Fatwa #1408622 March 2006Canada
Is it permissible in Islam for a muslim man to become a Paramedic in a Western country like Canada
Question
1. Is it permissible in Islam for a muslim man to become a Paramedic in a Western country like Canada or USA? A paramedic, is a highly trained medical professional who responds to medical and trauma emergencies in the pre-hospital setting ("in-field") for the purpose of stabilizing a patient's condition before and during transportation to an appropriate medical facility, usually by ambulance.
2. Is it premissible to find out the gender of a baby through an ultrasound?
3. How many days after a delivery of a child should a woman wait before she can start praying again?
Answer
1. It is permissible for a Muslim to be a paramedic.
2. A woman may undergo an ultrasound check-up for medical reasons and not specifically to determine the gender of the child. However, in the course of the ultrasound check-cup, if she learns about the gender of the child, it is our advise that she should not rely on that completely as there were instances in which the information about the gender of the child during the ultrasound turned out to be incorrect. That could have a negative impact on the woman.
3. The bleeding after childbirth is termed Nifaas in Shari’ah. The maximum period of Nifaas is 40 days if the bleeding continues. If the bleeding stops before 40 days, then the Nifaas will end and the woman will have to take a bath and resume her obligations of Salaat and fasting in Ramadhaan.
and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best
Mufti Ebrahim Desai