the process of dying. In any case, the doctor shall not take a positive measure to terminate the patient's life".

The seeking of medical treatment from illness is mandatory in Islam, according to two sayings of the prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam):

"Seek treatment/cure, subjects of God, for to every illness God has made a cure", and "Your body has a right on you."

But when the treatment holds no promise it ceases to be mandatory. This applies both to surgical and/or pharmaceutical measures, and, according to a majority of scholars, to artificial animation equipment. Ordinary life needs which are the right of every living person and which are not categorized as "treatment" are regarded differently. These include food and drink and ordinary nursing care, and they are not to be withheld as long as the patient lives.

PHARM · #10 Tuesday, March 18, 2008

@ last island

Thanx for such a detailed discussion,,

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The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Last Island For This Useful Post:
Hurriah (Tuesday, March 18, 2008), qayym (Tuesday, March 18, 2008), SNawed (Thursday, March 20, 2008)